News: Legacy Awards Winners Announced

The Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation announced last weekend the winners for its Legacy Awards program. Presented annually, this national awards program honors black writers in the categories of Fiction, Debut Fiction, Nonfiction, and Contemporary Fiction.

The winner in the Contemporary Fiction category was The Long Mile, a mystery by Clyde W. Ford. At the awards ceremony, held at the National Press Club, Ford said, "The first thing any writer is trying to do is tell a story. We are not trying to say something, but tell a story about hopes, aspirations and challenges. I see myself standing on the shoulders of great writers."

The Long Mile is a gritty detective thriller, set in New York City, that relates one African-American man's riveting quest for truth and redemption. Written in the tradition of Raymond Chandler and Walter Mosley, it is the first in a series of thrillers featuring the compelling character of former NYPD officer John Shannon.

The Long Mile was also the winner of the 2006 Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) for Best Mystery/Suspense/Thriller.

Read an article covering the Legacy Awards event on the Washington Post website here.

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