BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana proudly announces Louisiana native David Armand as the recipient of the 23rd annual Louisiana Writer Award. The award is given to a contemporary Louisiana author in recognition of an outstanding contribution to Louisiana’s literary and intellectual life exemplified by the writer’s body of work.
“It is wonderful that this annual award gives us the opportunity to spotlight a Louisiana author from the wealth of talented writers throughout our great state,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Through his novels set in Louisiana, his revelatory poetry, and a memoir that demonstrates his perseverance in overcoming and rising above obstacles to become the accomplished writer he has become, David and his work represent so much about the indomitable Louisiana spirit with which we all can identify.”
David Armand’s published works include four novels, The Pugilist’s Wife, Harlow, The Gorge, and The Lord’s Acre, all set in Louisiana; two poetry chapbooks, The Deep Woods and Debt, and a full-length poetry collection, The Evangelist, soon to be released; and a memoir, My Mother’s House. Armand is also the author of the upcoming collection of creative nonfiction essays, Mirrors, to be published by University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press in spring 2023.
Armand is the recipient of several awards, including the George Garrett Fiction Prize for his first novel The Pugilist’s Wife. His has appeared at the Louisiana Book Festival six times as a featured author. He currently teaches creative writing at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, where he served as Writer-in-Residence from 2017 through 2019
Learning of his selection, Armand said, “As a lifelong Louisianan, I can't begin to express how much being honored by my home state in this way means to me. This is the biggest honor I've ever received for my work, and I am very much looking forward to representing our great state's cultural achievements.”
The Louisiana Writer Award will be presented to Armand at an opening ceremony of the Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday, October 29, in Baton Rouge. Additionally, Armand will be discussing his work with David Johnson. For more extensive information on Armand and his work, please visit the Louisiana Writer Award webpage.
The Louisiana Center for the Book, established in the State Library of Louisiana in 1994 for the purpose of stimulating public interest in reading, books, literacy, and libraries and celebrating Louisiana’s rich literary heritage, is the state affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book.
For more information about the 18th Louisiana Book Festival, please visit www.LouisianaBookFestival.org and follow us on Facebook.
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Contact:
Barry Landry
Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism
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Veronica Mosgrove
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
225-342-7009
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