Avila University Artist-in-Residence Receives Alumni Award

Stanley Banks, assistant professor of English and Artist-in-Residence, will be honored with an alumni award from the University of Missouri in Kansas City.  The award is titled “Defying the Odds.” 

Stanley Banks is an award-winning writer with an accomplished career spanning nearly 30 years.  Stanley is the author of four books as well as a contributor to many anthologies.  He is a regular presenter and panel member around Kansas City and the United States.  Stanley is regularly recognized as a progressive African-American author working to advance the voice of minorities in poetry and literature.  Such honors include a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for creative writing and the Langston Hughes Poetry Award.