THE ANNUAL KEVIN McILVOY BOOK PRIZE
Kevin “Mc” McIlvoy and the Kevin McIlvoy Book Prize
WTAW Press established the Kevin McIlvoy Book Prize in 2023 to honor Kevin “Mc” McIlvoy—author, teacher, and mentor—whose impact on the literary community spanned decades.
The prize is awarded annually to a writer of exceptional prose, continuing Mc’s legacy of championing bold, original voices. Mc was the author of numerous acclaimed books, including those published by WTAW Press: One Kind Favor and Is It So? Glimpses, Glyphs, & Found Novels. His body of work crossed boundaries of form and genre, earning him recognition as a fearless and deeply humane writer. His final book, Willingness: A Writer's Meditations on Crossing the Flood—his only work on the art and craft of writing—will be published by WTAW in October 2025.
Mc was known for his generosity, insight, and commitment to mentoring writers. The Kevin McIlvoy Book Prize was created to celebrate that spirit. Winners of the prize receive book publication by WTAW Press, national distribution, and a $2,500 honorarium. The prize seeks to uplift work that embodies the fearless originality and deep emotional resonance that Mc championed throughout his life.
We’re delighted to announce the results of the 2nd Kevin McIlvoy Book Prize!
After much deliberation, the prize has been awarded to THIS IS ALSO LIFE by Elle Therese Napolitano.
A hauntingly vivid exploration of abuse, survival, and resilience, THIS IS ALSO LIFE delves into the complexities of how the past shapes and doesn’t shape us. Napolitano’s compelling characters—immensely human, heartbreakingly real—will stay with you long after the last page. This gripping novel challenges our notions of healing and identity, confronting the limits of what one person can do to save another.
Elle Therese Napolitano (she/her) is a writer whose work has been published in The Greensboro Review, Hoxie Gorge Review, Into the Void, Glimmer Train, and The Woven Tale Press. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson College and a PhD in Organizational Learning from the University of New Mexico, where she explored the nature of wisdom—a theme that subtly underpins her writing. Elle grew up in Chicagoland as one of seven sisters and now resides in Oakland, California, with her husband and dogs. Outside of writing, she volunteers at One Living Sanctuary, a farm animal sanctuary, and shares her experiences on Instagram and Bluesky.
Here is what the judges say:
James Tate Hill, author of Blind Man’s Bluff, calls THIS IS ALSO LIFE “a nuanced, panoramic novel of abuse and survival, exploring the complicated ways the past does and doesn’t define us. These are characters you trust, vividly rendered people to whom you don’t want to say goodbye.”
Olga Zilberbourg, author of Like Water and Other Stories, describes THIS IS ALSO LIFE as “a moving, intimate portrait of women affected by domestic violence to various degrees. The inventive structure of the book allows a realistic representation of violence and highlights the survivors' search for connection and meaning.”
Yang Huang, author of My Good Son, praises the book’s “daring and intricate structure,” noting that it “takes readers on a journey through grief and healing, depicting how domestic violence threatens women in myriad ways. Compassionate and intimate, it delves into how communities can support victims and survivors.”
Thank you to all who submitted their work to the 2025 Kevin McIlvoy Book Prize. The judges faced a truly remarkable pool of submissions, and we are honored to celebrate the legacy of Kevin “Mc” McIlvoy through this award.
We also want to highlight the finalists and semi-finalists:
Finalists:
THE TORCH BEARER, Emilie Beck
EXILED, Rose Whitmore
Semi-finalists:
SOFT GOODBYES THROUGH BROKEN VEILS, Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal
THIS WILL BE YOURS WHEN I DIE, Sara Maria Greene
OBSCURE HEARTS, S.P. Tenhoff
DREAMS OF MY DEAD HUSBAND, Jennifer Wortman