In March of this year, Morehead State University presented its 2018 Chaffin Award in Appalachian Literature to Michael McFee. The 2017 winner was Darnell Arnoult and the 2016 winner was Rose McLarney.
The Western Carolina Historical Association has announced the five finalists for the 2019 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award:
David Joy - The Line That Held Us
Terry Roberts - The Holy Ghost Speakeasy and Revival
Meredith McCarroll - Unwhite: Appalachia, Race and Film
George Ellison and Janet McCure - Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography
Robert Beatty - Willa of the Wood