This week, the 43rd John Dos Passos Prize was awarded to novelist and editor Angie Cruz (How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water; Dominicana; Let it Rain Coffee) by Longwood University. The Dos Passos Prize is the oldest literary award given by a Virginia college or university, and every year honors a “talented American writer who experiments with form, explores a range of voices and merits further recognition.” Cruz was chosen from a shortlist of five announced in November.
“Angie Cruz’s fiction offers compelling depictions of the lives of working-class immigrant people in the United States, challenging the stereotypes that circulate in our culture through her inventive narratives,” said Dr. David Magill, professor of literatures of diversity and chair of the Department of English and Modern Languages at Longwood, in a statement. “She combines keen attention to language with storytelling that is at times playful, at times passionate, but always evocative and detailed. These characteristics are what make her such a worthy recipient of the Dos Passos Prize.”
Cruz will receive an honorarium and medal, and will visit Longwood’s campus for a public event this spring.
