David Radavich has been awarded the 2012 Zelda and Paul Gitlin Literary Prize. His essay, " 'A Stone, a Leaf, a Door': The Narrative Poetics of Thomas Wolfe," was honored as the best essay published in the past year on American novelist Thomas Wolfe (1900-38). He accepted the award at the Thomas Wolfe Society Conference in Asheville, N.C., in May. He is a past president of the Society.

Jerri Gibson McCloud’s debut novel, The Liberators, is set during World War II and features USAF Capt. Andrew Walters, who falls in love with a spirited Red Cross nurse. The pilot’s family in Fayetteville, N.C., suffers terribly when notified that their son is MIA. This is a heartwarming story for both men and women, but as Susan Smith wrote in her review, “keep your flak jacket and parachute handy while reading.” Available locally at Park Road Books, or from Amazon.com. Please visit www.jerrigibsonmccloud.com.