Three Tacoma writers landed on the shortlist for the 2026 Washington State Book Awards, spanning humor, poetry and children's literature.
Matt Kracht, Abby E. Murray and Corey R. Tabor are among 41 finalists selected from 308 books considered this year, according to SouthSoundMag.
The Washington Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Library of Congress administered by Washington State Library, will announce winners Sept. 15.
The awards recognize books published by Washington residents in 2025.
Matt Kracht: General Nonfiction/Biography
Kracht is a finalist for "A Dumb Birds Field Guide to the Worst Birds Ever," the third installment in his bestselling series that pairs real ornithological facts with snarky illustrations. He appeared on NBC's TODAY show in March 2025 with Al Roker to talk birding and humor.
"Birding and bird watching in really any branch of science can feel really serious to people, and I wanted to have fun with it," Kracht said during that March 2025 TODAY segment.
Abby E. Murray: Poetry
Murray (they/them), Tacoma's 2019–2021 poet laureate, is a finalist for "Recovery Commands," released by Ex Ophidia Press in June 2025.
The collection won the Richard-Gabriel Rummonds Poetry Prize and has also been nominated for the National Book Award, according to Murray's author website.
Murray's first book, "Hail and Farewell," was itself a previous Washington State Book Award finalist, making this a return to the shortlist.
Murray teaches rhetoric in military strategy to Army War College fellows at the University of Washington and edits Collateral, a literary journal focused on the impact of violent conflict and military service.
Corey R. Tabor: Picture Books
Tabor, a Caldecott Honor winner for his 2021 book "Mel Fell," is a finalist for "Cranky, Crabby Crow (Saves the World)," published by Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins). The picture book features a grumpy crow who dismisses friendly overtures from other animals with a contemptuous "KAW!" before embarking on a secret mission.
In a May 2025 Publishers Weekly interview about the book, Tabor described it as a "don't judge people too quickly" kind of story, saying the crow who seems rude might actually be off to save the world.
He created the artwork by drawing lines and color blocks digitally, printing them in black-and-white on an old laser printer to add organic flaws and halftone dots reminiscent of old comics, then scanning and reassembling them on screen.
The process gave the illustrations a textured, retro feel that Tabor wanted for a story about a bird who refuses to play nice.
The three Tacoma finalists compete in separate categories against authors from Seattle, Spokane, Bellingham and elsewhere across the state. The full finalist list is available on the Washington Center for the Book's website.
