Wideman receives double honors Steven Beeber NEWS OFFICE STAFF March 10, 2000 Story wins O. Henry Award; UVA conference focuses on literary works      English professor John Edgar Wideman has received two major honors almost simultaneously. Not only has he been named the subject of a literary conference at the University of Virginia, his short story "Weight" has been named the best story of 1999 by the prestigious O. Henry Awards.      The conference focusing on Wideman's life and work will take place March 30 -- April 1 at the UVA campus in Charlottesville. It is sponsored by the English department at UVA and is also a celebration of the UVA-published literary journal Callaloo. Dedicated to publishing original works by -- and critical studies of -- black writers worldwide, Callaloo is featuring Wideman as the subject of its current issue.      The UVA conference will bring together an international group of scholars for a series of panel discussions exploring various aspects of Wideman's work. In addition, Wideman will give a public reading and lead a number of workshops with UVA creative writing students. He also will take part in a roundtable discussion on race and affirmative action that will open the conference.      The story "Weight" (which originally appeared in Callaloo) was chosen for an O. Henry Award from among thousands of stories published in America and Canada during 1999. It was named the best story by a distinguished panel of judges and will be included in the annual O. Henry Award collection published this fall. In addition, Wideman will be honored at a formal ceremony to take place at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on Oct. 10. This ceremony will also celebrate the 80th anniversary of the O. Henry Awards and will feature a reading by Wideman and the second and third place O. Henry winners.      Wideman is the author of nearly 20 works of fiction and non-fiction, and his work has been translated into 11 languages including French, Italian, Turkish and Japanese. He has received honorary doctorates from universities around the world and has been a recipient of numerous honors including a Rea Prize for short fiction, a Lannan Award for fiction, a MacArthur Award, and a Pen-Faulkner award, the last of which he has won twice. In addition, he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has twice won the Chancellor's Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the University.      "The English Department is of course immensely proud of John," said department chair Stephen Clingman. "These latest achievements confirm again his national and international stature, and make us feel fortunate and honored that we are home to writers of such distinction."