Associate Professor of English Joseph Monninger has received a 2008 Peace Corps Writers Award for his novel Baby, the story of a troubled 15-year-old girl who is sent to a foster home in New Hampshire, where she is placed with an older couple who races sled dogs.

Each year, the Peace Corps Writers group presents awards for best fiction book, best nonfiction book, best poetry book, and best short piece—all by Peace Corps volunteers. Monninger served in the Peace Corps in Burkina-Faso, West Africa, from 1975 to 1977, writing letters home and short stories about his experiences with the local villagers and his encounters with African magic and superstition.

“I can recommend no better apprenticeship for a young, would-be writer than a stint in the Peace Corps,” Monninger says. “I’m proud of my service in the Peace Corps and that makes this award especially rewarding.”