BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University alumnus Richard Spilman is the recipient of the Sacramento Poetry Center Award for his book In the Night Speaking (SPC Press, 2009).

The book is Spilman’s fourth publication to receive accolades. His collection of short stories, Hot Fudge, was a New York Times Notable Book in 1990. His chapbook Suspension won the New American Press Award in 2006. His most recent book, a collection of short fiction titled The Estate Sale, won the George Garrett Prize in December of 2009 and will be published by the Texas Review Press in 2010.

Spilman shared his memories of Illinois Wesleyan with Professor of English and Chair of the English Department James Plath on his blog.

Born and raised in Normal, Ill., Spilman graduated from Illinois Wesleyan in 1968. He earned a master’s degree from San Francisco State University and a doctorate from State University of New York at Binghamton. He now teaches creative writing at Wichita State University in Kansas.