January 2012. And the Winner is...

“All writers carry a debt to the works of great, and lasting writers whose work preceded them. Ernest Gaines is one of those writers, for myself, and I’m sure for many other young writers across the world,” says author Dinaw Mengestu. “He is a remarkable novelist, both in form and context. I’m sure for that as long as I continue to read and write, I’ll find myself compelled to return to his novels which are filled with an eloquence and grace rarely seen in literature.”

Mengestu is the winner of The Baton Rouge Area Foundation’s fifth annual Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence for his novel How to Read the Air.
The award, which honors outstanding work by rising African-American authors while recognizing Gaines’ extraordinary contribution to the literary world, includes a $10,000 cash prize.

Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mengestu grew up in Peoria, Illinois, and suburban Chicago. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a master’s from Columbia University and now resides in Paris.

But he has ties to Louisiana, too.

“I’ve been to Louisiana three times now—twice as a tourist to New Orleans and then in 2008, I was a visiting professor at Tulane University for a semester, which gave me a chance to appreciate Louisiana on a much more profound scale,” he explains. “While it’s easy to say that most parts of America are unique, there is something particularly remarkable about Louisiana; it’s a hybrid of cultures—Southern, African, Native-American, and French colonial—that’s unlike anything else in the country. When I left New Orleans after four months I was confident that I had only begun to scratch the surface.”

Award ceremonies for Mengestu will take place at 6:30 pm on January 26 at the Manship Theatre in downtown Baton Rouge, with a reception to follow. Both are free and open to all, though seating is limited. RSVPs are required for this cocktail-attire event. Send reservation requests to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or contact Jessica Boone at (225) 387-6126.

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