The James Jones Literary Society is an association that honors

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

author James Jones by sponsoring a number of literature awards.

History

The Society was founded in 1991 at

Lincoln Trail College Lincoln Trail College is a public community college in Robinson, Illinois. The college was founded in 1969 and is a member of the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges organization. Academics The college offers career preparation programs as well ...

Robinson, Illinois Robinson is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,713 at the 2010 census, up from 6,822 in 2000. Geography Robinson is in the center of Crawford County at . Illinois Route 33 passes throug ...

. As of 2008, it had nearly 300 members from 34 states and 5 countries. The Society sponsors a national symposium every year, when the

First Novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

Fellowship is awarded; these are held in different locations, but return every third year to Robinson, Jones's home town.

First Novel Fellowship

The Society's best known award is the Annual James Jones First Novel Fellowship, co-sponsored by

Wilkes University Wilkes University is a private university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students (both full and part-time). Wilkes was founded in 1933 as a satellite campus of Bucknell University, and bec ...

. It was established in 1992, and as of 2011 is a $10,000 prize, and two $750 runner up awards, awarded to American authors of first novels in progress that honor "the spirit of unblinking honesty, determination, and insight into modern culture" that Jones's works exemplified. 667 entries were received for the 2011 contest. Laine Cunningham, winner of the 2003 award for her novel ''Message Stick'', credits the award for US and international agents beginning to call her. She has since sponsored her own writing award."Pittsboro writer wins third place in literary magazine writing contest"
'' Chatham Journal'', July 11, 2010.

Awards

Other awards

Since 2006, the Society has co-sponsored the annual Illinois Emerging Writers Competition, created in 2005 by

Secretary of State of Illinois The Secretary of State of Illinois is one of the six elected executive state offices of the government of Illinois, and one of the 47 Secretary of State (U.S. state government), secretaries of states in the United States. The Illinois Secretary o ...

and State Librarian Jesse White. Originally this consisted solely of the

Gwendolyn Brooks Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) was an American poet, author, and teacher. Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetr ...

Poetry Award, but since the co-sponsorship of the Society, it has also included the James Jones Short Story Award. Each category carries prizes of $500, $300, and $100 for unpublished works. Both are named after Illinois writers. Since 2007, the Society has been working to establish the James Jones

Chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

in World War II Studies at

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

. The Society sponsors an annual Valentine Essay Contest, based on Jones's short story, "The Valentine", for

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

seniors from

Crawford County, Illinois Crawford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,817. Its county seat is Robinson. History Crawford County was formed in the Illinois Territory on December 31, 1816, out of Edward ...

and

Clark County, Illinois Clark County is a county located in the southeastern part of U.S. state of Illinois, along the Indiana state line. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,335. Its county seat is Marshall. The county was named for George Rogers Clark, an o ...

. The $75 and $50 prizes are awarded on

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

."Illinois students excel in James Jones essay contest"
''

Tribune-Star The ''Tribune-Star'' is a seven-day morning daily newspaper based in Terre Haute, Indiana, covering the Wabash Valley area of Indiana and Illinois. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings. Counties within the newspaper's coverage areas includ ...

'', March 10, 2010.

References

External links

James Jones Literary Society
Official site {{Authority control American literary awards Literary societies Organizations established in 1991 1991 establishments in Illinois Awards established in 1992 1992 establishments in Illinois