Each year the Presbyterian Writers Guild makes these awards:
The Distinguished Writer of the Year
The steering committee selects a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA) who in the previous year has
distinguished himself or herself in the fields of journalism, literature or scholarly writing. At the
annual luncheon the writer is presented with a plaque, a check for $1,000.00 and is asked to make a
speech.
The recipient of the David Steele Distinguished Writer Award for 2005-2006 is The Rev. Gayraud S. Wilmore, theological school professor and author of scholarly articles and books on African-American religion.
The following have been so honored in recent years:
2004 Eva Stimson, editor of Presbyterians Today.
2003
Bill Tammeus, Kansas City Star columnist and author of Eyes to See and Ears to Hear: Writing that
Offers the Gift of Meaning.
2002
Dr. Jack Rogers, author of Presbyterian Creeds: A Guide to the Book of Confessions.
2001
Edwin G. Burrows, co-author of the 1999 Pulitzer Prise winning book, Gotham: A History of New
York City to 1898. He teaches history at Brooklyn College.
2000
Gustav Niebuhr, writing on religious affairs for the New York Times.
1999
Holmes Rolston III, professor of philosophy at Colorado State University, author of Genes,
Genesis and God.
1998
Doris Betts, author of the novel, The Sharp Teeth of Love.
1997
Kathleen Norris, author of Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, Cloister Walk, and Amazing Grace.
1996
Ann Weems, poet and most recently author of Putting the Amazing Back in Grace.
The Jim Angell Award
This award is made annually to the Presbyterian writer whose first book is judged to be outstanding
and was published the previous year. The award is made to honor the memory of James Angell, a
prolific pastor-author and member of the Guild. Submissions are judged by a regional panel of
Presbyterian Writers. It carries a prize of $500.00.
Recent winners have been:
2008
Mary Frances Chupick Bennett of Kerrville, TX, who won for: Invitation to Cat Spring: From European Tyranny to Freedom to Civil War (AuthorHouse).
2007
Bud Frimoth of Portland, OR, who won for: Bring in the Clowns: A Metaphor for Ministry (Pleasant Word, a division of Wine Press).
2006
Laurel McKay Horton of Seneca, SC, who won for: Mary Black’s Family Quilts: Memory and Meaning in Ev¬eryday Life (University of South Carolina Press).
2005
John H. Barden of Fulton, MO, who won for: ‘Postle Jack Tales, Gospel Images in New Appalachian Folktales (KiwE Publishing, Ltd).
2004
Ruth Linnea Whitney, of Port Townsend, WA, who won for: Slim (Southern Methodist University Press).
2003
Carol J. Morrison of North Bend, WA, who won for: Catching On: Love With an Avid Fly Fisher (Freestone Press).
2002
Gary Charles of Alexandria VA, who won for: "The Bold Alternative: Staying in Church in
the 21st Century" (Geneva Press, 2001).
2001
Stephen P. McCutchan of Winston Salem, NC. He won it for his book, Experiencing the Psalms:
Weaving the Psalms into Your Ministry and Faith.
2000
James O. Chatham, Louisville, KY, for Sundays Down South: A Pastor's Stories,
(University of Mississippi Press).
1999
Cathy Cummings Chisholm, Vandalia, IL for Landscapes of the Heart (Bridge Resources).
1998
Duke Robinson, Oakland, CA, for Good Intentions: The Nine Unconscious Mistakes of Nice
People, (Warner Books).
1997
Bard Young, Nashville, TN for The Snake of God (Black Belt Press).
1996
Shelly E. Cochran, Rochester, NY for The Pastor's Underground Guide to the Revised
Common Lectionary (Chalice Press).
To nominate an author for the Jim Angell award, contact:
