2011 Best Books of Indiana winners

From the Indiana Center for the Book:

Embargoed for release until Noon (EDT) on Tuesday, September 6, 2011:

Headline: Seventh-annual competition names 2011 Best Books of Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (September 6, 2011) - The Best Books of Indiana judging panels have named winners and finalists in each of the contest's four categories - children's/young adult, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. This year's winners and fellow finalists are as follows:

Children/Young Adult Winner:

Sources of Light by Margaret McMullan (Evansville). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston.

Children/Young Adult Finalists:

·         Nature's Storyteller: The Life of Gene Stratton-Porter by Barbara Olenyik Morrow (Auburn, IN). Indiana Historical Society Press, Indianapolis.

·         Summer Sanctuary by Laurie Gray (Fort Wayne). Luminis Books, Carmel, IN.

Fiction Winner:

The Scorpion Trail by Larry Sweazy (Noblesville). Berkley Publishing Group, New York City.

Fiction Finalists:

·         Bedlam at the Brickyard by Brenda R. Stewart (Mooresville). Cardinal Publishing, Indianapolis.

·         The Boy from the O by Sandy Kendall (Indianapolis). Author House, Bloomington, IN.

Poetry Winner:

Shadows Set in Concrete by J.L. Kato (Beech Grove). Restoration Press, Indianapolis.

Poetry Finalists:

·         Poetry from Paradise Valley by Edward Byrne (Valparaiso). Pecan Grove Press, San Antonio.

·         Seeded Light by Edward Byrne (Valparaiso). Turning Point Books, Cincinnati.

Nonfiction Winner:

The Art of Writing Nonfiction by James Alexander Thom (Bloomington, IN). Writer's Digest Books, Cincinnati.

Nonfiction Finalists:

·         Blood Shed in this War: Civil War Illustrations by Captain Adolph Metzner, 32nd Indiana by Michael A. Peake (Corydon, IN). Indiana Historical Society Press, Indianapolis.

·         Growing Up with Bakers Corner by Ellen Swain (Champaign, IL). Hawthorne Publishing, Carmel, IN.

·         Maria's Journey by Ramon & Trisha Arredondo (Crown Point, IN). Indiana Historical Society Press, Indianapolis.

University of Evansville English Professor Margaret McMullan became the competition first three-time winner this year. She won previously in 2008 (When I crossed No-bob) and 2005 (How I found the strong). The incomparable and award-winning James Alexander Thom won the nonfiction category with his first entry in the competition’s seven-year history. Poet Edward Byrne became the first entrant to have multiple finalist selections in a single year. Fiction category winner Larry Sweazy was a finalist in the same category last year (The Rattlesnake Season). The Indiana Historical Society Press led all publishers with three finalist selections. Since the competition began in 2005, IHS Press has had at least two titles selected as finalists each year.

"It is a privilege to recognize this terrific group of Hoosier authors," said Roberta Brooker, Indiana State Librarian.  "One copy of each Best Book will permanently join the works of great Hoosier authors like Gene Stratton Porter, James Whitcomb Riley and Kurt Vonnegut within the State Library’s Indiana Authors Room."

Each category's winning title and author will be engraved on a plaque in the Indiana Authors Room. One copy of each finalist entry will remain housed in the Authors Room indefinitely. Two copies of all 2011 Best Books entries have been added to the State Library's collection. At least one copy of each entry will circulate.  Indiana citizens can borrow any Best Books of Indiana title at the State Library or request to borrow a copy free of charge via interlibrary loan at their local public library.  

The Indiana Center for the Books administers the Best Books of Indiana contest annually and accepts entries from Hoosier authors or books that have an Indiana theme or setting.  The competition accepts books published between January 1 and December 31 of the previous year and consists of four categories - children's/young adult, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. A panel of judges in each category considered all entries and chose finalists at their discretion. Entries were judged on the quality of writing, with organization and interpretation also considered. A complete list of this year's finalists and judges' comments, as well as past years' winners and finalists, can be found on the Indiana Center for the Book's website.

About the Indiana Center for the Book:
The Indiana Center for the Book is a program of the Indiana State Library and an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The Center promotes interest in reading, writing, literacy, libraries, and Indiana's literary heritage by sponsoring events and serving as an information resource at the state and local level. The Center also supports both the professional endeavors and the popular pursuits of Indiana's residents toward reading and writing.

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