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It is with heavy hearts that we learn the 1995 Porter Prize winner, Norman Lavers, has passed away. To learn more about his life, click here: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2026/jul/26/remembering-norman-lavers-a-curious-life-of/ For his legacy, here: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/jonesborosun/name/norman-lavers-obituary?id=62036396 His most recent book about Arkansas insects was just published by Et Alia Press. He wrote it with his wife, Cheryl Lavers. https://ww

Each year the Porter Fund awards a $5,000 Porter Scholarship to a student enrolled in the University of Central Arkansas MFA Writing Program. The 2025 Porter Fund Scholarship recipient is Hex Brown. ​​​

Poet Carolyn Guinzio “I was absolutely thrilled to learn that I am this year's Porter Prize recipient,” said Guinzio. “To be welcomed into the literary community in this way is truly an honor, particularly considering how much I admire the work of the previous winners.” The Porter Fund Literary Prize is presented annually to an Arkansas writer with a substantial and impressive body of work that merits enhanced recognition. Past winners of the Porter Prize include Mara Lever