Emma Sepulveda, Doug Unger, Richard Moreno and Willy Vlautin, recipients of the 2007 Nevada Writers Hall of Fame and Silver Pen awards were honored at a special reception by the Friends of the Library on Nov. 8 at ArrowCreek Country Club in Reno. The program included an author's reading, book signing and silent auction.

The Hall of Fame honors established writers with a long-term commitment to the craft, while Silver Pen awards recognize emerging or mid-career writers.

Sepulveda, Foundation Professor of Spanish at the University, was named to the Hall of Fame. She is the author or co-author of 17 books, including several books of poetry: "Tiempo Complice del Tiempo," and "Death to Silence." Her non-fiction works include "From Border Crossing to Campaign Trail," "We, Chile: The Testimony of the Chilean Arpilleras,"  and "Amigas: Letters of Friendship and Exile." Other works include books of photography, literacy criticism and textbooks for the teaching of Spanish.

The Hall of Fame selection committee found her writing to be "remarkable" and "significant." They described her as a "true artist in the Renaissance sense." She also received the Friends' Silver Pen Award in 2000.

Unger, interim chair of the Department of English at UNLV, was also named to the Hall of Fame. Unger is author of four novels, including "Leaving the Land," a finalist for the Pulitzer and Robert F. Kennedy awards, and "Voices from Silence," a year's end selection of "The Washington Post Book World." The selection committee called his work "sophisticated," "powerful" and "compelling."

Moreno, director of student publications and an instructor in the English and Journalism Departments at Western Illinois University, received the Silver Pen Award. He served as publisher of Nevada Magazine for 14 years. He is author of seven Nevada-related books, including: "Endless Nevada," "The Roadside History of Nevada," "The Nevada Trivia Book," "Nevada: Mountain Highs and Desert Lows," "The Backyard Traveler," "The Backyard Traveler Returns," and "Backyard Travels in Northern Nevada."

Vlautin, born and raised in Reno, received the Silver Pen Award. His first book, "The Motel Life," explores the frustrations and failed dreams of two Nevada brothers. The Hall of Fame selection committee said Vlautin is "hands-down, the best 'new' writer from Nevada," and found his work, "richly textured and significantly moving."