Recognition for Leap Thirty

Well, this is exciting: Diane Lowell Wilder’s Leap Thirty wasn’t just a finalist for the 2022 Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize—the book won first runner-up in the poetry category! Here’s what the award team had to say:

“At first, the pages feel quiet and tender, but they grow louder and bolder as the reader continues, each pebble’s ripple adding to a greater tide of authentic reckoning. When executed well, poetry consists of only what is necessary—the best words in the best order to articulate the greatest truth. This collection is executed at the highest level, like a meal at a Michelin-star restaurant. Each poem is delicately presented and reverberates within the reader with ample and surprising complexity. We are moved to engage, reflect, and participate in the work.”

And that’s not all—it was also a finalist for the 2022 First Horizon Award, which recognizes “superior work by debut authors,” and a finalist for the 16th Annual National Indie Excellence Award in the poetry category.

Join us in congratulating Diane! You can find out all about her collection here—and stay and listen to her read a few poems from the book.