The Library of Virginia Literary Awards

The Library of Virginia Literary Awards is a prestigious award that honors Virginia authors or, in the case of nonfiction, work on a Virginia subject.  This year, the VCCA was well-represented by both the finalists and winners.  All of the poetry finalists, Claudia Emerson, David Huddle, and LuAnn Keener-Mikenas have been in residency on Mt. San Angelo, and two of the three fiction finalists, Clifford Garstang and Christopher Tilghman, have also spent time at the VCCA.  

 The VCCA is proud to announce that both the poetry and fiction prizes were awarded to Fellows LuAnn Keener-Mikenas and Clifford Garstang.

 LuAnn sent us an account of her experience at The Library of Virginia Literary Awards.  In her account, she says "The Library of Virginia does a beautiful job of orchestrating this event, with gorgeous accommodations, the very tangible tokens of medals and crystal books along with the monetary award, and the glorious dinner and presentation ceremony. The tables were lit with large luminaries of each book cover, and the covers were also constantly cycling across the big screen backdrop of the stage. Everything was pure elegance, down to the pyramids of butter balls and the chocolate book stuffed with bread pudding for desert, a facsimile of Charles Wright's Selected Late Poems--he received the lifetime Achievement Award. Seated at our table were the parents of Kevin Powers, whose novel The Yellow Birds about his Army experience in Iraq was a finalist in fiction as well as for the People's Choice Awards. Also sharing dinner with us were three members of the Library of Virginia Foundation Board, siblings Hugo Owens Jr., Patrice Owens Parker, and Paula Owens Parker--delightful company! To receive my award, I wore an antique crochet dress pulled from an ancestor's trunk when I was a teenager."

 Congratulations to all of the VCCA fellows that were both finalists and winners in this year's The Library of Virginia Literary Awards!

Comments

Unknown said…
I was truly honored to win this award, and ever grateful to VCCA, where much of my book was written!
December 6, 2013 at 6:47 AM
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