The James Jones Literary Society is an association that honors American author James Jones by sponsoring a number of literature awards.
History The Society was founded in 1991 at Lincoln Trail College, Robinson, Illinois. As of 2008, it had nearly 300 members from 34 states and 5 countries. The Society sponsors a national symposium every year, when the First Novel Fellowship is awarded; these are held in different locations, but return every third year to Robinson, Jones's home town."English Dept. Will Host Aficionados of WWII-era Novelist James Jones Oct. 7-9" , University of Memphis, Sept. 27, 2005.
First Novel Fellowship The Society's best known award is the Annual James Jones First Novel Fellowship, co-sponsored by Wilkes University. It was established in 1992, and as of 2025 is a $12,000 prize, and two $1,000 runner up awards, awarded to American authors of first novels in progress that honor "the spirit of unblinking honesty, determination, and insight into modern culture" that Jones's works exemplified. 667 entries were received for the 2011 contest."James Jones Fellowship Contest", Wilkes University. Retrieved Nov 15, 2011."Fellowship Guidelines" , official site. Retrieved Nov 15, 2011."James Jones Society Names Wilkes University Faculty Member Its New President" , Wilkes University, 12/8/2009.
Laine Cunningham, winner of the 2003 award for her novel Message Stick, credits the award for US and international agents beginning to call her. She has since sponsored her own writing award."Pittsboro writer wins third place in literary magazine writing contest", Chatham Journal, July 11, 2010.
Awards Year Author Work Published Notes 1993 Nancy Flynn Eden Undone $2,000, 143 entries."Awards", Nancy Flynn official web site, retrieved 2011-11-15., by John Blades, Chicago Tribune, Oct 28, 1993, page 9. 1994 Mary Kay Zuravleff The Frequency of Souls Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1996, 403 entries."Manuscripts Pour In For Second Year Of Fellowship Award" , James Jones Literary Society Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 1 Fall 1994. Retrieved 2011-11-16."M.K. Zuravleff's racy read captures crowd" , by Sandhira Wijayaratne, The Johns Hopkins News-Letter, February 21, 2009. 1995 Rick Bass Where the Sea Used To Be Houghton Mifflin, 1998, $2,500, also awarded to Tanuja Desai Hidier."Carl Sandburg Awards Bestowed On 4 Local Writers", by John Blades, Chicago Tribune, November 06, 1995. 1995 Tanuja Desai Hidier Tale of a Two-Hearted Tiger $2,500, also awarded to Rick Bass."Letter to the Society from Tanuja Desai Hidier, Winner of the 1995 JJLS First Novel Fellowship" , James Jones Literary Society Newsletter, Vol. 11, No. 3, Summer, 2002. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 1996 Greg Hrbek The Hindenburg Crashes Nightly William Morrow, 1999, $2,500."Fiction Review: The Hindenburg Crashes Nightly", 06/28/1999, Publishers Weekly"Vassar Instructor Receives 1996 First Novel Award" , James Jones Literary Society Newsletter, Vol. 6, No. 2, Winter 1996. Retrieved 2011-11-15. 1997 Leslie Schwartz Jumping the Green Simon & Schuster, 1999, "Reviews for Jumping the Green", Leslie Schwartz official site. Retrieved 2011-11-15. 1998 Judith Barnes A Year in the Woods $2,500. 470 entries."Judith Barnes Receives 1998 James Jones First Novel Fellowship" , James Jones Literary Society. Retrieved 2011-11-15. 1999 Louise Wareham Leonard Since You Ask Akashic Books, 2004, $3,000."Wareham Leonard, Louise" , New Zealand Book Council. Retrieved 2011-11-15."7th Annual First Novel Award Presented to Louise Wareham" , James Jones Literary Society Newsletter, Vol. 9, No. 2, Winter 1999-2000. Retrieved 2011-11-15. 2000 Steven Phillip Policoff Beautiful Somewhere Else Carroll & Graf, 2004, $5,000. 566 entries."An Interview with Stephen Policoff, Author of Beautiful Somewhere Else", by Tim Davis, Feb 10, 2005. Retrieved 2011-11-15."Writing Teacher Wins 2000 James Jones First Novel Fellowship" , James Jones Literary Society Newsletter, Vol. 10, Nos. 1 & 2, Fall 2000/Winter 2001. Retrieved 2011-11-15. 2001 Ray Cristina Tracking Ginger CreateSpace, 2010, $5,000."Prospect resident captures fellowship", Times Leader, December 10, 2001, page 6A. 2002 Linda Busby Parker Seven Laurels Southeast Missouri State University Press, 2004, "Novel Published by SEMO Press Garnering Awards", Southeast Missourian, January 24, 2005, p8A. 2003 Laine Cunningham Message Stick Sun Dogs Creations, 2008, $6,000."Cunningham Wins Fellowship", News & Record, October 26, 2003, page R6. 