Librarian of Virginia
Dennis T. Clark
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact

Angela L. Flagg, APR, Chief Communications Officer
804.692.3653, angela.flagg@lva.virginia.gov

Cast Your Vote for the Library of Virginia’s Annual People's Choice Awards

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA – The Library of Virginia has announced 10 finalists for the annual People’s Choice Awards. The finalists represent the most-requested fiction and nonfiction titles by Virginia authors, or about the Commonwealth, published in 2024. 

Winners will be announced at the 28th Annual Virginia Literary Awards Celebration, the Commonwealth’s biggest night honoring its authors and their stories, on Sept. 20, 2025. 

The public is invited to select the winners by voting anytime between June 1 and July 15, 2025. Individuals can vote online at https://lvafoundation.org/peopleschoiceawards

This year’s fiction finalists for the People’s Choice Awards are: 
Author and Title
Danielle Allen | Curvy Girl Summer
Yasmin Angoe | Not What She Seems
David Baldacci | A Calamity of Souls
Isabel Banta | Honey
Alex Finlay | If Something Happens To Me

This year’s nonfiction finalists for the People's Choice Award are:
Author and Title 
Alan Pell Crawford | This Fierce People: The Untold Story of America’s Revolutionary War in the South
Evan Friss | The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
Erika Howsare | The Age of Deer: Trouble and Kinship With Our Wild Neighbors
Heath Hardage Lee | The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady
Earl Swift | Hell Put to Shame: The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre and the Horror of America’s Second Slavery

In addition to the award and distinguished recognition, winners in each category receive a monetary prize of $2,500. For awards information and a list of past winners and finalists, please visit www.lva.virginia.gov/public/litawards/peoples-choice-award.php.

Find related images here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/tdgx3zzqr2d3llz39yxls/AC4HZCby9KISRu7IEKkb5jk?rlkey=6vm51u5pt557hevbnbdpokvio&dl=0

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ABOUT THE VIRGINIA LITERARY AWARDS 
Hosted by award-winning author Adriana Trigiani, the 28th Annual Virginia Literary Awards Celebration will be held on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, with nominated authors, presenters and special guests. Dominion Energy is the presenting sponsor and Carole and Marcus Weinstein are the celebration sponsor for this annual event, which attracts all who enjoy the written word and support literature. The festivities kick off on Friday, Sept. 19 with the Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Tickets are available for purchase at www.lvafoundation.org/tickets. For sponsorships, please call 804-692-3592.

ABOUT THE LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA 
The Library of Virginia is the leading source of information on Virginia’s history, government and people. The Library’s collections, containing more than 134 million items, document and illustrate the lives of both famous Virginians and ordinary citizens. Our online resources draw nearly 2 million website visits per year, and our on-site records, exhibitions and events bring in thousands of visitors annually. The Library is located in downtown Richmond near Capitol Square at 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Learn more at www.lva.virginia.gov.