INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation has announced that poet and Indianapolis resident Mari Evans is the recipient of the 2015 Indiana Authors Award Lifetime Achievement Award. This marks only the second time an author has received this award from the Library Foundation.
Evans will join five already-announced Indiana Authors Award winners and finalists at the Indy Author Fair and Indiana Authors Award Dinner on October 10 at Central Library. The Lifetime Achievement Award allows Evans to select an Indiana library to receive a $2,500 grant on behalf of the Library Foundation. The public is invited to a celebration of Evans’ life and work will be held at 10:15 a.m. during the free Indy Author Fair.
Evans’ monumental career spans decades and has shaped women’s history, politics, music and drama. She is the author of numerous articles and children’s books, and her work has been included in hundreds of anthologies and textbooks, including translations into many other languages. Much of Evans’ work focuses on the celebration of Africa and the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as other themes that bring to light the reality of the African-American experience. Evans became a well-respected figure in the Black Arts Movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her impact on Africa was reflected in 1997 when the Ugandan government issued a commemorative postage stamp in her honor.
Teens are invited to participate in a special poetry workshop following Evans’ celebration at the Indy Author Fair, includes opportunities to purchase books, participate in book signings and take part in workshops and one-on-one interactions with accomplished authors. Workshops will focus on writing and publishing nonfiction books, blogging for writers, getting started with writing and writing for young authors.
Individual and full table tickets are available for the Award Dinner, a benefit for the Library Foundation. For additional information about the Indiana Authors Award and festivities, visit indianaauthorsaward.org.
