FSU Libraries and the Florida Guide Awards have named the inaugural recipient of the Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Award, which yearly honors a Florida creator who has proven distinctive expertise and the potential for continued literary success and significance sooner or later.
Johnny Bell, an rising creator who has devoted his life to public service by way of training, will obtain a $1,000 prize and a replica of “We Discovered Paradise: Gerald Ensley on the Historical past and Eccentricities of His Beloved Tallahassee” by Gerald Ensley.
“I’m hopeful the literature I’ve contributed is an inspiration for minority youngsters striving to make their desires come true as they battle oppression and troublesome life circumstances,” Bell stated.
Bell began writing after years as an educator and basketball coach made him understand it was time to put in writing novels that characteristic minority characters in main roles. He’s written and revealed two Younger Grownup/Teen Fiction novels: “Take the Shot,” which follows a pupil making an attempt to navigate center college within the wake of his father’s demise, and “The Filth Courtroom,” which follows a personality as they navigate the ups and downs of life within the foster care system.
The Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Award is given in reminiscence of Gerald Ensley, a consummate author who artfully wrote the tales of Tallahassee and its individuals – and fearlessly opined on probably the most controversial points of the day. A veteran Tallahassee journalist and columnist, his profession in journalism spans over 40 years, with greater than 50 state and nationwide awards for his work on the Tallahassee Democrat. His spouse, Sally Karioth, is a longtime professor within the FSU School of Nursing.
“Witty, self-deprecating and sensible, Gerald spent his life’s work as a champion of the susceptible and the underserved,” Karioth stated. “As a younger author, he was nurtured by many who believed in him. He paid that ahead by mentoring numerous younger writers who’ve gone on to flourish in their very own careers. This award will enable his dedication to supporting the subsequent era of storytellers to proceed for a few years to come back.”
The Florida Guide Awards is the nation’s most complete state ebook awards program, established in 2006 to have a good time the perfect of Florida literature. Bell and the opposite 2021 Florida Guide Award winners can be honored at an annual banquet on April 7 at Cascades Park in Tallahassee.
For extra details about the Gerald Ensley Developing Writer Award and the Florida Guide Awards, go to https://www.floridabookawards.org/.
