ALIHOT
A Legend In His/Her Own Time
In 1996, the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society, created a special award to be given to men and women for excellence in literature, journalism, music, art, and community service, or philanthropy. The award is given to men and women who qualify as legends in their own time.
Rosemary James, Co-Founder of the Faulkner Society, took the name from one of her former journalistic colleagues, the late Jack Dempsey, a legendary police reporter for the old New Orleans afternoon newspaper, The States-Item. Dempsey sent his police report columns from police headquarters by teletype. He always signed his dispatches:
ALIHOT
A Legend In His Own Time.
The awards are given annually in memory of Jack Dempsey, other memorable guys and dolls of reporting, and the great 20th Century heyday of journalism. There is no specified number of awardees each year, although at least one award for Literature always is given.
The first ALIHOT Award for Literature was presented to Mississippi author Eudora Welty for her impressive body of fiction and
non-fiction. The presentation was made to her by the Pen/Faulkner and Pulitzer Prize winning author, Richard Ford, at a ceremony in Jackson, MS. That same year, ALIHOT Awards were presented to Adelaide Wisdom Benjamin for Philanthropy in the Arts and
to artist Wade Welch for cartoon satire. Other awards have been made as follows:
2025
Michelle Cheramie Civic Service
2024
Thomas Mallon Fiction
Marcelle Bienvenu Non-fiction
2023
Joseph J. DeSalvo, Jr. Service to Literature
(Awarded as a memorial. Mr. DeSalvo died at the end of 2020.)
Michael Harold Non-fiction: Special Interest
Quinn Peeper Non-fiction: Special Interest
2020-2022
COVID, No awards conferred.
2019
Yayari Jones Fiction
Jay Parini Non-fiction
Jana Napoli Arts Philanthropy
Kenneth Holditch Literature
Joyce Blaylock Non-Fiction
2018
Anne Simms Pincus Community Service
2017
Patty Friedmann Fiction
Tim Gautreaux Fiction
Adam Johnson Fiction
Stewart O’Nan Fiction
Resa Aslan Non-Fiction
Walter Isaacson Non-Fiction
2016
Christina Vella Biography
Nancy Isenberg History
2015
Brett Lott Literature
Bill Loehfelm Fiction/Mysteries
Elise Blackwell Fiction
John Pope Non-fiction
Sybil Morial Non-fiction
2014
Darrell Bourque Poetry
Moira Crone Fiction
Luis Alberto Urrea Fiction
Stanley Crouch Non-Fiction
Randy Fertel Non-Fiction
2013
Horacio Castellanos
Moya Fiction, Journalism
Ron Rash Fiction
Rodger Kamenetz Non-fiction, Poetry
2012
Ernest J. Gaines Literature
Judith Swenson Philanthropy
Irvin Mayfield Music: Ernest Gaines Suite
2011
Armando Valladares Human Rights Advocacy
Oscar Hijuelos Literature
Justin Torres First Fiction
Nilo Cruz Drama
Randy Fertel Non-Fiction
2010
Tim O’Brien Fiction
Rebecca Wells Fiction
Arthur Q. Davis Civic Service
E. Quinn Peeper Civic Service, Music
2009
Ronald Pincus Civic Service
John Biguenet Literature
2008
Ted Turner Environmental Philanthropy Roy Blount, Jr. Literaure (Non-Fiction)
Michael Malone Literature (Fiction)
2007
Matthew Bruccoli Biography
Marie Arana Literary Criticism
Michael Dirda Literary Criticism
Jonathan Yardley Literary Criticism
Josephine Sacabo Art Photography
2006
Bertie Deming Smith Philanthropy
Shirley Ann Grau Literature (Fiction)
Nancy Moss Service to the Arts
Thomas Neff Art Photography
Michael White Music
John Besh Community Service
2005
KATRINA, no awards conferred
2004
Robert Olen Butler Literature
Stanley Crouch Libretto: Wild Palms Suite ` Irvin Mayfield Music: Wild Palms Suite
Dow Mossman Documentary Cinema
Mark Moskowitz Documentary Cinema
Gérard Lange Art Photography
Paul St. Martin Philanthropy
Michael X. St. Martin Philanthropy
2003
Ellis Marsalis Music
Herman Leonard Music Photography
Raymond Meeks Art Photography Valerie Martin Literature
William Farlowe Philanthropy
2002
Elizabeth Spencer Literature
Leah Chase Civic Service
C. D. Wright Poetry
Deborah Luster Art Photography
Earl King Music: Blues
2001
Freda Lupin Arts Philanthropy
Dalt Wonk Drama
Susan Spicer Culinary Arts
Dan Ragland Art Photography
2000
Rodger Kamenetz: Literature
Arthur Samuelson Literary Publishing
Paul Prudhomme Culinary Arts
Julie Grant Meyer Philanthropy
1999
Lawrence Ferlinghetti Poetry
Iris Kelso Journalism
Don Lee Keith Journalism
Thomas C. Keller Philanthropy
1998
Fredrick Barton Opera Libretto: A House Divided Jay Weigel Opera: A House Divided Lolita Davidovich Performance Art
Ron Shelton Performance Art
Sandra Russell Clark Art Photography Dorothy Crosby Philanthropy
Lynn Crosby Gamill Philanthropy
1997
Shelby Foote Literature
Yevgeny Yevtushenko Poetry
Delta Burke Performance Art
Gerald McRaney Performance Art
Odetta Music
Lynn Green Root Satire Art
Lyle Bonge Art Photography
Ian Arnoff Philanthropy
Eamon Kelly Philanthropy
1996
Eudora Welty. Literature
Wade Welch Satire Art
Adelaide Wisdom
Benjamin Philanthropy