March 15, 2002

NATCHEZ, Miss. — Two Mississippi writers were honored recently for their literary work.

Novelist Lewis Nordan and historian John F. Marszalek received the Richard Wright Literary Excellence Award presented by the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration.

Nordan, a native of Forest, Mississippi, holds a master’s degree from Mississippi State University and currently teaches at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of four novels, including the award-winning Wolf Whistle and Sugar Among the Freaks.

John F. Marszalek is a longtime Mississippi State University historian who has written eight books and more than 150 articles. He is a William L. Giles Distinguished Professor at MSU. His books include Assault at West Point: The Court Martial of Johnson Whitaker, which became a Showtime cable movie, and The Petticoat Affair and Sherman: A Soldier’s Passion for Order, which were main selections of the History Book Club.

Named for the famed African-American writer who was born near Natchez, the Wright Award has been presented annually since 1994 to living authors with strong Mississippi connections and a significant body of literary work. Eudora Welty, Ellen Douglas, Willie Morris, Richard Ford, and John Grisham are among previous winners.

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