Congratulations to Jeff Allen!

Jeffery Renard Allen is the recipient of the 2010 Ernest J Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, an award sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. It is designed to inspire and recognize African-American writers of excellence as they work to achieve the literary heights for which Ernest J. Gaines is known. Allen was selected for *Holding Pattern*, a recent story collection. Among his other works are *Rails Under My Back*, a novel, and two collections of poetry, *Stellar Places* and *Harbors and Spirits*.