Kansas Booksellers Honored With Phoenix Award

Pat Kehde and Mary Lou Wright, founders and co-owners of 19-year-old The Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas, were recently named the recipients of the 2006 Phoenix Award in the category of Literary Arts by the Lawrence Arts Commission. The Phoenix Awards have been presented annually since 1996 in eight categories, and the Literary Arts Award is customarily granted to a writer. This year, however, the commission chose to honor Kehde and Wright for their outstanding contribution to the literary enrichment of the town.

The Raven co-owners are the founders and co-sponsors, with the Lawrence Arts Center, of the Langston Hughes Creative Writing Award. Hughes, who is most often associated with the Harlem Renaissance, spent much of his childhood in Lawrence, and about 10 years ago Kehde and Wright had the idea of creating an award in his name to recognize up-and-coming, unpublished Douglas County poetry and fiction writers. Since then, prizes of $500 have been awarded each year to one poet and one prose writer.

The Raven Book Store also underwrites Mystery! and Masterpiece Theatre on local public television station, KTWU.

In addition, the Lawrence Arts Commission noted that Kehde and Wright have been instrumental in bringing a number of authors and literary panels to Lawrence. "We schedule about two readings a month, usually in the auditorium of the Lawrence Public Library," explained Kehde. "And we try to reach out to all members of the community."

Kehde and Wright, who met in college, founded the bookstore in 1987 and originally planned a mystery specialty store, hence the Edgar Allan Poe-inspired name. However, they soon began expanding their inventory, and today The Raven is a general bookstore with a special emphasis on mysteries. "We also feature books by local and regional authors," Kehde said. "We're now the last independently owned bookstore in Lawrence that sells new books. That makes us very special to people here who care about local businesses."

The Phoenix Awards were presented at a ceremony on Sunday, November 5, at the Lawrence Arts Center. --Nomi Schwartz