Namwali Serpell, Saara El-Arifi, and Cynthia Erivo Among 2026 Goodreads Choice Awards Nominees
Voting is now open for the 2026 Goodreads Choice Awards, and three writers with African roots are showing up strong in this year's nominations. Zambian writer Namwali Serpell, British-Nigerian actor and author Cynthia Erivo, and Saara El-Arifi, a British author of Ghanaian and Sudanese descent, all made the cut.
The nominations speak to a broader moment for African and African-diaspora storytelling. These three women bring very different backgrounds and genres to the table, yet here they are, sitting side by side in one of the reading world's most widely followed popularity contests.
Goodreads Choice Awards winners are decided entirely by readers, which makes a nomination like this its own kind of statement. If your library card has been collecting dust, this might be the nudge to get back in the game and cast your vote.
Originally published by Brittle Paper.