It was an honor to accept the Raven Award from Mystery Writers of America alongside Kellye Garrett at the Edgar Awards banquet. We both accepted the award on behalf of Crime Writers of Color, a group we cofounded with Walter Mosley five years ago. The Raven Award recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing, and it was a tremendous honor for our group that’s only five years old to be recognized for its impact in the mystery community.
With Kellye Garrett and our raven statuettes!
Alex Segura, a good friend who also wrote Secret Identity (one of my favorite novels of 2022), presented the Raven Award.
Alex Segura presenting our Raven statuettes. Photographer: Aslan Chalom.
Accepting the award with MWA president Chris Grabenstein, Alex Segura, and Kellye Garrett in the background. Photographer: Aslan Chalom.
Watching as Kellye Garrett gave powerful remarks. Photographer: Aslan Chalom.
Here’s the statement from Crime Writers of Color when we heard we’d be receiving the Raven:
“When we first started talking about the idea that became Crime Writers of Color, we never imagined the small informal group would become such a big and thriving community in just a few years. Our goal was always to create a safe and supportive space for fellow writers of color to network and thrive. So, to know that the group is making a positive impact in the mystery community as a whole is so gratifying, and to be recognized by MWA in our fifth year is such an honor! We thank you on behalf of all our 350-plus members who are in all stages of their career.”
—Cofounders Walter Mosley, Kellye Garrett, and Gigi Pandian
And you can watch our speeches here. Kellye’s speech is amazing. She’s such a fierce advocate for authors, and as I said in my remarks, she’s the daily heart and soul of the group.
Left to right: Gigi Pandian, Kellye Garrett, Michelle Richter, Tracy Clark, Cheryl Head, and Alex Segura. Photographer: Aslan Chalom.
Most of the award winners of the night. I’m standing next to Martin Edwards, who took home an Edgar for THE LIFE OF CRIME, his terrific nonfiction book on the history of crime fiction. Photographer: Aslan Chalom.
The program book, which is mailed to all MWA members, was packed with great content, including a section of essays about departed authors who made a big impact on the genre. I’m a mystery fan before I’m a writer, so the day after the Edgars I loved reading the essays about so many brilliant authors who gave us so many wonderful books.
Ellen Byron wrote about Elizabeth Peters and asked me for a quote for the piece. My quote that I contributed about my favorite author: “Amelia Peabody became a character even greater than her author intended. Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody #1, 1975) was originally written as a stand-alone novel. But readers wanted more of the larger-than-life sleuth. Over twenty books over forty years, the Amelia Peabody novels perfectly blended mystery, romance, adventure, and humor, providing readers with countless hours of fun.”
Edgar Awards program book pages featuring departed giants in the mystery writing world.
An unexpected moment at the Edgars: Making my husband jealous that he wasn’t there to meet John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats! In addition to being in a musician that my husband I have seen perform many times, John is a novelist, and his book Devil House was nominated for an Edgar for Best Novel this year.
With John Darnielle.
Since I was in town, I came in a couple of days early to see friends and visit museums. I spent a full day at the Met, where barely scratched the surface of the collection and filled my notebook as I gathered countless ideas for future books…
Farewell, New York! Until next time.
The New York Public Library.