First PLACE Prize
I'll share a story I found and have passed along to the Ecotone group; thought one or two of you might also be interested.
LONDON - Financier Chistopher Ondaatje announced he's funding a new Commonwealth literary award open to all genres of books.The Sri-Lankan born philanthropist - and brother of Canadian author Michael Ondaatje - has given a $450,000 endowment to the Royal Society of Literature for the annual $22,000 prize.
The Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize will reward writing that "evokes the spirit of a place".
You can put this interesting development in broader context by listening to a 7/24/03 "Connections" broadcast from WBUR Boston called "Honoring Place" (via RealMedia) in which host Michael Goldfarb interviews two writers... Michael Holroyd and Sven Birkerts... for whom place is central in their writing... and discusses at length the role of "place" in present and past literature.