From A Public Space‘s website:

It is a thrill to announce Kelly Link as the recipient of the 2026 Deborah Pease Prize. Founding subscribers to A Public Space may remember her “Origin Story” from the magazine’s inaugural issue—its parallel universes and superhero origin stories; nemeses and levitating waitresses and tabloid reporters; its Land of Oz. . . .

Twenty years later, she is one of the indispensable short story writers of the twenty-first century: the author of now five collections, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist Get in Trouble, and a novel, The Book of Love, both published by Random House; and the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship for “pushing the boundaries of literary fiction.” She has influenced a generation of genre-defiant writers and readers. What was rare in 2006, and found support in small presses, is now central to our literature.

“Kelly Link specializes in seeing the extraordinary in ordinary situations. The monsters, the ghosts, the magic and inexplicable creatures in her fiction are not stranger than our own lives,” our board member Yiyun Li, described her work. “We’re delighted to be able to honor this master storyteller and her singular vision through the 2026 Deborah Pease Prize. And also to recognize Kelly Link for her contributions as a dedicated publisher and bookseller, and to celebrate the kindred spirits—both writers and readers—she has created an enduring space for.”

The Deborah Pease Prize, our board president, Charles Buice, noted, “carries forward the legacy of one of the founders of A Public Space. Since 2019, the prize has honored remarkable figures whose deep talents and advocacy have helped ensure the vitality of literature and the arts.”

Who was Deborah Pease? A phone call to Brigid Hughes twenty years ago about starting this magazine expanded over time into long conversations. Packages, addressed in her elegant handwriting, arrived often at the office. For her, one of the truest ways to value art was to share it. She was an accomplished writer who published widely; her poems were collected in Another Ghost in the Doorway. “It’s harder and harder for serious writers to get published,” she observed in The New York Times in 1983 (times have not changed!). She was a staunch supporter of the small press, the literary magazine, the independent artist. 

We’re honored to be able to recognize Kelly Link’s extraordinary contributions to literature and to present her with the 2026 Deborah Pease Prize. Please save Wednesday, October 28, in your calendar to join us in New York City for a celebration with friends from the literary and arts community. It would be wonderful to see you there.

For inquiries about sponsorships and other opportunities to support the 2026 Deborah Pease Prize, please contact [email protected].

Please join us on October 28 in New York City to celebrate Kelly Link, and the past present, and future of independent literature.

Tickets to the 2026 Deborah Pease Prize