TRANS HISTORY: 2026 Odyssey Award

The Odyssey Award recognizes excellence in children’s and young adult audiobooks

I am thrilled to share that TRANS HISTORY: FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY has been awarded the 2026 Odyssey Award for young adults! This book is close to my heart, because I was not just part of the cast… I directed it!

Huge congratulations to producers Iris McElroy and Juan Garcia Ticoulat on receiving this honor! Thank you so much for entrusting the direction of this big jigsaw-puzzle of an audiobook to me. It was fantastic working with you as always, and I’m so impressed with how the final audiobook sounds! Your dedication, organization, support, and care helped me bring my best to this project and I am so proud of it.

Congratulations as well to author/illustrator duo Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett, for a wonderful audio adaptation to your wonderful hardcopy book! You’ve given your hearts to this project in so many ways; I’m glad this book can be enjoyed in multiple ways too! And to our editor Tom Croke with Tim Bader Audio for weaving my myriad notes into a an audio tapestry with all the proper moments in the proper places.

And congratulations to our full cast: Alex L. Combs, Andrew Eakett, Ajuan Mance, Ardell Haefele-Thomas, Ms. Billie Cooper, Bishakh Som, Bright Zhou, Dee Dee Watters, Eilís Ní Fhlannagáin, Hans Lindahl, Jahni Leggett, Lilac Maldonado, Dr. Maria Fernanda Ugalde Mora, Marie Angel Venarsian, Mason Jairo, Sulique Waga, Susan Stryker, Adi Cabral, Andia Winslow, André Santana, Christine Rendel, Cloud Quinn, Daniel Henning, E. A. Castillo, Eileen Noonan, Hugo Bresson, Kay Eluvian, Kevin R. Free, L Morgan Lee, Rae De Vine, Shaan Dasani, and Will Dao. It was an honor directing you and holding space for you all to shine your brightest and lend your beautiful voices, authenticity, and talent to this audiobook.

Here’s PRH’s official announcement.

This is the second Odyssey Award I’ve had the honor of being a part of. The first was awarded to my mentor, Matie Argiropoulos, for producing the 2024 winner, El Deafo.

🖤🤎❤🧡💛💚💙💜

Cheers!

Nicky