Seven authors received the Library of Virginia’s 28th annual Virginia Literary Awards on Friday at the state library’s annual dinner and gala.

New York Times bestselling author and filmmaker Adriana Trigiani hosted the Sept. 20 celebration, which drew more than 250 attendees. The event also honored acclaimed musician Damien Geter with an honorary Patron of Letters degree for his fusion of classical music and Black diaspora influences in works promoting social justice. 

“Each year, we look forward to celebrating the voices that have left lasting impacts on Virginia’s literary and cultural communities,” said Dennis T. Clark, Librarian of Virginia. “This celebration not only honors outstanding achievements, but also supports our ongoing commitment to offering vital archival resources and enriching programs that serve communities across the Commonwealth.” 

The nonfiction award went to Justene Hill Edwards for “Savings and Trust: The Rise and Betrayal of the Freedman’s Bank.” An associate professor of history at the University of Virginia, Edwards also authored “Unfree Markets: The Slaves’ Economy and the Rise of Capitalism in South Carolina” and has won numerous fellowships, including an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship and a Mellon New Directions Fellowship. 

For fiction, Isabel Banta earned recognition for her debut novel, “Honey.” The Brooklyn-based writer, book publicist and indie bookseller graduated from U.Va. 

“An Authentic Life” by Jennifer Chang took the poetry award. The book was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Chang serves as poetry editor of New England Review and teaches at the Bennington Writing Seminars and the University of Texas in Austin. 

In children’s literature, Carter Higgins won for “Round and Round the Year We Go.” An Emmy Award-winning visual effects artist who spent a decade as a school librarian, Higgins has authored numerous books for young readers, including “Everything You Need for a Treehouse” and “Some of These Are Snails.” 

For the People’s Choice awards, Evan Friss received recognition for his nonfiction work “The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore,” and David Baldacci won for his novel “A Calamity of Souls.” 

Friss, a history professor at James Madison University, wrote the New York Times bestseller that Time magazine named one of its 100 Must-Read Books of 2024. Baldacci, a lifelong Virginian who has published 49 novels for adults, received bachelor’s and law degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and U.Va., respectively. 

The Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award went to Deborah Parker for “Becoming Belle da Costa Greene: A Visionary Librarian Through Her Letters.” Parker is Professor Emerita of Italian at U.Va. 

Geter, the Patron of Letters degree recipient, owns DG Music and Sans Fear Publishing and serves as interim music director and artistic advisor at Portland Opera. He is also the Richmond Symphony’s composer-in-residence through 2026. His new opera “Loving v. Virginia,” based on the landmark Supreme Court case that struck down laws banning interracial marriage, premiered in May as the conclusion of Virginia Opera’s 50th anniversary season. 

The gala raised funds for the Library of Virginia’s conservation, education and community outreach initiatives. Each literary award winner received a crystal book award and monetary prize.