The Queen by Josh Levin: 2019 Biography finalist

By Elizabeth Taylor

The “welfare queen” meme was built on a myth that Josh Levin takes to its gnarly, contradictory origins in his lucid and engaging The Queen. The euphemism was often associated

Dunce by Mary Ruefle: 2019 Poetry finalist

By Victoria Chang

Mary Ruefle’s book of poems, Dunce, like all of her books, is like no other. I carry around her book of prose, Madness, Rack, and Honey as if it were