Newsletter in Virginia

Day… public library in Craig County, a rural county of 5,500 people. Day helped Library of Virginia Develops Old organize the Craig County Friends of the Library Inc., a nonprofit community organi- Dominion Songsters Exhibition zation with a goal of opening the first public The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce Virginia blues and highlights the importance of library in Craig County — the only county in the development of the traveling panel exhibi- the East Coast or Piedmont blues tradition and Issue 165 • September/October 2004 Virginia without a library. She has taken the tion Old Dominion Songsters: Traditional Blues guitar style. In addition to publishing a lead in collecting books, organizing fundrais- Official Newsletter in Virginia. Using rare photographs and images brochure on Virginia blues, the Society has ers, speaking with other groups to gain sup- of important blues recordings, Old Dominion launched an ongoing campaign to erect state port and renovating the building. She also Songsters offers biographies of Virginia blues historical markers. Two artists—Luke Jordan in helped contact state and federal legislators. JONES, LEBSOCK AND NYSTROM RECEIVE AWARDS legends such as John Jackson, William Moore, Lynchburg and Carl Martin in Big Stone The Hitachi Foundation named 10 high John Cephas, Carl Martin and Stephen Tarter. Gap—have been honored with markers. The Francis Foster and George Garrett Recognized school seniors as recipients of the 2004 Further, the exhibition examines the social Library of Virginia’s 2002 exhibition, Virginia Yoshiyama Award. The 2004 Yoshiyama The Library of Virginia is pleased to announce the winners of the 7th a Southern Town, won the Bancroft Prize in 1985. The recipient of a milieu of blues music in Virginia, including the Roots Music: Creating and Conserving Tradition, Award recipients will participate in a leader- Annual Library of Virginia Literary Awards. The winner in the fiction coveted MacArthur fellowship in 1992, she is one of the foremost house party tradition, music in the mountains also contributed to the content of Old ship retreat and be honored at a luncheon to category is Edward Jones for The Known World, published by scholars in the field of American women’s history. Lebsock is current- and its connection to old-time music and the Dominion Songsters. The exhibition, which pre- take place at the National Press Club in Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. The non-fiction ly Board of Governors Professor of History at Rutgers University. She migration of artists to northern cities. miered at the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Washington, D.C., in October. Each will winner is Suzanne Lebsock for A Murder in Virginia, published by W. is also the author of Virginia Women, 1600–1945: “A Share of Old Dominion Songsters developed out of Cultural Center on September 10, 2004, was receive a $5,000 gift. W. Norton & Company. Debra Nystrom won in the poetry category Honour,” published in 1987 by the Library of Virginia. an ongoing project sponsored by the James supported by the Virginia Foundation for the The Hitachi Foundation is a nonprofit, for Torn Sky, published by Sarabande Books. In A Murder in Virginia, Lebsock examines issues of race and River Blues Society and led by Library of Humanities and Public Policy, BB&T, Blues in philanthropic organization incorporated in Edward Jones was born in Washington, D.C., and earned his gender in the aftermath of a gruesome murder that took place in June Virginia historian and blues guitarist Gregg the ’Burg Inc., the Library of Virginia and The the District of Columbia in 1985 with an master’s of fine arts degree from the University of Virginia. He has 1895 on a quiet farm in Lunenburg County. When a white woman of Kimball. Begun in 2001, the Old Dominion James River Blues Society of Lynchburg. endowment from Hitachi Ltd. in Tokyo. The taught creative writing at the University of Virginia, George Mason some means was murdered in her farmyard in 1895, four poor African Songsters project honors the founders of Foundation’s purpose is to enhance the well- University, the University of Maryland and Princeton University. He Americans (three of them women) immediately fell under suspicion. being of economically and socially isolated has won the PEN/Hemingway Lebsock takes us deep into the whirl- BOARD SETS MEETING SCHEDULE Award and was a finalist for the wind that surrounded this case, as people throughout the United States. For The Library Board has set its meeting schedule for 2004–2005. All meetings will be held at the additional information about the Yoshiyama Library of Virginia, 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia. The meetings are open to the public. National Book Award for his debut blacks organized to secure justice for Award or The Hitachi Foundation, visit their The next meeting of the Board will occur on November 15 at 