HARDWICK – Hardwick author Jodi Lew-Smith’s novel, “Asa James,” has been named in the National Indie Excellence Awards as the winner of the “Regional Fiction – Northeast” category.
The competition recognizes top books among independent authors and publishers in both fiction and non-fiction categories.
The novel has previously been recognized by two other fiction prizes, as the winner of the historical fiction category in the Feathered Quill Book Awards and the American Legacy Book Awards, both of which entities likewise seek to boost independent authors and publishers.
The novel explores the life of a young man in 1875 Vermont who is raised on a rural poor farm but develops a drive to study natural science, for which the poor farm is not the ideal start.
In response to interest in the actual history of poor farms, Lew-Smith has developed a talk on the course of the poor farm in Vermont and in each rural community in which she speaks. The next talk will be at the Sterling View Community Center in Hyde Park at 1 p.m., on Monday, June 22, hosted by the Lanpher Memorial Library of Hyde Park.
