The Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Alaska Arts and Culture Foundation recently selected four individuals to recognize for their outstanding literary work and receive the 2015 Alaska Literary Award. A select number of $5,000 fellowships for Alaska literary artists are awarded each fall.
2015 Alaska Literary Award Recipients:
Christine Byl, Denali Park- non-fiction/fiction
Alyse Knorr, Anchorage- poetry
Kyle Mellen, Fairbanks- fiction
Jill Osier, Fairbanks- poetry
The Alaska Literary Awards recognizes and supports writers of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and mixed genres. Quality of the work submitted is the primary consideration in determining who receives the awards.
The Alaska Literary Awards are sponsored by Peggy Shumaker and Joe Usibelli. Peggy Shumaker is a former Alaska State Writer Laureate and Professor at the University of Alaska. Both she and her husband, Joe Usibelli, are longtime supporters of the arts in Alaska.