WMU instructor's book wins 2014 USA Best Book Award

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A book of poems by a Western Michigan University Spanish instructor has won a 2014 USA Best Book Award, while a second book was named a finalist in another category.

Dr. Hedy Habra is author of the poetry collection "Tea in Heliopolis," which took top honors in the Poetry: General category. Her book "Flying Carpets" also was named one of five finalists in the Fiction: Short Story category.

USABookNews.com is an online magazine featuring mainstream and independent publishing houses and announced winners and finalists of the 2014 USA Best Book Awards on Nov. 12. More than 400 winners and finalists were announced in over 100 categories.

The two awards are the most recent accolades Habra has received for her two books. "Tea in Heliopolis" was recently named one of five finalists for the 2014 International Poetry Book Award, while "Flying Carpets" won an honorable mention for the 2013 Arab American National Book Award and  was a finalist for the 2014 Eric Hoffer Book Award.

Hedy Habra

Habra was born in Egypt and is of Lebanese origin. She has earned a master's degree and a Master of Fine Arts in English and master's and doctoral degrees in Spanish literature, all from WMU. She has received WMU's All-University Research and Creative Scholar Award, Doctoral Dissertation Completion Fellowship Award, 2014 Excellence in Teaching Award and Alumni Achievement Award.

Habra writes poetry and fiction in French, Spanish and English and has published more than 200 poems and short stories in numerous journals and anthologies. Her multilingual work has appeared in more than 40 journals and 15 anthologies. She also is the author of a scholarly book, "Mundos alternos y artísticos en Vargas Llosa" published in 2012.

For more information on Habra and her work, visit hedyhabra.com.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.