From Staff Reports

CHARLOTTE — The North Carolina Humanities Council recently announced Mildred K Barya as the recipient of its 2020 Linda Flowers Literary Award for her creative non-fiction entry, “Being Here in This Body.”

Barya is a writer from Uganda and assistant professor at UNC-Asheville. She teaches poetry, fiction, hybrids, and world literature. She received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Denver, an MFA in creative writing from Syracuse University, and a B.A. in literature from Makerere University. She serves on the board of African Writers Trust and hosts the Poetrio Reading Events at Malaprop’s Independent Bookstore/Café in Asheville.

"This year’s judges, Luke Hankins, Terry L. Kennedy, and Zelda Lockhart, selected Barya’s work based on its literary merit and its ability to provide inspiring portraiture of North Carolina," a press release stated. "The judges commented that the piece was 'at once philosophical… and well crafted' and 'provocative from the beginning [and] draws a picture of North Carolina through the musings of the piece' and that the writing 'connects the reader to the [author’s] inner musings, memories, and outward observances seamlessly.'"

As the award recipient, Barya will receive $1,500 and a week-long residency at Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities in Southern Pines.

A version of “Being Here in this Body” will be published in the next print issue of North Carolina Literary Review, arriving in 2021. Subscriptions may be purchased at http://www.nclr.ecu.edu/subscriptions