Nigerian-American writer Olufunke Grace Bankole has been named one of three finalists for the 2026 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award.
Her novel, The Edge of Water (Tin House), earned the spot alongside:
- Homeseeking by Karissa Chen (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
- North Sun, or, the Voyage of the Whaleship Esther by Ethan Rutherford (A Strange Object/Deep Vellum)
The finalists were selected by students in the VCU MFA in Creative Writing program from a shortlist of ten, drawn from nearly 200 submissions.
Set between Nigeria and New Orleans, The Edge of Water follows a young woman whose dream of life in America collides with traditional prophecy and family bonds during a devastating storm. The novel has won the Westport Prize for Literature and the Ploughshares John C. Zacharis First Book Award, and has received recognition from the New American Voices Award, the Pacific Northwest Book Award, the Oregon Book Award, the CLMP Firecracker Awards, and the Carol Shields Prize.
In her words, Olufunke Grace Bankole says:
“I’m moved and so honored to see THE EDGE OF WATER make it to this stage. Thank you very much to everyone who has had a hand in this process, especially the MFA program and judges. Congratulations to my fellow finalists!”
The $5,000 award, named after Richmond writer James Branch Cabell, has previously gone to Raven Leilani, Ling Ma, Hernán Diaz, and Angela Flournoy, among others.
The winner will be announced in early July.
Congratulations, Olufunke Grace Bankole!
