Southeastern's Armand recognized with Louisiana Writer Award

 

Tuesday, October 4, 2022 
by: Tonya Lowentritt David Armand


     HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University Assistant Professor of Creative Writing David Armand has been selected as the recipient of the 23rd annual Louisiana Writer Award by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library. The award is given to a contemporary Louisiana author in recognition of an outstanding contribution to Louisiana’s literary and intellectual life exemplified by the writer’s body of work.
     “Professor Armand is a truly gifted writer and teacher. He is skilled in a variety of genres, and communicates his love of words to all of his students,” said College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Karen Fontenot. “We are so lucky to have him at Southeastern, and I'm thrilled that he has received this honor.”
     A native of Folsom and resident of Hammond with both undergraduate and graduate degrees in English from Southeastern, Armand has published four novels, The Pugilist’s Wife, Harlow, The Gorge, and The Lord’s Acre, all set in Louisiana; two poetry chapbooks, The Deep Woods and Debt, a full-length poetry collection, The Evangelist, soon to be released; and a memoir, My Mother’s House. Armand is also the author of an upcoming collection of creative nonfiction essays, Mirrors, to be published by University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press in spring 2023.
     Armand served as Writer-in-Residence at Southeastern from 2017-2019 and has been recognized as a “Gambit Magazine” “40 Under 40” recipient.
     In 2016 he was honored with Southeastern’s President’s Award for Artistic Activity, the Southeastern Faculty Senate President’s Award, and was named the St. Tammany President’s Artist of the Year. His first novel, “The Pugilist’s Wife,” earned the George Garrett Fiction Prize, and his second novel, “Harlow,” was listed on Amazon’s best novels about dysfunctional families.
     “I’ve been so deeply honored to not only receive this award for my work, but also by the tremendous amount of support and kindness from the people in the Southeastern community, as well as throughout the state and beyond,” Armand said. “I know that my getting this award has been possible, in very large part, because of that spirit of kindness and generosity for which this state is so well-known. And I only hope my work can shine a bright light on that for more people to see.”
     The Louisiana Writer Award will be presented to Armand at an opening ceremony of the Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday, Oct. 29, in Baton Rouge.




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