Pollard Memorial Library hosted the 4th annual Elinor Lipman Award for Writing on Oct. 30, 2025, announcing that UMass Lowell student Julia Magee won the award including a $1000 prize for a work of short fiction.

From Westford, Mass., Julia is an English major at UML studying creative writing this fall with acclaimed author Andre Dubus III. She is also an intern this semester with Loom Press working on a cataloguing project with publishing archives at the UML Center for Lowell History under the guidance of center director Tony Sampas.

Elinor Lipman was born and grew up in Lowell and graduated from Lowell High School where she is a Distinguished Alumna. She was in the same class as library foundation member Georgia McColough, who introduced Elinor, and baseball star and later Lowell City Manager Brian Martin among many others, some of whom are lifelong friends and attended the ceremony last week. Elinor often returns to Lowell to see friends and talk about her books at the library.

Among her many popular novels are the new one, “Every Tom, Dick & Harry” and recent titles “Rachel to the Rescue,” and “Good Riddance.” Her novel “And Then She Found Me” was made into a film with Helen Hunt and Collin Firth. She has received the New England Book Award in Fiction and a lifetime achievement award from the New England Library Information Network.

The winning work by Julia Magee was selected by Elinor and co-judges Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, a Northeastern University professor who won the 2022 Lipman Award, and Pilar Garcia Brown, a senior editor at Dutton in New York City.

The Lipman Award for fiction or nonfiction is open to Lowell residents and students at UML and Middlesex Community College. The program’s mission is to highlight the importance of literacy and learning in city life. The award, made possible by the Pollard Memorial Library Foundation and library staff. The foundation advances the public library through advocacy and funding to supplement the city budget for the library.

Author Elinor Lipman and award winner Julia Magee.

From left are 2024 writing award winner Chance Lee of Lowell; Julia Magee, 2025 award winner; and author Stephen O’Connor of Lowell, 2022 Distinguished Mention awardee and regular contributor to the Howe blog.

Board members of the Pollard Memorial Library Foundation with Julia Magee holding her award plaque.