Rotonda West writer's anthology about surviving a child's suicide wins prestigious award

Eileen Vorbach Collins of Rotonda West recently won a prestigious Royal Palm Literary Award, the Florida Writers Association announced.

Vorbach Collins' winning entry, "Hold on Till the Sun Goes Down: Essays of Love and Loss," won the Gold Award for Unpublished Anthology in addition to receiving first runner-up for Unpublished Book of the Year. The awards were announced at FWA’s recent conference in Orlando.

“The quality of work submitted to our contest in this challenging year was simply amazing,” said William Opperman, RPLA chairperson. “To be singled out for an award is a true achievement.”

In all, the competition covered 28 adult genres and five youth genres, with published and unpublished entries considered separately.

“It is our sincere wish that all RPLA awards help the winners to market their manuscript or published book," Opperman said. "We also hope that the detailed feedback from the judges, which all entrants receive, is useful, as well."

Vorbach Collins’ manuscript, a collection of linked narrative essays about surviving the death of a child by suicide, will be published by Apprentice House Press, Loyola University, Baltimore, in 2023.

The Florida Writers Association, which includes 1,600 members, supports the state’s established and emerging writers. Membership is open to the public.

Visit floridawriters.org for more information and a list of the 2022 winners. For more about Vorbach Collins, visit sites.google.com/view/eileenvorbachcollins/home.

Submitted by William Opperman

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Rotonda West writer's essays involving suicide wins prestigious award