Writing Alumnus Francisco González '19 Wins O. Henry Prize

Writing alumnus Francisco González '19 was recently awarded an O. Henry Prize for his short story "Clean Teen." González's story will be published in The Best Short Stories 2022: The O. Henry Prize Winners by Anchor Books on September 13, 2022. The anthology is now available for pre-order.

The O. Henry Prize is the oldest major prize for short fiction in the United States. The award was established in 1919 and has been given annually since, with the exception of 2020. The 2022 anthology of short stories contains twenty prize-winning stories chosen from thousands published in magazines over the previous year. Guest editor Valeria Luiselli curated this year's anthology.

González's story, "Clean Teen," was published in Gulf Coast after winning the 2020 Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction. "Clean Teen" was also named a finalist for Narrative Magazine's Winter 2020 Story Contest.

González's short story "Annulment" was also recently anthologized by The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021.

González lives in East Los Angeles. His work appears or is forthcoming in Arts & Letters, The Southern Review, ZYZZYVA, and elsewhere.