When the Rewards Can Be So Great: Essays on Writing and the Writing Life, a collection of essays edited by Kwame Dawes, has won a gold medal from the 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards in the "Writing/Publishing" category. Independent Publisher is a monthly digital publication for independent publishers, booksellers, and authors that covers the latest trends in the publishing industry and celebrates the talent and hard work of those producing independently published titles. The annual awards, otherwise known as the IPPYs, honor the year's best independently published books.
When the Rewards Can Be So Great is a selection of craft talks delivered by faculty at the Pacific University M.F.A. in Writing program. In addition to an essay by Dawes, the collection includes essays by Carolyn Coman, John McNally, Marvin Bell, Pam Houston, Scott Korb, Benjamin Percy, Claire Davis, Sandra Alcosser, Valerie Laken, Mike Magnuson, Ellen Bass, Steve Amick, Laura Hendrie, David Long, Mary Helen Stefaniak, Dorianne Laux, and Debra Gwartney. The essays are at times deeply personal, providing insight into the development of the writers in their craft; and at times sharply practical and filled with long-tested approaches for writing with power and effectiveness. All are characterized by care, generosity, and good humor and reflect a wonderfully welcoming eclecticism of styles, interests, traditions, and diversity of voices.