10:30 AM. Subsequent meetings collection of short stories, Lost in the accused. A Murder in Virginia web site at <www.hitachifoundation.org>. will be held on January 27, 2005; March 14, 2005; and June 13, 2005. the City. Jones recently was award- won the 2004 Parkman Prize from ed one of 23 MacArthur fellow- the Society of American Historians. ships, a five-year grant to The poetry winner, Debra individuals who show exceptional Nystrom for Torn Sky, earned her NON-PROFIT ORG. merit and promise for continued bachelor’s degree at the University of U.S. POSTAGE and enhanced creative work. The South Dakota and her master’s of PAID awards are commonly called the fine arts in the Goddard/Warren 800 East Broad Street RICHMOND, VA MacArthur genius awards. Wilson College program. Her first Richmond, VA 23219-8000 PERMIT NO. 1088 The Known World received the book of poems, A Quarter Turn, 2004 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It appeared in 1991. Her poetry has also won the National Book Critics been published in numerous Circle Award and the 2004 People’s anthologies and journals, including George Garrett, winner of the Literary Lifetime Achievement Award; Choice Award for Fiction and was a Debra Nystrom, winner of the Poetry Award; Elizabeth Varon, winner of the American Poetry Review, the Yale finalist for the National Book the People’s Choice Fiction Prize; Suzanne Lebsock, winner of the Non- Review, Ploughshares, TriQuarterly, Award. The Known World is set in fiction Award; Edward Jones, winner of the Fiction Award; and Dr. Francis and the Threepenny Review. She has antebellum Virginia and centers on M. Foster Sr., winner of the Semper Virginia Award, pose at the 7th received a Boatwright Prize from a black farmer and former slave Annual Library of Virginia Awards Celebration on October 16. Shenandoah and the Balch Prize for who later in life becomes a slave Poetry from the Virginia Quarterly owner himself. Jones’s novel explores the hypocrisy and tragedy of the Review and has been awarded two individual artist’s grants from the slave system and the anomaly of a former slave owning slaves. Virginia Commission for the Arts, a Yaddo Fellowship, a postgradu- Non-fiction win- ate fellowship in poetry from the University of Virginia and numer- ner Suzanne Lebsock ous Pushcart nominations. Nystrom lives in Charlottesville and is earned her bachelor’s associate professor of creative writing at the University of Virginia. degree from Carleton Debra Nystrom’s Torn Sky gives voice to the harsh histories of the 800 East Broad Street College and her mas- American West as well as the memories, losses and survivals in the Richmond, VA 23219-8000 ter’s and doctorate landscapes of the familiar—home and family. Her poems resonate (804)692-3592 • www.lva.lib.va.us from the University with compassion, spirituality and an elegant resilience. Janice M. Hathcock, Editor of Virginia. Her first Hollins University professor R. H. W. Dillard presented the Amy C. Winegardner, Graphic Designer Franklin E. Robeson, Board Chair book, The Free Literary Lifetime Achievement Award to George Garrett, his friend and Nolan T. Yelich, Librarian of Virginia Women of Petersburg: mentor. Regarded by his peers as a poet and writer of immense talent, Status and Culture in the multi-talented Garrett also is beloved as a …see Awards, pg. 2 Awards… generous teacher and mentor, “Ask a Government Information Librarian” one who has often gone out of his way to assist the careers of young writers. Library Acquires VEPCO Company Records Beginning in November 2004, the staff of the Retired Richmond dentist Dr. Francis In October 2003, following Hurricane Isabel the Richmond area. There are also publica- Aside from the collection’s obvious worth State and Federal Documents Program of the M. Foster received the first annual Semper when the lights were out for much of central tions containing information about legal as a resource from which to study the day-to- Library of Virginia will participate in a Virginia Award, given by the Semper Virginia, the Description Services Branch at the cases in Virginia localities concerning the reg- day conditions experienced by employees, national pilot project to provide virtual refer- Virginia Society, the Library of Virginia Library of Virginia was in the midst of a mildly ulation of jitney buses. Correspondence in other files document the societal changes ence service for patrons seeking government Foundation’s new membership group estab- ironic task—the processing of the records of the the general counsel’s files notes a number of effected by the increased role of women in the information. The Library of Virginia and the lished to support the continuation of excel- Virginia Electric and Power Company accidents between automobiles and street- business world. Of particular note are a large University of Virginia are the only Virginia lence at the Library of Virginia.

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