WNBA-San Francisco is proud to be a community sponsor of the 45th Annual Northern California Book Awards, celebrating the extraordinary writers, translators, books, and literary community that make Northern California such a vibrant place for readers and writers. Celebrate with us on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. in Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Main Library, when the Northern California Book Awards will recognize outstanding books published in 2025 by Northern California authors and California translators.The event is free and open to the public.
The awards are presented by the Northern California Book Reviewers, Poetry Flash, and the San Francisco Public Library, in partnership with WNBA-San Francisco and Mechanics’ Institute Library. The event is free and open to the public.
Celebrating Amy Tan!
A highlight of this year’s ceremony will be the presentation of the Fred Cody Award for Lifetime Achievement and Service to Amy Tan, honoring her remarkable literary career and contributions to the literary community. Born in Oakland to immigrant parents, Tan has given an unforgettable voice to the Chinese American experience and the American story. Her acclaimed works—including The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, and The Bonesetter’s Daughter—explore family, identity, memory, and the immigrant experience. Her body of work encompasses novels, short stories, essays, memoir, children’s books, a libretto, film and television adaptations, and illustrated nature journals.
Throughout the afternoon, winning authors will accept their awards and speak about their work. Awards will recognize Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Children’s Literature, and California Translation in Poetry and Prose, along with special honors including the NCBA Recognition Award and NCBA Groundbreaker Award.
Because Literary celebrations are even better when there’s time to actually talk about the books, a reception will follow in the San Francisco Main Library’s Latino/Hispanic Community Room, giving readers, writers, and members of the literary community an opportunity to gather and connect.
For WNBA-San Francisco, supporting the Northern California Book Awards reflects something central to our mission: building literary community and championing the people who write, publish, translate, review, sell, and share books. We hope our members and friends will join us for an afternoon celebrating some of Northern California’s finest literary voices.
See the 2026 Northern California Book Awards, nominees, and updates on Poetry Flash.
RSVP for the 45th Annual Northern California Book Awards on Eventbrite.
RSVPs are appreciated to help organizers plan for refreshments, but tickets are not required to attend this free event.
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