Nominations are now open for the 2023 Emyl Jenkins Award! Who do you know that inspires and encourages a love for writing in others? Nominate them now for the 2023 Emyl Jenkins Award.
Award details and nomination guidelines HERE.
To honor the memory of Emyl Jenkins, a generous advocate for writers and their readers, James River Writers presents an annual award to an outstanding Virginian who, as Emyl did, inspires a love of writing and writing education. If you know someone you’d like to see honored, nominate them for the 2018 Emyl Jenkins Award.
To make a nomination, complete this form. In no more than 500 words, explain how the nominee makes Virginia a better place for writers. For more information about Emyl Jenkins and the Emyl Jenkins award, visit Emyl Jenkins Award.
Nominations are open from May 1 through August 15.
The Shann Palmer Poetry Contest is a partnership between James River Writers and Richmond magazine to encourage Virginia poets to share their best work. Submissions will be accepted from January 1, 2018 through February 28, 2018. All 2018 submissions are electronic.
The contest is named after Shann Palmer, a long-time JRW volunteer and board member, beloved poet, and a wild- and wise-hearted creative who shared her spirit and talents freely, inspiring and encouraging others in the literary community. She passed away in December 2013, and the contest (formerly “Best Poetry Contest”) was renamed in her honor the following year.
First prize: $500, publication of winning poem(s) in Richmond magazine, and a ticket to the annual James River Writers conference.
The 2018 judge was Tarfia Faizullah.
For more information, visit The Shann Palmer Poetry Contest
James River Writers is pleased to announce its 2016 award winners. We congratulate all of these winners. They represent the best of the Central Virginia writing community.
Doug Jones is the 2016 winner of the Emyl Jenkins Award. This award honors the memory of Emyl Jenkins, who passed away in 2010, by presenting an award to an outstanding individual who, as Emyl did, inspires a love of writing and writing education in Virginia. As stated in his nomination, Doug Jones is encouraging and thoughtful and has a talent for gently coaxing his students to explore and push their comfort zones with their writing. Jones holds degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Virginia. He has taught at UVA, Theatre Virginia, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the Virginia Opera, as well as in private schools in the Richmond area. Doug has also published short stories, poetry, nonfiction, and scripts for radio and video. He is a member of The Dramatists Guild and The Authors League of America.
The winners of the 2016 James River Writers’ Best Self-Published Novel Contest, judged by literary agent, Christopher Rhodes, with The Stuart Agency in NYC, are
First Place: Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl by Jo Allison
Second Place: Charlie Dead and the So-Called Zombie Apocalypse by Geoff Camphire
Third Place: Dust on the Bible by Bonnie Stanard
Of the first place winner, Christopher Rhodes said, “Jo Allison brings turn-of-the-century St. Louis alive with her fast-paced, historically accurate, and fiercely feminist Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl.” In addition to turning out her mystery series, Allison maintains a website dedicated to the micro-history of both 1910 and St. Louis: http://www.1910-stlouis-by-jallison.com. Topics range from what people wore to how they got around to the issues that they talked about. Allison also writes short stories and vignettes that support the novels—“between murders”—and those are available on joallisonauthor.com.
James River Writers and Richmond Magazine partner to announce Zoa as the winner of the Shann Palmer Poetry Contest, for his poem “A New Emotion.” Head judge and Virginia Poet Laureate, Ron Smith, said “Every time I come back to this poem, it moves me and intrigues me.” This contest, sponsored by James River Writers and Richmond Magazine, is named after Shann Palmer, a long-time JRW volunteer and board member, beloved poet, and a wild- and wise-hearted creative who shared her spirit and talents freely, inspiring and encouraging others in the literary community. She passed away in December 2013, and the contest (formerly “Best Poetry Contest”) was renamed in her honor the following year. A native of Ortonville, Michigan, Zoa earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and literature at Eastern Michigan University. He works as a copy editor at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.