Continuing Literary Traditions At Connecticut Book Awards
October 25, 2018
For 34 years, the Library of Congress established the Center for the Book, which is supplied by all 50 states, U.S. Virgin Islands and District of Columbia affiliate programs. The intent is to highlight the importance of literacy across the nation and to celebrate each area’s literary legacy.
To keep the heritage alive, the Connecticut Center for the Book at Connecticut Humanities named this year’s book awards on Oct. 14 at Staples High School in Westport.
“These awards are a wonderful way to pay tribute to Connecticut’s talented literary community -past, present and future,” Lisa Comstock, Director of CT Center for the Book, said.
Not just any work is eligible for this prestigious award, the publication must be written the past year and have specific ties to the state. The requirements note that the author or illustrator must be born in the state or a legal resident for three consecutive years, or the body of work has a CT setting.
This year’s competition received a total of 140 submissions.
“We congratulate all of this year’s participants and especially our winners, who join the ranks of our state’s rich list of literary greats,” Comstock continued.
Georgia Hunter, Rowayton, “We Were the Lucky Ones,” Penguin Books
Virginia DeJohn Anderson, Boulder, CO, “The Martyr and the Traitor – Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and the American Revolution,” Oxford University Press
Gina Athena Ulysse, Middletown, CT, “Because When God is Too Busy,” Wesleyan University Press
Jake Burt, Hamden, CT, “Greetings from Witness Protection!,” Macmillan
Susan Hood, Southport, CT, “Double Take! A New Look at Opposites,” Candlewick Press
