The James Baker Hall Foundation, in partnership with Accents Publishing, is pleased to announce the results for the second James Baker Hall Book Award which was presented on Saturday, November 1 at the Kentucky Book Festival in Lexington, KY. The second award recognizes an emerging author for their unpublished, book-length manuscript of Creative Nonfiction by a Kentucky author at any stage of their career. Creative Nonfiction may include memoirs, personal essays, biography, travel writing, and other forms grounded in factual storytelling.

The winner is Willie Davis with his manuscript Honeysuckle Season. Mr. Davis will receive a $3,000 award from The James Baker Hall Foundation and a publication from Accents Publishing. Willie Davis is a multi-award-winning author who’s won the Willesden International Short Story Prize (judged by Zadie Smith) and the Katherine Ann Porter Prize (Judged by Amy Hempel). His work has appeared in The Guardian, The Kenyon Review, Salon, The Berkeley Fiction Review, and storySouth, among other places. His previous books include the novel Nightwolf and the short story collection I Can Outdance Jesus.

This year’s Judge, Toni Ann Johnson, a nationally recognized award winning author, chose Honeysuckle Season by Willie Davis as the winner of the James Baker Hall Book Award for a Short Story Collection along with three finalists:

For more biographical information on the winner, the finalists, along with Tori Ann Johnson please visit: Accents Publishing

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ABOUT THE JAMES BAKER HALL FOUNDATION. We believe creating art is a sacred gesture recording the fabric of our existence, with the power to change lives and build community. The mission of the James Baker Foundation celebrates great Kentucky writers by investing in future great Kentucky writers. For more information about the James Baker Hall Foundation visit our website at www.jamesbakerhallfoundation.org or contact Foundation Executive Vice President, Jeanine Triplett (see above contact information).