Reginald Dwayne Betts was 16 when he received a nine-year adult prison sentence for carjacking a man sleeping in his vehicle in Fairfax. During his incarceration, Betts endured over 14 months in solitary confinement. Despite these challenges, he completed his high school education behind bars and discovered a passion for poetry.

Betts is now a poet, legal scholar, prison reform advocate and an attorney with a law degree from Yale University.

Last Saturday at the Library of Virginia, he received a standing ovation from 250 attendees for being awarded the Patron of Letters degree, an honorary commendation recognizing individuals who made significant contributions to Virginia’s literary and archival sciences.

“I had never once considered being a writer,” said Betts when receiving his award, recalling the harsh times of being incarcerated.

Readers, writers, former librarians, and publishers gathered in elegant attire for the Library of Virginia’s 27th Annual Virginia Literary Awards. The awards gala – dubbed the “Oscars of Virginia stories,” – is one of the biggest annual events awarding Virginia writers and their contributions to literature.

“I think Virginia has had a really long history, some good, some [not so good],” said Elaine McFadden, Library of Virginia’s director of development. “These authors are really brave to tell their own story, whether through a memoir or to express themselves in poetry, or to do research for nonfiction.”

The awards were hosted by New York Times bestselling fiction and non-fiction author and filmmaker, Adriana Trigani, who also received a Patron of Letters degree for her contributions in literature.

In addition to the awards, the gala also held a silent auction during the dinner, with all proceeds going toward the Library’s conservation, education and community outreach initiatives.

The literary awards finalists are chosen by a committee of the Library’s literary judges, which consists of former winners and finalists. The nominating committee reads each eligible literary work published last year in nonfiction, fiction, children’s literature and poetry. After determining their eligibility, the committee would then discuss the merits of the work to determine the finalists and recipients.

“Virginia is a diverse state, and I think that this [nomination pool] reflects the talent and the stories that are now coming from Virginia and being uncovered from Virginia,” McFadden said.

“Those kinds of hidden stories and those hidden narratives are really what the Library of Virginia is working to do and help through preservation and sharing these stories that are found within 140 million items in our collection.”

Other award recipients include:

● Elizabeth Varon: Literary Award for Nonfiction for “Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South”

● Angie Kim: Literary Award for Fiction for “Happiness Falls”

● Janine Joseph: Literary Award for Poetry for “Decade of the Brain: Poems”

● Kwame Alexander: Children’s Virginia Literary Award for “An American Story”

● Sheila Johnson: People’s Choice Award for Nonfiction for “Walk Through Fire: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Triumph”

● Martin Clark: People’s Choice Award for Fiction for “The Plinko Bounce”

● Katy Hessel: Mary Lynn Kotz Award for “The Story of Art Without Men”