Monic Ductan, author of Daughters of Muscadine: Stories, is the recipient of the inaugural Tennessee Book Award in the fiction category. A collaboration of Humanities Tennessee and the Tennessee State Library and Archives, the awards recognize excellence in fiction, nonfiction and poetry written by Tennessee residents.
Ductan’s debut release consists of interconnected stories set in the small, rural town of Muscadine, Georgia. Covering the last 100 years, Ductan’s collection shares stories of people whose voices have been suppressed and erased for too long: Black women, rural women, Appalachian women and working-class women.
Daughters of Muscadine was released by Fireside Industries, an imprint of the University Press of Kentucky, and edited by bestselling author, journalist and activist Silas House. The imprint strives to publish creative work by authors with unique perspectives, diverse backgrounds and compelling voices, who are telling the complex stories of Appalachia and rural America.
“Tennessee is rich with literary talent, and we have dreamed for years of establishing a statewide award to honor our best writers,” said Tim Henderson, executive director of Humanities Tennessee. “We are thrilled to recognize these incredibly talented individuals for their contributions to the cultural life of the state.”
Fiction finalists for the Tennessee Book Award were Lauren Thoman for I’ll Stop the World and Johanna Rojas Vannes for An American Immigrant.
The winners will each receive a $2,500 prize, and winners and finalists will discuss their work at a special session at the Southern Festival of Books on Sunday, October 27, 11 a.m. at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.
“I’m ecstatic about winning the Tennessee Book Award,” said Ductan. “The final judge was Edwidge Danticat, a very accomplished writer whom I admire.”
Last spring, Daughters of Muscadine won the Weatherford Award for Appalachian fiction, an award previously won by so many great writers like Barbara Kingsolver, Crystal Wilkinson and Silas House.
Monic Ductan teaches literature and creative writing at Tennessee Tech University.
Information and quotes for this article provided by University of Kentucky Press.
