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'Autumn Song: Essays on Absence' by Patrice Gopo receives Interlochen’s inaugural Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award
'Small Worlds' by Caleb Azumah Nelson and 'The Slip: The New York City Street that Changed American Art Forever' by Prudence Peiffer were selected as runners-up.
As the winning author, Gopo will receive the $25,000 cash prize, conduct a multi-day residency at Interlochen Arts Academy, and take part in a public event moderated by New York Times best-selling author Doug Stanton as part of Traverse City’s National Writers Series.
Autumn Song: Essays on Absence by Patrice Gopo.
Autumn Song: Essays on Absence by Patrice Gopo has been selected as the winner of Interlochen’s inaugural Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award, a $25,000 prize that recognizes the best literature in the creative arts field. Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson and The Slip: The New York City Street That Changed American Art Forever by Prudence Peiffer were selected as runners-up; each author will receive a $2,500 cash prize.
“From a deep pool of remarkable nominees, these three books distinguished themselves,” said Selection Committee Chair and Interlochen Arts Academy Dean of Academics Eric Blackburn. “Prudence Peiffer’s The Slip, a group biography of a half dozen visual artists in New York, and Caleb Azumah Nelson’s Small Worlds, a novel with a British-Ghanaian jazz musician as its protagonist, captured the spirit of the award and impressed the committee immensely. And ultimately, no book left a more lasting mark on the committee than Patrice Gopo’s beautiful collection of essays, Autumn Song, exploring what it can mean to be an artist in a world changing every day.”
“Patrice Gopo’s intricate series of essays traverses steep roads ranging through girlhood, womanhood, and motherhood,” said Selection Committee member and Interlochen Arts Academy Instructor of English Stone Mims. “Written with lyrically masterful prose, Autumn Song consistently identifies confounding wonder, beauty, and terror within the seemingly mundane.”
As the recipient of the award, Gopo will receive the $25,000 cash prize and conduct a multi-day residency at Interlochen Arts Academy from April 9-11, 2025. During the residency, Gopo will participate in an awards ceremony and a public event moderated by New York Times best-selling author Doug Stanton in nearby Traverse City as part of the 2025 National Writers Series. Among other residency activities are a presentation to the Interlochen Arts Academy community, master classes, and an interview at Interlochen Public Radio.
“The Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award offers a platform for us to recognize authors who have meaningfully contributed to the creative arts through their writing, and in turn, to share their insights with our students, staff, and neighbors in northern Michigan,” said Trey Devey, president of Interlochen Center for the Arts. “Through the award’s residency component, our students have the opportunity not only to learn more about the art and craft of writing, but also to examine the creative process—whether through the lens of a fictional character, a renowned artist or movement, or the author’s own lived experience.”
Gopo’s residency continues Interlochen’s storied tradition of bringing acclaimed guest artists in various creative disciplines to campus to share their expertise with students. Interlochen students routinely learn from and perform alongside the world’s most celebrated artists; recent guests include the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; jazz pianist and R&B singer-songwriter Patrice Rushen; composer Bill Banfield; Grammy Award-winning singer and actor Sydney James Harcourt; and Emmy Award-nominated animator and director Troy Quane, among many others. In spring 2026, Arts Academy students will perform trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis’ new cello concerto with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma at Marian Anderson Hall in Philadelphia and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. as part of the America250 celebrations.
Established by The Pattis Family Foundation in October 2023, The Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award honors fiction or nonfiction books that inspire, illuminate, or exemplify the creative process in fields such as creative writing, dance, film and new media, music, theatre, and visual arts. Nominations are now open for the 2025 award. To learn more about the award—including eligibility requirements and selection criteria—or to nominate a book, visit https://www.interlochen.org/pattis.
About Patrice Gopo
Patrice Gopo is an award-winning essayist who writes stories steeped in themes of place, belonging, and home. She is the author of two essay collections: Autumn Song: Essays on Absence (University of Nebraska Press American Lives Series) and All the Colors We Will See (a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection). Her debut picture book, All the Places We Call Home, is based on one of her essays. When she’s not writing, Gopo hosts the podcast Picture Books Are for Grown-Ups Too! because she believes in the power of stories to help build connections between people. Gopo lives with her family in North Carolina, where she enjoys walks just after dawn and thinks a perfect day ends with ice cream. Please visit www.patricegopo.com to learn more.
About The Pattis Family Foundation
With a history originating from book and magazine publishing, The Pattis Family Foundation of Highland Park, Illinois, actively supports programs that elevate the value of the written word and intellectual inquiry. In addition to The Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award at Interlochen, The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award is awarded annually with The Newberry Library and The Pattis Family Foundation Global Cities Award is awarded in association with The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Similar book awards in partnership with other leading organizations and other subject areas will be announced in the future. The Pattis Family Foundation also supports various health, educational, and cultural initiatives as well as programs that help bridge the opportunity gap for talented students with limited financial resources.
About the National Writers Series
Founded in 2010, the National Writers Series is a year-round book festival that has hosted more than 250 authors in Traverse City, Michigan, including New York Times bestselling authors, McArthur "Genius Grant" winners, and National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winners. Most events take place in the gorgeous, historic Traverse City Opera House. Find out more at https://nationalwritersseries.org/.
