"Cries from the Walls: Hell in Arkansas Prisons," by Jonesboro author Van Hawkins, won the American Legacy Book Award in the category of "Anthologies-Non-Fiction" last month at the American Book Fest in Los Angeles.

"I was astonished," Hawkins said last month when asked about his reaction to news of the award. "I didn't even know I'd been nominated. My wife, Ruth, told me I'd won an award."

Hawkins, 78, is a graduate of the University of Missouri and served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. After leaving the service, he worked at the Times-Herald in Virginia, first editing national and international news stories and later covering the arts.

"I'd review everything from........

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