Hadley Moore of Vicksburg is among 12 writers nominated for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for her debut short story collection. Moore’s recently released book, “Not Dead Yet and Other Stories”, was featured in the November issue of the South County News.
This award honors an exceptionally talented fiction writer whose debut book represents distinguished literary achievement and suggests great promise, according to the PEN/America web site. The 12 nominees receive a $2,000 cash prize with the final winner receiving a cash award of $25,000. It is a stipend intended to permit a significant degree of leisure in which to pursue a second work of literary fiction, the web site explains. The finalist will be announced in January.
The PEN/America Literary awards annually honor outstanding voices in literature across diverse genres, including fiction, poetry, drama, science and sports writing, essays, biography, and children’s literature. PEN America confers more than 20 awards, fellowships, grants, and prizes each year, presenting nearly $350,000 to writers and translators.
The organization’s name originally was an acronym for poets, essayists and novelists. It was later expanded to include playwrights and editors.