#1 Bestseller, Southern Independent Booksellers Association, Eli the Good
Appalachian Heritage Writer of the Year, 2009, awarded by Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Silas House Literary Festival, 2009, two-day symposium given in honor of the writing of Silas House, Emory and Henry College, Emory, Virginia
Storylines Prize for Excellence in Literature, 2009, awarded to Eli the Good by the NCV Foundation, New York City
Selected for a star on the Kentucky Walk of Fame, Lexington, Kentucky, 2009, awarded by the Kentucky Stars Program
Ally of the Year Award (with the band Public Outcry), 2008, given by Kentuckians for the Commonwealth for service in the fight against mountaintop removal
Helen Lewis Award for Community Service, 2008, given by Appalachian Studies Association
Ally of the Year Award, 2007, given by Kentuckians for the Commonwealth for service in the fight for social justice in the state of Kentucky
Appalachian Book of the Year, 2005, awarded to The Coal Tattoo by the Appalachian Writers Association
Kentucky’s Best Writer Award, 2005, awarded by Kentucky Monthly Magazine
Kentucky Novel of the Year, 2004, awarded to The Coal Tattoo
Finalist, Southern Book Critics Circle Prize, 2004, for The Coal Tattoo
The Chaffin Award for Excellence in Appalachian Writing, 2003, awarded by Morehead State University
Kentucky’s Best Writer Award, 2003, awarded by Kentucky Monthly Magazine
James Still Award for Special Achievement in Writing About the Appalachian South, 2003, awarded by the Fellowship of Southern Writers
Finalist, Southern Book Critics Circle Prize, 2002, for A Parchment of Leaves
Kentucky Novel of the Year, 2003, awarded to A Parchment of Leaves
National Bestseller designation, 2003, A Parchment of Leaves
Foreword Magazine Book of the Year, Bronze Award, 2001, awarded to Clay’s Quilt
New York Times Bestseller List, #37, September 2001, Clay’s Quilt
