All About the Dybek

By Jess D'Amico in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 27, 2007 8:45PM

We told you Tuesday about local author Stuart Dybek's genius grant. Yesterday, he received the 2007 Rea Award for Short Story, which carries with it an extra $30,000 in change to add to his $500,000 MacArthur grant.

The Rea Award, sponsored by the Dungannon Foundation, was started by Michael M. Rea in 1986 to be awarded to a living American or Canadian author who, according to their website, has made a "significant contribution in the discipline of the short story as an art form." Winners are chosen by three peer jurors. Dybek juried the award in 1993 and chose Grace Paley as that year's recipient.

The 2006 winner was John Updike. Other past winners include Joyce Carol Oates, Eudora Welty, and Ann Beattie.