MONTPELIER— Vermont Humanities announced the winners of the Vermont Book Awards for outstanding literature in 2024 on Saturday at a cocktail and dessert celebration in Montpelier, attended by 200 readers, writers, and supporters of literature and the humanities.
The winners in each of their respective categories were GennaRose Nethercott for “Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart” (Fiction), Lucy Ives for “An Image of My Name Enters America” (Creative Nonfiction), Margaret Draft for “Nowhere Was a Lake” (Poetry), and Emma Hunsinger for “How It All Ends” (Children’s Literature).
The celebration was held in the chapel in College Hall on the Greenway Institute campus (formerly Vermont College of Fine Arts). The room was full of writers, including previous winners of the Vermont Book Awards. The keynote speaker was Bill McKibben, who concluded by saying, “I know I am grateful always for the tide of creativity that continues to rise, even—especially—in the moments like this! And especially in this blessed place! Long may Vermont punch above its weight!”
Vermont Humanities Executive Director Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup also positioned this year’s Vermont Book Awards in this current moment in time. “In these difficult days, we remember our dear friend and National Book Award winner Congressman John Lewis who often said, ‘We must find a way to get in the way. We must cause good trouble, necessary trouble.’ Writers and artists are truth tellers and troublemakers and tonight we celebrate you.”
The winners received a cash prize of $1000 and a specially commissioned art object. These physical awards, which were created by Vermont artist Nikki Ibey at Wandering Dog Metal in Walden, Vermont, are working cowbells. Unlike ordinary cowbells, though, the Vermont Book Award cowbells are crafted from electro-etched copper, with copper and brass adornments, and clappers made from locally sourced Spalted Maple.
The evening raised over $10,000 for Vermont Humanities’ programs and will help the organization reach its $50,000 emergency match challenge from the Mellon Foundation. Please visit vermonthumanities.org/donate to contribute. All gifts will be doubled.
The Vermont Book Awards are annual prizes for outstanding literature in Vermont, presented by Vermont Humanities in collaboration with Vermont Department of Libraries.