Writing Seminars graduate Taylor Koekkoek (MFA ’15) has been awarded the 2024 Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, for his debut story collection Thrillville, USA. “The American Academy of Arts and Letters announces the eighteen recipients of its 2024 Awards in Literature, totaling $305,000, to honor both established and emerging writers. The 300 members of Arts and Letters nominate candidates for awards, and a rotating committee of writers selects the winners. This year, the literature awards committee members were Mona Simpson (chair), Henri Cole, Elizabeth Kolbert, Caryl Phillips, and Yiyun Li. Amy Hempel and Joy Williams adjudicated the Sue Kaufman Prize and Rosenthal Family Foundation Award. . . . Arts and Letters will also recognize four young writers for outstanding achievements. The Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction of $5,000 goes to Taylor Koekkoek for Thrillville, USA.” [Click here to read the full press release.]