Artists of Utah and 15 Bytes are pleased to announce that the 2025 15 Bytes Award for Fiction has been awarded to David G. Pace for his short story collection American Trinity: And Other Stories from the Mormon Corridor, published by BCC Press. Selected from a strong field of finalists, American Trinity stood out for its sustained literary ambition, formal range, and unflinching engagement with the cultural and spiritual terrain of the American West.

From our jurors’ citation: “Across twelve stories, Pace probes the emotional interior of life shaped by belief—particularly belief inherited rather than chosen. Set largely within what Pace terms the ‘Mormon Corridor,’ the collection explores the pressures exerted by family, faith, memory, and communal expectation. These stories examine prayer and silence, obedience and rebellion, intimacy and estrangement, often lingering in moments when faith falters or meaning proves elusive. Pace writes with clarity and restraint, allowing tension to accumulate through precise psychological observation rather than overt moral judgment.

The title story, “American Trinity,” exemplifies the collection’s intellectual and imaginative reach. Recasting the legend of the Three Nephites through the voice of Zed, a weary and disillusioned translated being, Pace transforms religious mythology into a meditation on endurance, doubt, narrative exhaustion, and the burden of eternal purpose. Elsewhere, the collection shifts toward realism, portraying characters contending with loss, fractured relationships, and the uneasy afterlife of formative religious experiences. Throughout, touches of magical realism, dry humor, and formal experimentation deepen the book’s exploration of belief as both sustaining force and source of quiet harm.

What ultimately distinguishes American Trinity is its candor. Pace neither romanticizes nor dismisses the communities he depicts. Instead, he renders them with complexity, empathy, and a willingness to dwell in contradiction. The result is a collection that expands the possibilities of Latter-day Saint literature while speaking to broader questions of American identity, inherited stories, and the difficult work of self-authorship. For its literary craft, emotional depth, and cultural significance, American Trinity is a deserving recipient of the 15 Bytes Award for Fiction.”

David G. Pace is a writer, editor, and longtime figure in Utah’s literary community. Read our review of the book here.

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UTAH’S ART MAGAZINE SINCE 2001, 15 Bytes is published by Artists of Utah, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.