Esteemed Sporting Classics Editor-At-Large and author, Jim Casada, recently won the Excellence in Craft award for his Sporting Classics Daily piece, “Sweet Soul of the Smokies.”
The Southeastern Outdoor Press Association (SEOPA) announced the winners of its annual Excellence in Craft Awards competition, which honors “outstanding communicators who work in a wide variety of media platforms.” The EIC awards, sponsored by Realtree, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association, celebrate the best among SEOPA members’ works of the past year. Fifty members submitted 263 entries that were judged by more than 40 experts.
Of the eleven main categories ranging from newspaper stories to outdoor books and photographs, the category of “Electronic Publishing” is one of the most competitive as it tends to draw the majority of entries. However, one piece in particular stood out to the judges—author and editor Jim Casada’s article “Sweet Soul of the Smokies,” originally published by Sporting Classics Daily, won first place in the Electronic Publishing category.
In this heartfelt story, Casada shares the remembrances of his dear “Aunt Mag,” the impoverished black woman and family friend from his youth, whose divine cooking and fishing skills stay with him to this day. With great admiration for this special character, Casada writes, “Aunt Mag was a sterling example of an admirable work ethic, giving spirit and deep-rooted integrity. Her life and lifestyle, while never ones of treasures and pearls, remain exemplars of all that is good and gracious, enduring and endearing, in the high country ways I knew as a lad.”
This award-winning read is rooted in love, respect and appreciation in a time when that is exactly what we need most. You can read the full story here.
The complete list of winners and links to the winning entries can be found at SEOPA 2020 EIC Award Winners.
Edited by Jim Casada, this fascinating anthology showcases 38 wonderful stories from those halcyon days when sporting gentlemen pursued the noble bobwhite quail with their favorite shotguns and their elegant canine companions. Will the sweet sound of whistling wings, the heart-stopping beauty of a sunset point, the timeless partnership of a man and a dog wise in the ways of wild birds ever return? Perhaps, but for now we can rejoice in the fact that we can, through the writings of some of the finest sporting scribes America has ever produced, experience those golden days vicariously. Buy Now
