Writing alum Kimberly King Parsons '10 has won the 2025 Ken Kesey Award for Fiction at the Oregon Book Awards for her debut novel We Were the Universe (Knopf, 2024). The ceremony was held Monday, April 28, at Portland Center Stage at The Armory, with writer Omar El Akkad serving as host.
"This book is really filthy and really weird," Parsons said during her acceptance speech. "Maybe the takeaway is write the weird thing and write the filthy thing."
We Were the Universe follows protagonist Kit as she navigates grief after her sister's death while balancing the demands of motherhood in the Dallas suburbs. The novel explores sisterhood, parenthood, and the lingering impact of loss through a narrative that blends dark humor with moments of profound emotion.
The book has received significant acclaim since its publication. The New York Times called it "a profound, gutsy tale of grief's dismantling power," while TIME Magazine named it one of its Must-Read Books of 2024. It was also selected for Dakota Johnson's Book Club and featured on "Best of" lists in Elle, Oprah Daily, and Marie Claire.
The Oregon Book Awards, presented annually by Literary Arts since 1987, honor outstanding works by Oregon writers across multiple genres. Parsons competed against four other finalists for the fiction award: Miriam Gershow, Victor Lodato, Charlie J. Stephens, and Willy Vlautin.
Originally from Lubbock, Texas, Parsons earned her MFA from Columbia University in 2010. Before We Were the Universe, she published the short story collection Black Light (Vintage, 2019), which was longlisted for the National Book Award and the Story Prize. In 2020, she won the National Magazine Award for her short story "Foxes," published in The Paris Review in 2019.
