Nine finalists have been selected for the 25th Annual Library of Virginia Literary Awards, the Commonwealth’s premier celebration honoring Virginia writers and their contributions to literature. Acclaimed poet and former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove is a finalist for her recent work “Playlist for the Apocalypse.”

The finalists were chosen by an independent panel of judges from more than 108 submissions. The winner in each category will be selected from among these finalists and announced dur- ing a celebration at the Library of Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 15.

The 2022 award finalists are:

Fiction:

Jocelyn Nicole Johnson- “My Monticello” Joanna Pearson – “Now You Know It All” Sheri Reynolds – “The Tender Grave” Honorable Mention

Angel Khoury – “Between Tides”

Nonfiction:

John Woodrow Cox – “Children Under Fire:

An American Crisis”

Carolyn Eastman – “The Strange Genius

of Mr. O: The World of the United States’ First Forgotten Celebrity”

Caroline E. Janney – “Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee’s Army after Appomattox”

Poetry:

Sandra Beasley – “Made to Explode” Rita Dove – “Playlist for the Apocalypse”

Tina Parker – “Lock Her Up”

The finalists for the Library’s People’s Choice Awards for fiction and nonfiction were previously announced. They will also be honored at the Literary Awards event. Kicking things off is the Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award, presented with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, on Friday, Oct. 14.

For information on tickets, sponsorship, or other ways to support the 25th Annual Library of Virginia Awards Celebration honoring Virginia authors and friends, call (804) 692-3813.