The Barnhill Prize honors Anne Clinard Barnhill’s generous spirit of support for all who love to read and write; her lifelong empathy with those who mine their childhood experience to understand themselves now; the natural vulnerability in her compelling prose and poetry; and her boundless generosity in sharing her writing passions with the world.

We are thrilled to announce that Neema Avashia will award the 2023 Anne C. Barnhill Prize for Creative Nonfiction. Personal note from EDG: Neema and I share growing up in the Kanawha Valley, West Virginia. We didn’t know each other then, but I remember hearing her name. My family knew an Indian family in our area, and from elementary school through high school, my sister and I grew up with friendships that linked us to “another Appalachia.” When Neema sent us her essay, A Hindu Hillbilly Elegy, in 2019, it was an easy decision to make it a finalist; that it made it into her wonderful book is a huge privilege for us here at Longridge Review. Thank you, Neema!

Finalist for Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir/Biography

Finalist for the 2022 New England Book Award

Book Riot 2022 Best LGBTQ+ Memoir

New York Public Library Best Book of 2022

Honors for Another Appalachia

Things to do today:

• Learn more about Neema on her website: https://www.neemaavashia.com
• Read her essay collection: Another Appalachia: Growing up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place (available through links on her website and wherever books are sold).
• Read about the #BarnhillPrize on our website and familiarize yourself with our mission.
• Follow our blog to stay current on contest information as we move toward June 11.
• Follow us on Twitter, our favorite hangout on the socials: @LongridgeReview, same handle on Instagram, @longridgereview.
• Follow Neema on Twitter: @AvashiaNeema
• Start penciling out your own essay for our contest. Submissions open June 11 and close August 12, 2023.

Read the #BarnhillPrize-winning essays to date:
2019: Suburbs Plagued by Foraging Deer
2020: 4 Generations of Black Hair Matters
2021: How to Make Jeweled Rice (Shirin Polo)
2022: Story with Dog

Most of all, be inspired, get excited, and write on!