The Library of Virginia Newsletter

November 2019 Newsletter

22nd Annual Library of Virginia Literary Award Winners Announced

The Library of Virginia celebrated the 22nd Annual Library of Virginia Literary Awards honoring Virginia authors last month. We extend our thanks to Dominion Energy once again for its annual support as the presenting sponsor. The events kicked off on Friday, October 18, as the Library and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts presented the Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award for an outstanding literary work with art or works of art as its primary subject. This year's recipient, Mary Gabriel, spoke about her book Ninth Street Women in the VMFA's Marble Hall. The 22nd Annual Library of Virginia Literary Awards Celebration took place on Saturday evening, October 19, with the following finalists announced as award winners:

POETRY
Michael Chitwood | Search & Rescue
Claudia Emerson | Claude Before Time and Space

FICTION
Jon Pineda | Let's No One Get Hurt

NONFICTION
Catherine Kerrison | Jefferson's Daughters: Three Sisters, White and Black, in a Young America

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD FOR FICTION
Adriana Trigiani | Tony's Wife

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD FOR NONFICTION
Beth Macy | Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America

ART IN LITERATURE: THE MARY LYNN KOTZ AWARD
Mary Gabriel | Ninth Street Women: Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler – Five Painters and Movement that Changed Modern Art

The festive black-tie evening included a cocktail reception, seated dinner, awards ceremony, and book signings by our finalists. Featured speaker David Noyes spoke about his work, the Red Truck Bakery Cookbook, and the creation of his Red Truck Bakery in Northern Virginia. Sponsorship and ticket information for the 2020 awards gala is available by calling Dawn Greggs at 840.692.3813.

We are now accepting nominations for the 2020 awards (books published in 2019). Nominations may be submitted by completing the online form. The form may also be printed and mailed to:

Library of Virginia Literary Awards
Attn: Nancy Orr
Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219

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WEINSTEIN AUTHOR SERIES: MICHAEL W. TWITTY
The Cooking Gene

Author Michael W. Twitty joins us on Thursday, November 14, 2019, to discuss his award-winning book, The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South. A renowned culinary historian, he offers a fresh perspective on our most divisive cultural issue, race, in this illuminating memoir of southern cuisine and food culture that traces his ancestry—both black and white—through food, from Africa to America and from slavery to freedom. Twitty suggests that healing may come from embracing the discomfort of the southern past—and that food has the power to bring the kin of the enslaved and their former slaveholders to the table, where they can discover the real America together. The program begins at 5:30 PM with a light reception. This talk begins at 6:00 PM, with a book signing to follow. The Carole Weinstein Author Series supports the literary arts by bringing both new and well-known authors to the Library of Virginia. Free and open to the public, the series focuses on Virginia authors and Virginia subjects across all genres. For more information, contact Emma Ito at 804.692.3726 or emma.ito@lva.virginia.gov.

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New Virginians: 1616–2019 & Beyond Closes December 7

See it before it's gone! New Virginians: 1616–2019 & Beyond, our current exhibition, closes next month. Visit the Library by December 7, 2019, to explore the immigrant and refugee experience and Virginia's increasing diversity through a series of interviews with first–generation immigrants and refugees who arrived in Virginia after 1976. Whether our roots in the state go back ten thousand years, ten generations, or ten weeks, we must create the future of the commonwealth together. Produced jointly by the Library of Virginia and Virginia Humanities, the exhibition highlights the changing demographics of the commonwealth on the eve of the 2020 federal census. New Virginians is a Legacy Project of the 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution.

RELATED EVENT
A Conversation with Deepak Singh & Seyoum Berhe

Thursday, November 7, 2019 | 5:30–7:00 PM
Lecture Hall | Free

Join us for a conversation on the refugee and immigrant experience in Virginia with author Deepak Singh and refugee resettlement coordinator Seyoum Berhe in connection with our exhibition New Virginians: 1619–2019 & Beyond. Singh chronicles his downward mobility as an immigrant to a small town in Virginia in his book How May I Help You? An Immigrant's Journey from MBA to Minimum Wage, a reminder that the stories of low–wage employees can bring candor and humanity to debates about work, race, and immigration. Berhe, who came to the United States from Ethiopia during a time of political unrest to attend college, has worked in the field of refugee resettlement for the past 25 years. He is currently the state refugee resettlement coordinator with Virginia's Office of Newcomer Services. For more information, contact Emma Ito at emma.ito@lva.virginia.gov or 804.692.3726.

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Support the Library of Virginia

Thanks in part to our supporters, the Library of Virginia is able to enrich the lives of those we serve. As we near the end of 2019, don’t forget to renew your annual support. Haven’t joined yet? Why wait? Become a member or renew your support! Members receive an annual subscription to the Library's quarterly magazine, Broadside; advance notice and discounts on programs; special invitations; and discounts at the Virginia Shop.

There are three easy ways to make your gift:

Thank you for your support.

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Holiday Season at the Virginia Shop

Enjoy free shipping on items ordered online during the month of November. We're preparing for the holiday season with a special sale at the Virginia Shop at the Library of Virginia. Discover discounts of up to 50 percent off the original price on holiday and regular merchandise. Stop by the Virginia Shop's Library of Virginia location Wednesday–Friday, November 20–22, 2019, for some special deals!

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