“Literature is where humanity started,” says Reginald Dwayne Betts. “We don’t exist without stories.”
Betts is the founder of Freedom Reads, a national nonprofit that installs libraries in prisons. The success of his organization has earned him both a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. He’ll be further recognized at the Virginia Literary Awards this year with their highest honor, the Patron of Letters degree, bestowed by the Library of Virginia.
“This award is profoundly significant to me,” says Betts. “One of my first readings was at the Library of Virginia. They opened their doors to me and demonstrated their support before all of these other awards.” Betts, who goes by Dwayne, has authored several poetry collections as well as a memoir detailing his time in prison after being convicted of carjacking.
“Dwayne’s is a fascinating story of somebody who used the circumstances of his own failings to do something amazing,” says Dennis Clark, the Librarian of Virginia. “His idea was to get books into prison dormitories and he’s doing that all across the country. I think there’s probably no purer notion of the power of literacy than making sure the populations in Virginia prisons have the opportunity to engage with literature.”
The Awards, held annually, also recognize outstanding authors from Virginia who write poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In the nonfiction category, the author can be from anywhere, but their book has to be about a Virginia-related subject. Other awards include one for a lifetime of literary achievement; last year’s winner was David Baldacci and other recent winners were Nikki Giovanni and Barbara Kingsolver.
The gala awards ceremony is organized by the Library of Virginia Foundation and open to anyone who loves books. The Fall’s other big literary gathering, however, is more specifically geared to the folks doing the writing.
The very first conference organized by James River Writers (JRW) was held at the Library of Virginia in 2003 and Katharine Herndon was in attendance.
“I read about it in the Times-Dispatch, I think,” remembers Herndon. “I thought, well, that sounds like an opportunity I can’t pass up. And I ended up loving it. I loved being in a room where everybody else was a writer and you didn’t have to explain, ‘yes, this is what I do for fun.’”
Herndon started volunteering for the still fledgling organization, becoming membership coordinator within a couple years, and ultimately executive director. She’s held that position since 2013.
“Writing can be such a solitary thing,” says Herndon. “My very favorite thing about James River Writers is the community. I think especially now, when the publishing industry seems kind of up in the air and there’s so many opportunities to get your work out in different ways, I think having that community to support you, cheer you on and commiserate with is so important.”
Those aspects of the organization were top of mind when choosing this year’s keynote speaker for the conference, Jarrett J. Krosoczka. “He has an amazing TED Talk about his journey as a writer that was so inspiring and uplifting,” Herndon says. “I feel like everybody is struggling a little bit right now to connect with creativity so we thought he would be a great speaker to bring that meaningful message to our group.”
In its 22nd year, the conference draws upward of 400 attendees and continues to innovate to keep up with the changing landscape for writers. “We’re doing a panel with an agent, an author and an audiobook narrator talking about the process of developing an audiobook,” she says. “We try to cover nuts-and-bolts topics every year about the publishing process and where the writing industry is.”
The popularity of both the JRW conference and the Virginia Literary Awards points to the uniquely robust nature of Virginia’s literary landscape.
“There’s an educational aspect to [our conference] that people don’t necessarily understand,” says Herndon. “Part of our message is that there are writers all around you. And every year we celebrate the wealth of Virginia writers and, specifically, the wealth of Richmond writers.”
Clark, who is still in his first year as Librarian of Virginia, seconds that emphasis. “I’m looking forward to the awards to talk to people about the part they see the Library of Virginia playing in ongoing literary and literacy efforts,” he says. “Virginia has traditionally been the home of the presidents; I’d say we’re the home of writers, too.”
The Virginia Literary Awards will be held Sept. 21 at the Library of Virginia. Information and tickets can be found at https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/litawards/. The James River Writers Conference will take place Oct. 4-6 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Tickets and information at https://jamesriverwriters.org/conference2024.
