Bryan Washington

Washington was born October 1993 in Kentucky and moved to Katy, Texas when he was 3 years old.[2][3] He knew he was gay at a young age but did not formally come out, fearing stigmatization. He graduated from James E. Taylor High School in 2011.[3] Washington graduated from the University of Houston with a BA in English, and continued his education at the University of New Orleans where he graduated with an MFA.[4]

For his collection of short stories, Lot, he was recognized as one of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35. Lot, a series of interconnected short stories set in Houston, was published in 2019 by Riverhead.[4] The book centers in part on Nicolás, a young man of mixed African American and Latino American descent who works in his family's restaurant while coming to terms with his sexuality.[5] The book was the winner of the 2019 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence,[6] the 2020 Dylan Thomas Prize,[7] and the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.[8]

Washington's debut novel, Memorial, was published on October 27, 2020.[9] In addition to being longlisted for the Aspen Literary prize, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize, Memorial was also named a New York Times Notable Book.[10] Prior to publication, A24 purchased the rights to adapt the novel for television, with Washington adapting his novel.[11]

Washington lectures in English at Rice University, where in July 2020 he was made George Guion Williams Writer in Residence and Scholar in Residence for Racial Justice.[3]

• Official website