Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award

Poet Blas Falconer and fiction writer Jeanne McDonald, both of Tennessee, are the recipients of the 2009 Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award. Falconer and McDonald will each receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City in October to meet with agents, editors, publishers, and other members of the New York literary community. Judges for this year's prize were fiction writer Paula Morris and poet Natasha Trethewey. In fiction, the first runner up was Gregory Plemmons and the second runner up was Judith Hester Whelchel. In poetry, the first runner up was Beth Bachmann and the second runner up was Stephanie M. Pruitt. Click here for more information about this year's winners.

The Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award introduces emerging writers to the New York City literary community. Each year, poets and fiction writers from one state, who have never published a book or no more than one book, are invited to apply for the award. Winners are selected by outside judges based on manuscripts they submit to P&W, and receive an all-expenses-paid, weeklong trip to New York City. During their visit they meet with literary agents, editors, publishers, and writers, and give a public reading. Begun in 1984, 78 writers from 31 states have received this award to date. Many of its recipients have gone on to receive other awards, secure teaching positions, and get their books published.

Title of the award has been given to Maureen Egen—a gift in her honor was given to Poets & Writers by Hachette Book Group USA in 2007.

(Top: Blas Falconer, photo by Susan Tomi Cheek, Bottom: Jeanne McDonald, photo by Shannon Stanfield)

Past winners of the Writers Exchange Award are:

Constance Alexander, Kentucky
Nolde Alexius, Louisiana
Doug Anderson, Massachusetts
Sandra Beasley, Washington, D.C.
Allison Benis, California
Chana Bloch, California
Magda Bogin, New York
Anthony C. Brusate, Kentucky
B. J. Buckley, Montana
John Caddy, Minnesota
John Campbell, Oregon
Karen Chamberlain, Utah
Michael Chitwood, North Carolina
Carolyn Coman, Massachusetts
Janet Desaulniers, Illinois
Denise Duhamel, Pennsylvania
Kim Edwards, Ohio
John Engman, Minnesota
Roger Fanning, Washington
Sascha Feinstein, Indiana
David Galef, Mississippi
Elizabeth Graver, Massachusetts
Kate Green, Minnesota
Jean Hanson, Wyoming
Charlotte Holmes, Pennsylvania
Matthew Kailey, Colorado
Laura Kasischke, Michigan
Sue Monk Kidd,
South Carolina
Miriam Kuznets, Texas
Mary La Chapelle, Minnesota
Robert Lacy, Minnesota
Dylan Landis, California
Jeanne Leiby, Florida
Steven L'Italien, Arizona
Quitman Marshall, South Carolina
Deirdra McAfee, Virgina
Shena McAuliffe, Missouri
Jim Moore, Minnesota
Lee Ann Mortenson, Utah
Delisa Mulkey, Georgia
David Mura, Minnesota
Patrick Murtagh, Montana
Rhonda Nelson, Florida
Fae Myenne Ng, California
Elizabeth Oness, Wisconsin
David Peterman, Ohio
Paul Pfeiffer, Indiana
C. L. Rawlins, Wyoming
David Reynolds, Michigan
Brad Richard, Louisiana
Andrés Rodriguez, Missouri
Ruth Roston, Minnesota
Angela Rydell, Wisconsin
Diza Sauers, Arizona
Nancy Schoenberger, New York
Rebecca Seiferle, New Mexico
Barbara Selfridge, California
David Dean Shavit, Illinois
Pamela Shephard, New Mexico
Aleda Shirley, Mississippi
Mona Simpson, New York
Gregory Blake Smith, Minnesota
Matthew Stadler, Washington
Norman Stock, New York
Susan Straight, California
Craig Taylor, California
Willett Thomas, Washingto, D.C.
Reetika Vaziriani, Virginia
Jane Wampler, Colorado
Lauren K. Watel, Georgia
David Weaver, North Carolina
Susan Welch, Minnesota
Lidia Yuknavitch, Oregon