L.A. Times Book Prize Honorees Celebrate Writing's Political Power

Authors and presenters toast to the power of literature to resist and inspire change.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 5:58am

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An extreme close-up of shattered glass and glittering shards in dramatic, high-contrast studio lighting, conceptually representing the fragmented and precarious state of the literary landscape.The L.A. Times Book Prizes ceremony celebrated the power of literature to resist and inspire change, even as the industry faces growing challenges.Los Angeles Today

At the 46th annual L.A. Times Book Prizes ceremony, writers and literary advocates like Amy Tan and We Need Diverse Books used their acceptance speeches to highlight how books can be a powerful form of political resistance and a tool for advancing social justice. The event struck a balance between playfulness and reverence as the honorees championed the role of storytelling in addressing crises like book bans and the rise of AI.

Why it matters

The L.A. Times Book Prizes shine a light on the ways that literature can be a potent force for social and political change. In a time of growing censorship and technological disruption, the honorees underscored the enduring importance of diverse voices, historical reckoning, and imaginative visions to challenge the status quo.

The details

Highlights from the ceremony included Bench Ansfield's warning about attacks on historians, Karen Hao's critical examination of the impact of AI, and Amy Tan's declaration that as an author, her 'act of compassion' is inherently political. Caroline Richmond of We Need Diverse Books also sounded the alarm on ongoing book bans, urging the audience to 'fight back' in defense of diverse literature.

  • The 46th annual L.A. Times Book Prizes ceremony took place on Friday, April 18, 2026.
  • The 31st annual L.A. Times Festival of Books, featuring over 500 authors, will be held on the following Saturday and Sunday.

The players

Amy Tan

A renowned author who received the Robert Kirsch Award for her acclaimed body of work exploring identity and cultural inheritance, often through the lens of the immigrant experience.

We Need Diverse Books

A literary nonprofit organization that received the Innovator's Award for its efforts to make the publishing industry more inclusive and ensure that all young readers can find themselves represented on the page.

Bench Ansfield

The winner in the history category for his book 'Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City,' which exposes a pattern of landlords setting residential fires to collect insurance payouts.

Karen Hao

The winner in the science and technology category for her book 'Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI,' a critical investigation into the rise of OpenAI and its impact on society.

Caroline Richmond

The executive director of We Need Diverse Books, who celebrated the organization's work in making diverse literature more accessible while also sounding the alarm on ongoing book bans.

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What they’re saying

“It's a scary time to be a historian in the United States. Our field, like so many other fields, is under attack. To understand the crises in front of us, we have to understand our history.”

— Bench Ansfield, History category winner

“I can't help but be disturbed by how the themes of this book have grown more relevant by the day. That said, I have never been more hopeful of our chance to advance a different future. Gatherings like this are one of many radical acts of resistance against the imperial project that seeks to strip us of our meaning and our humanity. Let us continue to resist defiantly together and let us remember lessons in history: When people rise, empires always fall.”

— Karen Hao, Science and technology category winner

“My birthright and that of millions of others is now being argued before the Supreme Court, and no matter what the outcome is, it's been a kick in the gut to know that those in the highest echelons of government and those who support them believe that we don't belong. As an author, I imagine the lives of the people I write about, and that act of compassion, for writers, inherently reflects our politics and our beliefs. And so yes, I am a political writer.”

— Amy Tan, Robert Kirsch Award winner

“The work is very much far from over, but I have to remind myself that the people banning books are never the good guys in history, and it's up to us in this room and beyond — as readers, as book lovers — to fight back because diverse books, we really need them now more than ever.”

— Caroline Richmond, Executive Director, We Need Diverse Books

What’s next

The 31st annual L.A. Times Festival of Books, featuring over 500 authors and 300 exhibitors, will take place on the weekend following the Book Prizes ceremony.

The takeaway

The L.A. Times Book Prizes highlighted how literature can be a powerful tool for political and social change, with honorees using their platforms to champion the role of diverse voices, historical reckoning, and imaginative visions in challenging the status quo. In a time of growing censorship and technological disruption, the event underscored the enduring importance of storytelling as an act of resistance and a means of advancing justice.