UVA Professor’s Novel Longlisted for National Book Award

When Kevin Moffett woke up one morning in September, he didn’t expect to see his debut novel, “Only Son,” on the National Book Award longlist. He hadn’t even realized the book – due out Nov. 4 – was eligible for the honor. “It was an absolute surprise. It wasn’t even in my mind; I’m not someone who wakes up in the morning and says, ‘Let’s look at the award finalists today.’ So, I just got this bit of happiness from it,” said Moffett, an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Virginia.