Pittsburgh Author Brian Broome Has Priceless Reaction After Winning 2021 Kirkus Prize For Nonfiction

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh author Brian Broome won the prestigious Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction.

And his reaction when he found out -- was priceless.

"Oh crap, oh sheesh, are you kidding me? Um, wow," Broome said.

"Punch Me Up to the Gods" is Broome's coming of age story as a gay, Black man in rural Ohio and here in Pittsburgh.

He has written many essays and works at the University of Pittsburgh as a writing instructor.

But this was his first book.

And last night's honor was a genuine surprise.

"I do not know what to say. I'm sitting here by myself because I thought there's no way in heck that this would be happening to me," he said.

The prize comes with $50,000 and a lot more attention to his memoir.