2004 John Smelcer The Trap 593 entries."First Novel Fellowship Award Committee" , James Jones Literary Society Newsletter, Vol. 13, No. 4, Fall 2004. Retrieved 2011-11-16. Award rescinded in 2015. 2005 Anne Campisi The Lime Tree $10,000."Anne Campisi Wins First Novel Fellowship On Her Third Try" , James Jones Literary Society Newsletter, Vol. 14, No. 2, Summer 2005. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 2006 Herta Feely The Trials of Serra Blue "Herta Feely named recipient of Jones First Novel Fellowship , James Jones Literary Society Newsletter, Vol. 15, No. 2, Summer 2006. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 2007 Robin Oliveira My Name is Mary Sutter Viking Press, 2010, Working title The Last Beautiful Day."Reading Guide: My Name is Mary Sutter" , Penguin Group USA. Retrieved 2011-11-27. 2008 Margarite Landry Blue Moon $10,000. 520 entries."Landry’s ‘Blue Moon’ is shining" , Telegram & Gazette, October 23, 2008. 2009 Tena Russ After Paradise $10,000, 674 entries."James Jones First Novel Fellowship Awarded by Wilkes University Graduate Creative Writing Program, James Jones Society" , Wilkes University, 10/20/2009. Retrieved 2011-11-16. 2010 Gina Ventre Moon's Extra Mile $10,000, 520 entries."Names and Faces" , Times Leader, October 14, 2010. 2011 Robert Shuster To Zenzi New Issues Poetry & Prose, 2021, $10,000, 667 entries."First prize greets novelist’s debut", by Richard Duckett, Telegram & Gazette, October 11, 2011. 2012 Lise Brody For One Thing She Did $10,000, 585 entries."Shakespearean witch inspires 1st novel winner" , JJLS Journal, Volume 18, Issue 2, Fall 2012. 2013 Margot Singer The Art of Fugue As Underground Fugue, Melville House Publishing, 2017, $10,000, 666 entries."James Jones Fellowship Contest", Wilkes University, retrieved 2012-09-19. 2014 Cam Terwilliger Yet Wilderness Grew in My Heart $10,000. 2015 Josie Sigler The Flying Sampietrini $10,000. 2015 Alison Murphy Balagan $10,000. 2017 Erin Kate Ryan Quantum Girl Theory Random House, 2022, $10,000. 2018 Alicia Upano Big Music $10,000. 2019 Marco Kaye Levon $10,000. 2020 Morgan M.X. Schulz Good Morning, Dr. Du Bois $10,000. 2021 Rose Whitmore Feats of Strength in the Time of Hoxha $10,000, more than 700 entries. 2022 Beenish Ahmed Every Song an Elegy $10,000 2023 Catherine Carberry Bitter Tropic $10,000 2024 Thomas Andrew Green and Julie Ries Soon as I Find Jake and The Hunger Bride $9,000 to each winner 2025 Emma Binder Small Heaven $12,000
Other awards
Since 2006, the Society has co-sponsored the annual Illinois Emerging Writers Competition, created in 2005 by Secretary of State of Illinois and State Librarian Jesse White. Originally this consisted solely of the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, but since the co-sponsorship of the Society, it has also included the James Jones Short Story Award. Each category carries prizes of $500, $300, and $100 for unpublished works. Both are named after Illinois writers."Illinois Emerging Writers Competition" , Illinois Center for the Book, official site. Retrieved Nov 15, 2011."Jesse White Announces 2010 Illinois Emerging Writers Competition", Secretary of State of Illinois Jesse White, press release, March 29, 2010.
Since 2007, the Society has been working to establish the James Jones Chair in World War II Studies at Eastern Illinois University."EIU to establish World War II studies chair", Herald & Review, June 4, 2007., by Katey Mitchell, The Daily Eastern News, September 20, 2007.
The Society sponsors an annual Valentine Essay Contest, based on Jones's short story, "The Valentine", for high school seniors from Crawford County, Illinois and Clark County, Illinois. The $75 and $50 prizes are awarded on Valentine's Day."Area High School Students Win James Jones Literary Society Essay Contest" , James Jones Literary Society web site. Retrieved Nov 15, 2011."Banned Valentine", by C. D. Stelzer, Illinois Times, February 20, 2008."Jones essay winners named" , by Randy Harrison, Daily News, 4/18/2011."Illinois students excel in James Jones essay contest", Tribune-Star, March 10, 2010.
References
External links James Jones Literary Society Official site