Press Release
Asheville History Center at the Smith McDowell House
For the first time in the history of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award, the Western North Carolina Historical Association announces the selection of ten semifinalists for the 2014 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. Originated by the Louis Lipinsky family in 1955, this annual award is now supported by Michael Sartisky, PhD, and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Advisory Board. The Award has been presented each year for printed works that focus special attention on Western North Carolina. In order to more broadly support the writers of Western North Carolina, this is the first year that semifinalists, and later finalists, will be announced in addition to the Award winner.
To be considered, an entry had to be a published work of fiction, nonfiction, drama or poetry. It had to be a first edition work. The publication date of the work to be considered had to be published in 2013 or between January 1 and June 30, 2014, and the author had to be a native of the Western North Carolina region or a resident of WNC for at least twelve months prior to the closing date for the Award. If the author does not qualify as a native or resident, the focus or setting of the work must be Western North Carolina. Western North Carolina includes the Qualla Boundary and the western most 25 counties.
The WNC Historical Association and the Lipinsky family of Asheville presented the first Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award to Wilma Dykeman in 1955 for The French Broad. Last year the winner was Wiley Cash for his novel, A Land More Kind than Home Other authors who have received the award include John Paris, Gail Godwin, John Ehle, Charles Frazier, Robert Brunk, Michael McFee, Lee Smith, Ron Rash, and Wayne Caldwell.
A prize of $1500.00 accompanies the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award and will be presented to the author in January or February of 2015.
This year’s semifinalists were chosen from an original group of nominations numbering twenty-eight. The semifinalists encompass a broad range of genres including novels, poetry, history, true crime, and guidebooks. The semifinalists are as follows:
The Mountains to the Sea Trail Across North Carolina, Danny Bernstein,
Blue Ridge Mountain Trails of NC: Guide to Music etc, Fred Fussell with Steven Kruger et al,
Flora, Gail Godwin,
Kings Mountain, Sharyn McCrumb
Its Day Being Gone, Rose McClarney,
The Road From Gap Creek, Robert Morgan,
Met Her On The Mountain, Mark Pinsky
The Bird Dreamer, Michael Francis Reagan
Guests on Earth, Lee Smith,
The History of Medicine in Asheville, Freeman Irby Stephens.For more information, please call Michael Sartisky, PhD, Chair of the Selection Committee at 504.250.0055 and araratms@gmail.com, or Sharon Gruber, WNCHA Executive Director at 828.253.9231 or smh@wnchistory.org
About the Asheville History Center at the Smith McDowell House
The mission of The Asheville History Center – Smith McDowell House is to interpret and preserve the history and culture of Western North Carolina. Changing exhibitions are organized and selected based on specific cultural or historical topics directly related to this region. The permanent exhibitions that include period rooms from the 1840s to the 1890s in the historic Smith McDowell House will continue.
The Asheville History Center at the Smith McDowell House is operated by the Western North Carolina Historical Association and is located at 283 Victoria Road on the AB Tech campus in Asheville, NC. The Center is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and Sunday from 12:00 to 4:00 pm. Regular admission is $9.00 per person with discounted rates for children over the age of 8 years. Children under the age of 8 are free. Guided tours are available by appointment.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.