Bryan Washington

Bryan Washington (born April 22, 1993)^[1] is an American writer from Houston. He published his debut short story collection, Lot, in 2019^[2] and a novel, Memorial, in 2020.

Washington was born 1993 in Kentucky and moved to Katy, Texas when he was 3 years old.^[3][4] He knew he was gay at a young age but did not formally come out, fearing stigmatization. He graduated from James E. Taylor High School in 2011.^[4] Washington graduated from the University of Houston with a BA in English, and continued his education at the University of New Orleans where he graduated with an MFA.^[5]

For his collection of short stories, Lot, he was recognized as one of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35. Lot, a series of interconnected short stories set in Houston, was published in 2019 by Riverhead.^[5] The book centers in part on Nicolás, a young man of mixed African American and Latino American descent who works in his family's restaurant while coming to terms with his sexuality.^[6] The book was the winner of the 2019 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence,^[7] the 2020 Dylan Thomas Prize,^[8] and the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.^[9]

Washington's debut novel, Memorial, was published on October 27, 2020.^[10] In addition to being longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, Memorial was also named a New York Times Notable Book.^[11] Prior to publication, A24 purchased the rights to adapt the novel for television, with Washington adapting his novel.^[12] His second novel Family Meal was also shortlisted for the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.^[13]

Washington lectures in English at Rice University, where in July 2020 he was made George Guion Williams Writer in Residence and Scholar in Residence for Racial Justice.^[4]

• —— (2019). Lot: Stories (1st ed.). Riverhead Books. ISBN 978-0-525-53367-2.
• —— (2020). Memorial: A Novel. Riverhead Books. ISBN 978-0-593-08727-5.
• —— (2023). Family Meal: A Novel (1st ed.). Riverhead Books. ISBN 978-0-593-42109-3.

• Washington, Bryan (August 8, 2019). "How Many". Flash Fiction. The New Yorker.
• Washington, Bryan (August 3, 2020). "Heirlooms". Fiction. The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
• Washington, Bryan (June 14, 2021). "Foster". Fiction. The New Yorker.
• Washington, Bryan. "Arrivals". Fiction. The New Yorker. No. July 11 & 18, 2022.
• Washington, Bryan. Last Coffeehouse on Travis. Fiction. The New Yorker. Sep. 16, 2024.

• Official website