Judy Gaines Young Book Award Explained

The Judy Gaines Young Book Award is given annually by Transylvania University to honor the author of a book of distinction written in the Appalachian region in the previous two or three years.^[1] The award was endowed in 2015 by Dr. Byron Young, a Lexington-area professor and neurologist, in honor of his late wife.^[2]

The program is currently coordinated by Transylvania Professor of English Martha Billips and Poet-in-Residence Maurice Manning.

Winners

• 2015 – Holly Goddard Jones for The Next Time You See Me
• 2016 – Amy Greene for Long Man^[3]
• 2017 – Crystal Wilkinson for The Birds of Opulence^[4]
• 2018 – Kathleen Driskell for Next Door to the Dead^[5]
• 2019 – Silas House for Southernmost^[6]
• 2020 – Frank X Walker for Last Will, Last Testament^[7]
• 2021 – Robert Gipe for the Canard County trilogy (Trampoline, Weedeater, and Pop)^[8]
• 2022 – Jeff Worley

Past Nominees

2015

• Ron Houchin for The Man Who Saws Us in Half^[9]
• George Ella Lyon for Many-Storied House
• Jeff Daniel Marion for Letters to the Dead
• Allison Seay for To See the Queen
• Lee Smith for Guests on Earth

2016

• Robert Gipe for Trampoline (first nomination)
• T. J. Jarrett for Zion
• Jeremy B. Jones for Bearwallow
• Denton Loving for Crimes Against Birds
• George Ella Lyon for What Forest Knows

2017

• Lee Smith for Dimestore^[10]

2018

• Darnell Arnoult for Galaxie Wagon^[11]
• Robert Gipe for Trampoline (second nomination)
• Mark Powell for Small Treasons
• Mary Ann Taylor-Hall for Out of Nowhere

Notes and References

1. Web site: Transy Library: Transylvania University Judy Gaines Young Book Award: 2019. Brown. Susan. libguides.transy.edu. en. 2019-02-03.
2. Web site: Spalding MFA in Writing director wins Transylvania book award. Spalding University. en-US. 2019-02-03.
3. Web site: Transy Library: Transylvania University Judy Gaines Young Book Award: Awarded in 2016. Brown. Susan. libguides.transy.edu. en. 2019-02-03.
4. Web site: Crystal Wilkinson receives two more awards for "Birds of Opulence". kentucky. en. 2019-02-03.
5. Web site: UPK Title Wins Judy Gaines Young Book Award. 2018-03-09. UKNow. 2019-02-03.
6. Web site: Silas House wins Transylvania's Judy Gaines Young Book Award. The Sentinel-Echo. February 2019 . en. 2019-02-03.
7. Web site: 2020-02-06. Acclaimed poet Frank X Walker receives Transylvania's 2020 Judy Gaines Young Book Award Transylvania University. 2020-08-15. 1780. en-US.
8. Web site: 2021-05-17 . Acclaimed Kentucky author wins 2021 Transylvania Judy Gaines Young Book Award . 2024-06-04 . ABC 36 News . en-US.
9. Web site: Transy Library: Transylvania University Judy Gaines Young Book Award: Awarded in 2014. Brown. Susan. libguides.transy.edu. en. 2019-02-03.
10. Web site: Transy Library: Transylvania University Judy Gaines Young Book Award: Awarded in 2017. Brown. Susan. libguides.transy.edu. en. 2019-02-03.
11. Web site: Transy Library: Transylvania University Judy Gaines Young Book Award: Awarded in 2018. Brown. Susan. libguides.transy.edu. en. 2019-02-03.