At a private reception in Manhattan last Thursday night, bestselling author Elizabeth Strout (front and center) spoke to the winners of the 2008 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Awards: Joanne Dominique Dwyer and Amy Leach (middle row), Jennifer Culkin, Jolie Lewis, Hasanthika Sirisena, and Therese Stanton (back row). Jaffe created the foundation in 1995 to provide financial support and encouragement to young writers at the start of their careers; last year, the grants were raised to $25,000.

Previous recipients of Jaffe Foundation grants include Judy Budntiz, Rebecca Curtis, Rivka Galchen, and Ellen Litman. Among this year's winners, Culkin already has an essay collection scheduled for publication next year, while the others are all working on significant projects, including poetry and short story collections, essays, and novels.

(photo: Star Black)