Devon Spier’s poetry collection earns NYC Big Book Award recognition

Devon Spier’s Heart Map and the Song of Our Ancestors was named a Distinguished Favorite in the NYC Big Book Award’s Judaism category. The honor highlights the book’s mix of contemporary piyyutim, visual art and spiritual writing for readers and leaders seeking modern Jewish expression.

Why it matters: - The award gives international visibility to Heart Map and the Song of Our Ancestors as a work of Jewish poetry and prose. - The recognition points to growing interest in books that blend faith, identity, art and social commentary. - The book is being used both as a private spiritual companion and as supplemental prayer material in communal settings.

What happened: - The NYC Big Book Award named Heart Map and the Song of Our Ancestors by Devon Spier a Distinguished Favorite in the Judaism category. - The announcement came Sept. 8, 2026, from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. - The competition is judged by publishing professionals including publishers, writers, editors, designers, booksellers, librarians and copywriters. - Winners and Distinguished Favorites are selected for overall excellence.

The details: - Heart Map and the Song of Our Ancestors is a bestselling collection of poetry and prose. - Spier wrote the book for people who struggle with traditional religious frameworks, face barriers in established institutions or feel disconnected from conventional communal life. - The book offers a message that a person’s current reality, including tattoos, doubts and grief, is authentic and meaningful. - The work introduces a modern form of piyyutim, the traditional Jewish liturgical poems. - Spier combines Torah narratives and ancestral figures such as Sarah, Miriam, Hagar and Hannah with modern vulnerability, personal experience and social commentary. - Illustrations by Kandace Boos add portraiture and symbolic imagery to the poetry. - The visual presentation is intended to reflect the diversity of Jewish life and invite slower reading and reflection.

Between the lines: - The award signals that contemporary Jewish writing can succeed when it reaches beyond formal prayer language and traditional synagogue settings. - The book’s combination of liturgy, art and lived experience suggests a wider audience for spiritually grounded work that still speaks to modern identity and marginalization. - Awards sponsor Gabby Olczak said the organization has an “amazing list of authors from around the globe” and wanted to share the books with a worldwide readership.

What’s next: - The NYC Big Book Award will publish the full list of winners and Distinguished Favorites on its website, More information. - The award program is announced every fall and is open to authors, publishers and illustrators. - The Independent Press Award has a Dec. 15 deadline and will host an Awards Dinner on April 10, 2027, during BookCAMP on April 9-10, 2027.

The bottom line: - Devon Spier’s book is being recognized as both a literary work and a spiritual resource, giving the project broader reach inside and outside Jewish settings.