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Press Release: Philosophical Society of Texas Presents Book Prizes for Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry

For Immediate Release
March 2, 2021

Philosophical Society of Texas Presents Book Prizes for Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry

AUSTIN, Texas – The Philosophical Society of Texas announced its annual Book Prizes for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry during the Society’s Annual Meeting held virtually on February 5, 2021. Each award carries a $2,500 prize for the author. The prizes announced this year were for books published in 2019 and reviewed by the Committee in 2020.

Fiction and nonfiction books, as well as volumes of poetry, are submitted each year to the Society’s Book Prize Committee. Nonfiction submissions must relate to Texas; fiction and poetry eligibility depends on the author’s current or past Texas residency. For the purpose of the awards, Texas is defined as having the borders of the Republic of Texas in 1845, extending into parts of what are now New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.

The Fiction Prize was awarded to Leila Meacham’s World War II espionage story Dragonfly, published by Grand Central Publishing. Honorable Mention for Fiction went to Outcry Witness by Thomas Zigal and published by Texas Christian University Press.

The Nonfiction Prize was awarded to Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas by Stephen Harrigan and published by The University of Texas Press. Honorable mention went to The Art of Texas: 250 Years by Dr. Ron Tyler and published by Texas Christian University Press.

The Poetry Prize went to the notable collection JazzHouse, by Eduard Vidaurre and published by Prickly Pear Publishing. Vidaure was the City of McAllen, Texas’ Poet Laureate for 2018-2019.

In a year of strong literature originating in or related to Texas, the Philosophical Society of Texas congratulates the authors and their publishers on these splendid works.

Information about submissions for the 2021 book awards for books published in 2020 will be posted in April 2021 at PSTX.org. For more information, please contact Society director, Dawn Orsak, directly at (512) 825-2249 or dawn.orsak@tshaonline.org.

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The Philosophical Society of Texas was founded December 5, 1837, in the capital of the Republic of Texas at Houston. The goal was to unite the efforts of the modern-day philosophers for the collection and diffusion of knowledge. The Society was incorporated as a nonprofit educational institution on January 18, 1936. On December 5, 1936, formal reorganization was completed. The office of the Society is located in Austin, Texas and is housed with the Texas State Historical Association, which undertook administration of the Philosophical Society of Texas in 1990.

The Philosophical Society of Texas
P. O. Box 160144 • Austin, Texas 78716
(512) 471-3272
www.PSTX.org

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