Bryan Washington

Bryan Washington (born April 22, 1993) is an American writer from Houston. He published his debut short story collection, Lot, in 2019 and a novel, Memorial, in 2020.

Early life and education
Washington was born 1993 in Kentucky and moved to Katy, Texas when he was 3 years old. He knew he was gay at a young age but did not formally come out, fearing stigmatization. He graduated from James E. Taylor High School in 2011. Washington graduated from the University of Houston with a BA in English, and continued his education at the University of New Orleans where he graduated with an MFA.

Career
For his collection of short stories, Lot, he was recognized as one of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35. Lot, a series of interconnected short stories set in Houston, was published in 2019 by Riverhead. The book centers in part on Nicolás, a young man of mixed African American and Latino American descent who works in his family's restaurant while coming to terms with his sexuality. The book was the winner of the 2019 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, the 2020 Dylan Thomas Prize, and the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.

Washington's debut novel, Memorial, was published on October 27, 2020. In addition to being longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, Memorial was also named a New York Times Notable Book. Prior to publication, A24 purchased the rights to adapt the novel for television, with Washington adapting his novel. His second novel Family Meal was also shortlisted for the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.

Washington lectures in English at Rice University, where in July 2020 he was made George Guion Williams Writer in Residence and Scholar in Residence for Racial Justice.