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Emily Wilson’s Ammons Book Receives Independent Press Award

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From our friend Alex Albright at R.A. Fountain:

FOUNTAIN—The Independent Press Award has recognized When I Go back to My Home Country: A Remembrance of Archie Ammons by Emily Herring Wilson in the category of “Biography (general)” as a “distinguished favorite.”

The national competition is judged by experts from different aspects of the book industry, including publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers, and professional copywriters. Selected award winners and distinguished favorites are based on overall excellence.

Published in December 2019 by R.A. Fountain, When I Go back to My Home Country is a memoir about the thirty-year friendship Wilson shared with the poet A.R.Ammons [a 2000 inductee of the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame – ed.].

Novelist and poet Robert Morgan said of Wilson’s book, “Unsparing in detail about a complex and enduring relationship, this memoir is a compelling account of her admiration and respect for one of our leading literary figures.”

Ammons, who died in 2001, was among the first class, in 1981, of MacArthur Foundation “Genius” awardees and also received virtually every award open to American poets.

In 2020, the Independent Press Award had entries worldwide. Participating authors and publishers reside in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, India, Ireland, Portugal, Sweden, and others. Books submitted included writers located in cities such as Austin to Memphis to Santa Cruz; from Copenhagen to Mumbai; from Albuquerque to Staten Island; from Boise to Honolulu, and others.

“We are thrilled to announce the winners and distinguished favorites in our annual 2020 Independent Press Award,” said awards sponsor Gabrielle Olczak.  “This year included a myriad of excellent independently published books. It is clear that independents are prospering in every corner of the earth. We are so proud to be highlighting key titles representing global independent publishing.”

When I Go back to My Home Country, R.A. Fountain’s fifth book, is available at independent bookstores in North Carolina and via Amazon.

For more information please visit independentpressaward.com; and to see this year’s list of IPA Winners and Distinguished Favorites, please visit https://www.independentpressaward.com/2020winners and https://www.independentpressaward.com/2020distinguishedfavorites.