Would You Give Up Arms For Wings? A story inspired by the visionary life & writings of Paulus Berensohn was a finalist for the AWP (Association of Writers & Writing Programs) Sue William Silverman Prize for Creative Nonfiction. The judge, Chloé Cooper Jones  professor, journalist, and the author of the memoir Easy Beauty, which was named a best book of 2022 by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, TIME Magazine, and was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Memoir. She was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Feature Writing in 2020. 

​

The Associated Writing Programs was established as a nonprofit organization in 1967 by fifteen writers representing thirteen creative writing programs. The new association sought to support the growing presence of literary writers in higher education. At that time, English departments were mainly conservatories of the great literature of the past, and scholars fiercely resisted the establishment of creative writing programs. AWP was created to overcome this resistance, to advocate for new programs, and to provide publishing opportunities for young writers. Today, AWP, now the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, supports colleges and universities as well as individual writers as members.

​

My nomination for this prize has been the most mind-mending experience of my life.

 

Obviously if I was writing a book about overcoming creative fear, and at its core that is what this book inspired by Paulus aims to do, I would need to overcome those fears myself. Obviously, it worked. 

​

Thank you to the preliminary panel of judges, James Tate Hill and all of the AWP lives dedicated to making sure the writing life matters. Awards like this cheer each other down the writing road as we look for the words to pick and share in the hope that we don't lose hope.

​

​

​

​