The Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia (WCoNA) honored professor and poet Julia Spicher Kasdorf with its annual Outstanding Contribution Award.

The purpose of the award is “to recognize an individual, ensemble, team or organization whose contributions or body of literary work have furthered the WCoNA mission to honor the region’s distinct literature, or, by extension, its people, and/or whose contributions enhance or have enhanced the craft of our authors, inspiring new work that represents northern Appalachia.” In presenting the award, the WCoNA board delineated Julia’s many and varied contributions to this mission, concluding that “Julia Spicher Kasdorf has emerged as a distinguished voice in American poetry, especially renowned for her vivid portrayal of the Ridge and Valley region of northern Appalachia. Kasdorf’s influence extends beyond her poetry; she is a pillar in the educational and artistic communities of northern Appalachia.” WCoNA’s Outstanding Contribution Award comes with a donation of $300 in the name of the award winner, given to an organization or institution serving to broaden literacy within some part of northern Appalachia. Julia has selected Ridgelines Language Arts as the recipient of this year’s award funds. Ridgelines is a Bellefonte-based organization founded and co-directed by Abby Minor, a former student of Julia’s in Penn State’s MFA program in creative writing.