A study and celebration of North Carolina and its historical treasures, and presentations by speakers who represent the best of the state’s spoken and written words will make memorable the conference where the North Carolina Book Awards will be presented. The North Carolina Literary and Historical Association will meet at the Tryon Palace History Education Center Friday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. Awards will be presented during the 7 p.m. program.
The free afternoon program will feature a talk by Diane Chamberlain of Raleigh, author of a series of New York Times bestsellers. Her title, “Necessary Lies” is set in Beaufort and her newest title, “The Silent Sister” is set in New Bern. Student publication awards also will be presented in the afternoon.
Walt Wolfram, William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of English, North Carolina State University; and Jeffrey Reasor, associate professor of English at North Carolina State, both of Raleigh, will also speak during the afternoon. They will discuss their recent book, “Talkin’ Tar Heel.” Wolfram is author of “Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks: The Story of the Ocracoke Brogue” and an award-winning linguist well versed in the dialects of North Carolina.
The evening program, which required advance registration, will feature speaker Philip Gerard of Wilmington, author of three novels and five nonfiction titles, including “The Patron Saint of Dreams” and “Down the Wild Cape Fear.” He is professor of creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. The Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction will be presented to Lee Smith of Hillsborough, N.C., for “Guests on Earth,” a tale that concerns Zelda Fitzgerald and her death in Highland Hospital in Asheville in 1948. Smith also received the Sir Walter Raleigh Award in 1983 and 1989.
“Greater Than Equal: African American Struggles for Schools and Citizenship in North Carolina” earns the Ragan Old North State Award for Nonfiction for Sarah Thuesen of Greensboro, N.C. She teaches history at Guilford College.
The Roanoke-Chowan Award for Poetry will be presented to Joseph Bathanti of Boone, N.C., for “Concertina,” a lyrical examination of his time as a VISTA volunteer working in prisons. The former North Carolina Poet Laureate teaches creative writing at Appalachian State University, and also received the Roanoke-Chowan Award in 2010.
“Little Red Writing” is the story of a courageous pencil in search of a story. The tale earns the American Association of University Women Award for Juvenile Literature for Joan Holub of Raleigh, N.C.,who has written or illustrated more than 130 children’s books.
The collection of local history awards is highlighted by the Christopher Crittenden Award for Significant Contributions to the Local History of North Carolina. The 2014 recipient, William H. Rowland of Kinston, N.C., is being recognized for his role in the recovery of the ironclad CSS Neuse from the Neuse River in the 1960s. The vessel’s remains are the centerpiece of the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center in Kinston.
The Albert Ray Newsome Award for outstanding achievement in preserving local history is presented by the Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies to a member organization. The Edenton Historical Commission earns the award in recognition of its efforts to save the 1887 Roanoke River Lighthouse and to educate the public about the unique structure. The commission purchased and furnished the lighthouse, and had it moved into Edenton’s harbor.
For the fourth year in a row, the N.C. Museum of History will be recognized with an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History. The award was presented at the AASLH conference in St. Paul, Minn., in September, in recognition of the museum’s exhibit, “Watergate: Political Scandal and the Presidency.”
The R. Hunt Parker Award for significant contributions to the literature of North Carolina will be presented to Allan Gurganus of Hillsborough, N.C., author of “Oldest Confederate Widow Tells All” and five other books.
Broadway veteran Terrance Mann, of Cullowhee, N.C., and New York City, will receive the Hardee-Rives Award for the Dramatic Arts for “Cats” and other productions. He teaches drama at Western Carolina University.
The Hugh T. Lefler Award for best undergraduate history paper will go to Robin Malloch of Davidson College for “Deconstructing Segregation: Urban Renewal, Swann, and Charlotte’s Second Ward High School.” He has graduated and now teaches in Charlotte.
Warren E. Milteer Jr. of Burlington, N.C., will be recognized with the R.D. W. Connor Award for the year’s best story in the North Carolina Historical Review. The article, “Life in the Great Dismal Swamp: Free People of Color in Pre-Civil War Gates County, North Carolina,” appeared in the April 2014 issue.
Student Publication Awards, High School Division, will be presented to Roars and Whispers, Providence High School, Charlotte, first place; Stone Soup, Enloe High School, Raleigh, second place; and Transfiguration, Carolina Day School, Asheville, third place.
The Middle School Division winners include Illusions, Martin Middle School, Raleigh, first place; Paw Printz, Randleman Middle School, Randleman, second place; and Diverse Universe, Smithfield Middle School, third place.
Friday afternoon programs are free. Registration for the evening programs is now closed. For additional information, call 919-807-7280.
