These 3 Iowans will be honored by the Des Moines Public Library Foundation
The Des Moines Public Library Foundation will honor three Iowans at the 2024 Iowa Author Awards in October.
The event, which is the foundation’s annual fundraiser, celebrates and honors authors and other literacy champions from Iowa.
A news release from the foundation Monday announced those who will be honored at the annual dinner:
Lyz Lenz
A New York Times best-selling author who lives right here in Iowa with her two kids and two dogs, Lyz Lenz is the author of "God Land," "Belabored," and "This American Ex-Wife." Her essay, “All the Angry Women,” also was included in Roxane Gay's "Not That Bad" anthology.
Lenz is also the host of the "This American Ex-Wife" podcast. She writes a regular newsletter, Men Yell At Me, where she explores the intersection of politics and bodies in red-state America.
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Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey
An author, performer and producer from Iowa City, Rainey is the author of "Look, Black Boy" and "Heart Notes," which both feature his award-winning poetry.
He also has released two album versions of his collections and produced "Willing to Grow," a short film.
He is the winner of several slam poetry contests across the country, placed 7th in the 2023 UNESCO Slam-O-Vision global poetry slam, helps with IC Speaks, a high school poetry program in Iowa City, and produced Mic Check Poetry Fest.
Carol Roh Spaulding
Although she is a California native, Spaulding has been a professor at Drake Univeristy since 1996, where she teaches courses in fiction writing, multicultural literature and other areas of writing. Since 2014, she has directed the Drake Community Press.
She received the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction from University of Georgia Press in 2022. She has received numerous other awards for her work including a Pushcart Prize, a Best American Essays 2019 Notable Mention and the Eludia Award from Hidden River Arts for her upcoming novel "Helen Button."
Tim Hickman and Frank Vaia also will be recognized as the 2024 Friends of Literacy recipients at the event.
When is the Iowa Author Awards dinner?
The Iowa Author Awards dinner will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Des Moines Downtown, 101 E. Locust St. Tickets, which cost $200, can be purchased at the Des Moines Public Library Foundation website or by contacting the foundation at 515-412-0180 or executivedirector@dmplfoundation.org.
The Des Moines Public Library Foundation was created in 1998 to raise funds and advocate for the Des Moines Public Library system.
Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: These 3 Iowans will receive the Iowa Author Awards this October
