Linda Flowers Literary Award Night: Photos and Update

Two weeks ago, I was privileged enough to be recognized at an awards reception sponsored by the North Carolina Humanities Council. I received the Linda Flowers Literary Award for fiction and was honored on stage before the keynote award recipient, Marsha White Warren, was honored as this year’s Caldwell Laureate. As promised at the time, here are the press photos I received today that I would like to share.
Many talented artists made offerings that evening as a part of the reception, including poet Jaki Shelton Green, actress Joyce Grear, U.S. Congressman David Price, Professor Reginald Hildebrand, and humanities guru Doris Betts.
[Group photo]
The 2007 Caldwell Laureate, Emily Herring Wilson, honored me by describing Linda Flowers’ vision and inspiration and making special mention of the ways in which my fiction echoes that vision.
[Emily and myself on stage]
Next to graduation from my MFA in Writing at Pacific University, this very special evening marked one of the most supportive moments of my life as a writer. I found myself in an auditorium full of people who care about, invest in, and contribute to the humanities in an engaged way—many of them for a lifetime. Of course, the only people happier than me were my parents, posing here as the photographer asked us for a family photo:
[Schultz family]
As an endnote to the award, the local paper ran a lovely article about it this week. Likewise, I had a phone conference this afternoon with the executive director of NCHC, who explained the details of the residency I am given as a part of the award. In addition to the award cash prize and publication, the council has offered me $250 in gas and food expenses to cover the costs of a one-week residency at Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities in Southern Pines. I learned today that I can actually stay at this residency for up to one month free of cost (supporting my own food needs beyond the $250) if I schedule in advance. I couldn’t be happier!
Comments
  • Flowers
    Reply

    Thanks for sharing the updates and pictures of Linda Flowers Literary Award Night. It was nice going through your blog.keep it up the good work. cheers 🙂

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