CROOK'S CORNER BOOK PRIZE SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

$5,000 Prize to be Awarded for Best Debut Novel Set in the South

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA, OCTOBER 1, 2026—Today, the Crook’s Corner

Book Prize Foundation announces the four finalists for best debut novel set in the

American South.

The Shortlist is:

● The Resettlement of Vesta Blonik by Denise Smith Cline, Regal House

Publishing

● God Is Harder on Girls by Ella Dodson, Chapel Hill Press

● This Here Is Love by Princess Joy L. Perry, W. W. Norton & Company

● The Slip by Lucas Schaefer, Simon & Schuster

“The novels on this year’s shortlist reflect the depth, diversity, and vitality of storytelling

in the American South. We’re delighted to recognize these four authors and their

distinctive contributions to Southern literature,” says Megan Crunkleton, Foundation

President.