TheTimesTribune.com, Corbin, KY
CORBIN —
Special to The Times-Tribune
Kentucky author and activist Silas House has been presented the prestigious Lee Smith Award by Lincoln Memorial University.
The prize recognizes an individual who has worked to preserve and promote Appalachian Culture.
A nomination committee submits candidates, from which Smith selects the winner.
House has held a long-standing relationship with the university. In 2005, he was named the university’s writer-in-residence, a position he held until 2011 when he became the NEH Chair of Appalachian Studies at Berea College. As writer-in-residence at LMU, House founded the Appalachian Reading Series and the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival.
The Lee Smith Award, named in honor of House’s friend and mentor, was also his creation – a way to honor Smith and other people doing good work in the region. Smith is Appalachia’s most well-known writer. Her publications include “Fair and Tender Ladies,” “On Agate Hill,” and many others.
After establishing the award, House originally said, “We think Lee Smith is the epitome of what it means to be a great representative of Appalachia. Our hope is this award will always pay tribute to the people who follow in her footsteps and strive to not only create important and meaningful art but also to reveal the truth and dignity of this region.”
Because of the award’s meaning and its connection to LMU’s mission of service to the Appalachian region, it became particularly fitting that House should eventually receive the award himself. House is the author of four novels, two plays and a creative non-fiction book about social protest. “Same Sun Here,” a fifth novel co-written with Neela Vaswani, will be published in early 2012. House was selected to edit “Chinaberry,” the long awaited posthumous manuscript of acclaimed writer and LMU alumnus James Still. Chinaberry was released this year and is in stores now. His stature as a writer and his tireless work to promote literature and the arts, as well as his dedication to environmental issues, all made him an easy recommendation for the award’s nominating committee.
The Lee Smith Award was presented to House during the 2011 Mountain Heritage Literary Festival held annually at LMU. Along with current LMU writer-in-residence Darnell Arnoult, House’s friend Mike Mullins, director of the Hindman Settlement School in Hindman, Ky., gave the award.
“I couldn’t be more honored than to receive an award with Lee Smith’s name on it,” House said during his acceptance. Lee exemplifies everything good about being a writer and an Appalachian to me. I’m humbled to receive the award and thankful to all the good people at the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival and LMU.”
Find out more online at www.lmunet.edu/mhlf.
