Delray Writer Wins 'Play Of The Year'

Delray Beach writer Al Pessin has won the Dahris Clair Memorial Award for Best Play of the Year at the Florida Writers Association's Royal Palm Literary Awards (RPLA). Pessin's winning farce Murder at the Butcher's will have its world premiere run at the Willow Theatre in Boca Raton November 22-24, produced by The Playgroup, LLC.

The Clair Award is one of five Grand Awards presented by the FWA October 19 at its annual conference in Altamonte Springs. Murder at the Butcher's also won the RPLA Gold Award for Best Unproduced Play.

In the murder mystery spoof, mayhem ensues when Brooklyn butcher Benny Benjamin finds a body in his walk-in fridge and then it disappears. Benny must cover up the truth, even though he doesn't know what the truth is.

"I'm thrilled and honored," Pessin said. "It's great to be recognized by a panel of editors and fellow-writers. The awards are a real boost as we go into the final weeks of rehearsals for the play's first performances."

Director Teresa Biber LoMonte said she "nearly fell out of" her chair laughing when she first heard a cold reading from Murder at the Butcher's. "It's going to bring the house down every night."

"This is the most competitive RPLA we've ever had," said Chris Coward, the award program chairperson. "The RPLA administrative team, judges, and entrants did an amazing job."

The eighteenth annual RPLA competition received 513 qualified submissions spanning 28 categories for adults and five for young people, covering scripts, books, short stories and poetry. Published and unpublished works are judged separately.

Pessin's prize was one of five Grand Awards. The other four were:

• Published Book of the Year: The Devil's Bookkeepers Book 1: The Noose, Historical Fiction, by Mark H. Newhouse
• Unpublished Book of the Year: Hating Jesse Harmon, Young Adult OR New Adult, by Robin Mimna
• Best Children's Book: Bluebirds in the Garden, Children's Picture Book, by Rita M. Boehm
• The Candice Coghill Memorial Award for the best youth entry: "Michael," Poetry, by Samantha Leslie in the 12-15 age category

"A win at any level can help any writer market their manuscript or published book, and the detailed feedback from the judges is invaluable for all entrants," Ms. Coward said.

Pessin's thriller Sandblast was a top-five finisher in the Unpublished Book of the Year competition at 2018's RPLAs. Sandblast will be published March 31, 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corp.

The Florida Writers Association, 1,500 members strong and growing, is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization that supports the state's established and emerging writers. Membership is open to the public.

The Royal Palm Literary Awards competition is a service of the Florida Writers Association established to recognize excellence in its members' published and unpublished works while providing objective and constructive written assessments for all entrants.

Images available upon request: alpessinauthor@gmail.com. For additional information, visit www.AlPessin.com and the FWA website, www.floridawriters.net, where you'll also find the complete list of 2019 RPLA winners.

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