The North Carolina Writers' Network Executive Director, Ed Southern has been awarded the prestigious Ethel N. Fortner Writer and Community Award, 
"St. Andrews University will present the 2015 Ethel N. Fortner Writer and Community Award to North Carolina Writers’ Network Executive Director Ed Southern on March 5."Ed has headed NCWN since 2008 and the organization has grown and served more writers over the years.
Read more about Ed and the award at this link: http://www.ncwriters.org/whitecross/
On a personal note, I was program coordinator for NCWN West, (Netwest) when Ed came on board. I had heard good things about him and was excited to know we were going to be in good hands. Right away, I asked Ed to come to our far western area and meet all the writers and poets scattered in these mountains. And for the first time since the early 90s, the Executive Director of NCWN came out here and talked with us. Even more important, he listened to us. Our promised funding sanctioned by the NC Arts Council had been terminated, but Ed promised he would see that it was resumed. He did as he promised.
I know all of our members and readers join me in congratulating Ed Southern on receiving the Fortner Award.
