April 8, 2004 – "The Caribbean Writer," the annual literary anthology published by the University of the Virgin Islands, has received its second honorable mention from the Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses.
The prestigious honor was given for the story "Cadillacs and Thunderbirds" by Melissa Lugo, which appeared in Volume 16, published in 2002.
Each year, the editor of "The Caribbean Writer" nominates six poems or short stories from the current issue for The Pushcart Prize. A board of New York-based editors and writers selects the entries they deem most worthy to be included in the annual Pushcart anthology and designate several other pieces for honorable mention in the publication.
"The Caribbean Writer" received Pushcart Prizes in 1994 and 2001 and an earlier honorable mention in 1996.
The Pushcart Prize anthology "is the most praised literary series in America," a UVI release issued on Thursday stated. "It has been named a Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review and has been picked for several Book-of-the Month Club selections. It has been called the single best measure of the state of affairs in American literature today by the New York Times Book Review."
About 5,000 nominations are received each year from publications across the nation, the release stated.
Lugo, a Harvard University graduate, teaches at Manhattan College and is also the editor of Inkwell Magazine. Her work has appeared in several anthologies.
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