WNC Semi-Finalists Announced for the 2014 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award

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 [email protected], or Sharon Gruber, WNCHA Executive Director at 828.253.9231 or [email protected]