James D. Houston Award

“If there is one California-grown, longtime California writer who seems to be changing things it is James D. Houston.”—Alan Cheuse

About the Fund

Known as a masterful writer in both fiction and nonfiction genres, James D. Houston was also a dedicated teacher and passionate promoter of emerging authors. Friends and family established a fund to honor his memory and further his legacy. The James D. Houston Award will support publication of books by writers who reflect Jim’s humane values, his thoughtful engagement with life, and his literary exploration of California, Hawaii, and the West. Jim was a person of great integrity, a meticulous craftsman, a devoted teacher, and a generous friend  (He was also a lot of fun to be around). We look forward to creating books through the James D. Houston Legacy Fund that will honor not just his literary skills but the fullness of his being.

Donations (tax-deductible) to the James D. Houston Legacy Fund can be made by calling Anna at (510) 549-3564 ext. 304 or by sending a check made out to Heyday to the following address:

Heyday

c/o the James D. Houston Legacy Fund

P.O. Box 9145

Berkeley, CA 94709

Acceptable manuscript formats include novels, literary memoirs, creative non-fiction (book length or collection of essays), and short story collections. The editorial committee especially favors works by emerging writers (this would be his or her first or second published book). To submit a manuscript for consideration, please email the following:

• a cover letter (concrete ideas and opportunities for the promotion of your book would be appreciated)
• please include an email address if you want us to acknowledge receipt of your proposal
• a summary and outline (especially for collections of shorter pieces) of the project, including estimated word count(s)
• a full manuscript (double-spaced, standard font and font size)
• a CV, especially listing previous publications

James D. Houston was born in San Francisco in 1933. He authored eight books, including Bird of Another Heaven, Snow Mountain Passage, Where Light Takes its Color From the Sea: A California Notebook, and Farewell to Manzanar, co-authored with Jeanne Houston. He received his M.A. in American Literature at Stanford, where he studied under Wallace Stegner, Irving Howe, and Frank O’Connor. In 1962 he moved with wife Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston into an old Victorian house in Santa Cruz. There he produced many of his famous works and taught writing at University of California, Santa Cruz for over twenty years. His stories and essays were widely anthologized and earned honors from the PEN Center USA West, Center for the Pacific Rim, Squaw Valley Community of Writers, and elsewhere. Jim graced the world with a warmth, intelligence and vision that has left a profound mark on the literary culture of the West.

“What a joy it was to know James D. Houston. He was so skilled at the writing craft, and he got better and better with each book. I knew no one else who could be as thoughtful and probing and at the same time as playful as Jim. I admired especially his generosity toward other writers, indeed toward the world at large. I liked him of course for who he was, but I also liked him for who I was in his presence. To be around Jim was to feel mentally alive, emotionally open, curious about the world, pleased beyond reason with the gift of momentary laughter. Whatever the subject of our conversation and however brief, I walked away from it convinced that Jim and I were partners in a great and even noble adventure. I was deeply saddened when he died, determined to carry on and create a great and noble adventure in his memory.”—Malcolm Margolin