Minneapolis writer Charles Baxter has been awarded the Rea Award for the Short Story, a significant literary prize that has gone previously to John Updike, Ann Beattie, Grace Paley and Richard Ford. Baxter is the author of five novels, including "The Feast of Love," a finalist for the National Book Award, and six collections of short stories, including the recent "Gryphon: New and Selected." He is the Edelstein-Keller Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Minnesota and also teaches in the MFA program at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. He was born in Minneapolis and graduated from Macalester College in St. Paul. The Rea Award carries a $30,000 honorarium and recognizes a living U.S. or Canadian writer who has, in the words of founder Michael M. Rea, "made a significant contribution to the discipline of the short story as an art form." Baxter, the jurors said, is "a writer of elegant sentences, an expert in the mechanics of dramatic narration, and a master of psychological exile." The award was judged this year by Lorrie Moore, Bill Henderson and Stuart Dybek.
LAURIE HERTZEL
JLo is Forbes' most powerful celebrity Jennifer Lopez tops this year's Celebrity 100 list from Forbes, edging out Lady Gaga who ruled the spot in 2011. Maybe it's the cash from her Fiat commercials that threw her over the top. The list is decided in a weird fashion by both checking the celebrity's pretax income and gauging the fame of Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars -- meaning how often we see their names and faces on TV, in movies and online, as well as their social media following, according to the Huffington Post. Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber and Rihanna follow. Lady Gaga comes in at No. 5, followed by Britney Spears and then Kim Kardashian. Katy Perry, Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg round out the top 10.
SHE'S MOVING ON: The honor came on the same day that Us Magazine and E! reported that Jennifer Lopez would not return for a third season of "American Idol," the show that gave her a platform to restart her singing career, turn around her image and launch a business empire with lucrative endorsements, a fragrance and clothing line. Lopez will embark on a 20-city tour -- including in Minneapolis on Aug. 1 -- with Enrique Iglesias.
NOTED: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s estranged wife, Mary Richardson Kennedy, who had fought drug and alcohol problems, was found dead in her home in Bedford, N.Y. Her attorney Kerry Lawrence said he didn't know the cause of her death at age 52. She was the second wife of Robert Kennedy Jr., an environmental lawyer and the son of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. An autopsy will be conducted Thursday.
