Austin Camacho, 1st Vice President of VWC

presenting the Outstanding Chapter Award to

Darrell Fleming, President, AAG, November 5, 2011

at the Commonwealth Club, Richmond, VA

Appalachian Authors Guild

For exemplifying excellence in leadership and support of writers in the Appalachian region. They offered first year VWC membership to anyone who joined or renewed membership in their Chapter for the year 2011, resulting in over 30 new members for the statewide organization. They hosted numerous "Meet-the-Author" events for their members during the year with their largest venue being the annual Virginia Highlands Festival in Abingdon. Partnering with Southwest Virginia Community College and the Appalachian Arts Center, they co-sponsored the annual Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium in Richlands which, this year, featured Lee Smith as the keynote speaker. They invited fellow statewide VWC members to participate in their "Meet-the-Author" event and writing contest at the Symposium. Finally, they hosted the September meeting of the Board of Governors and had an excellent afternoon program on promoting and marketing Appalachian culture with guest speakers addressing opportunities for the region's writers and artists.
The Virginia Writers Club, Inc.
November 5, 2011
June Forte, President
Austin Camacho, 1st Vice President