Annie is the recipient of the 2024 Eunice Williams Nonfiction Prize for her essay, The Alchemist’s Messenger. The Eunice Williams Nonfiction Prize is an annual literary prize given by HerStry. The 2024 guest judge, Kelly McMasters, author of, The Leaving Season and Welcome to Shirley, read through the final short-listed essays and chose the three that stood out to her for their storytelling, structure, and overall narrative arc. Learn more about the contest and Kelly’s thoughts on the winning entry here.
Annie talks to Tiffany Aurora about small press publishing, the writing life, and more on this Entrepreneurs & Artists podcast episode.
More about this podcast:
On Entrepreneurs & Artists, we talk about the highs and lows of creating new businesses, new products, and new art. We also talk about the practices that keep us in the game, helping us focus on the real work.
Feature on The Slowdown Show with Major Jackson
Annie’s piece, “To the bartender who tends to more than the bar,” was featured on The Slowdown Show. Listen to Major Jackson read the piece here.
Chapbook Competition Finalist
Annie’s chapbook manuscript has been selected as a finalist in the Black River Chapbook Competition (Black Lawrence Press), the Chestnut Review Press open reading period for spring 2023, and the 2023 Digging Press Chapbook Series contest (awaiting final results!).
Grant Recipient
Annie received a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council to support her writing residency at the Gullkistan Center for Creativity in Laugarvatn, Iceland for spring 2024. Thank you MSAC! To learn more about MSAC and how they support artists, visit msac.org.
The Changing Chesapeake Exhibit - Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Annie's nonfiction piece, "And still, she beckons," was selected by a panel of judges for inclusion in a 2023 exhibit at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The exhibit is open throughout 2023 in St Michael's, Maryland. “For many people in this region, their lifestyle, familial and cultural experiences, and personal identity are intrinsically connected to the Chesapeake,” said Associate Curator of Collections Jenifer Dolde. “As the fabric of our community evolves and the very appearance of the surrounding land and water is transformed during a single lifetime, we are called to mark this change, to voice our histories, our passions, our fears, and our hopes. Calling for and sharing these voices in a public exhibition documents who we are as a community and represents the ebb and flow of our cultural traditions over time.”
2024 Artist Residency at Gullkistan
Annie will be a spring artist-in-residence at Gullkistan Center for Creativity in Laugarvatn, Iceland. She will be working on a prose collection during the residency. This residency is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org).
2023 Best of the Net Nominee
Annie’s creative nonfiction piece, “Old Faithful,” was nominated by Beaver Magazine for a 2023 Best of the Net award. Read the full piece at Beaver Magazine.
2022 Pushcart Prize Nominee
Annie's creative nonfiction piece, "The Woodpecker," was nominated by Literary Mama for a 2022 Pushcart Prize. Read the full essay through Literary Mama.
2022 Best of the Net Nominee
Annie's creative nonfiction piece, "Flying Into Chicago at Sunset," was nominated by The Ilanot Review for a Best of the Net award. Read the full piece through The Ilanot Review.
Blog Feature - Mollye Miller Photography
Photographer Mollye Miller wrote a blog feature about Annie's writing process. Mollye wrote, "Whatever schema you’re thinking about "memoir" you have to un-think. Wait for her book to get published and take over bookshelves. Because it will and it will be heartbreaking and poignant and on many "must read" lists." Read her full blog post about the photo shoot on her website!
Podcast Episode - She is Kindred
She Is Kindred interviewed Annie for a podcast episode earlier this year. They talked about motherhood, mothering while motherless, grief, and writing as a creative outlet. Listen to the full episode on sheiskindred.org.