Indiana State Library News Release
For immediate release: Oct 08, 2010
Twelve Finalists Selected in State Book Competition
Authors vie for top honors in four categories
INDIANAPOLIS (October 8, 2010) – Finalists have been named for the 2010 Best Books of Indiana competition. The Indiana Center for the Books administers the 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.
This year’s finalists are as follows:
Children’s/Young Adult Finalists
- Crossing Stones by Helen Frost (Fort Wayne). Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, NY
- Peter, the Knight with Asthma by Janna Matthies (Indianapolis). Albert Whitman & Co., Park Ridge, IL
- By Freedom’s Light by Elizabeth O’Maley (Fort Wayne). Indiana Historical Society Press, Indianapolis, IN
Fiction Finalists
- Wind Dancer by Jamie Carie (Indianapolis). BH Publishing, Nashville, TN
- Love finds you in Liberty Indiana by Melanie Dobson (Colorado Springs, CO). Summerside Press, Bloomington, MN
- The Rattlesnake Season by Larry D. Sweazy (Noblesville). Berkeley Publishing, New York, NY
Nonfiction
- Steve McQueen: The Great Escape by Wes D. Gehring (Muncie). Indiana Historical Society Press, Indianapolis, IN
- I Love You, Miss Huddleston by Phillip Gulley (Danville). Harper Collins Publishing, New York, NY
- Clay Times Three: The Tale of Three Nashville, IN Potteries by Kathy McKimmie (Indianapolis). Self Published
Poetry
- The House With The Mansard Roof by Matthew Brennan (Terre Haute). The Backwaters Press, Omaha, NE
- Black Leapt In by Chris Forhan (Indianapolis). Barrow Street, New York, NY
- Voluptuous Gloom, Oran Wagner (Indianapolis). NYQ Books, New York, NY
Occasionally, judging panels select non-finalists whose work is deemed worthy of special recognition. The poetry judging panel selected these titles:
- More than I Could See by Dan Carpenter (Indianapolis). Restoration Press, Indianapolis, IN
- As If in a Dry Wind by Helen Frost (Fort Wayne). Pecan Grove Press, San Antonio, TX
Each category’s winning title and author will be engraved on a plaque in the Indiana Authors Room where one copy of their book will remain indefinitely. Three copies of all 2010 entries have been added to the State Library’s collection. Two copies of each entry will circulate. Indiana citizens can borrow any Best Books of Indiana title at the State Library or request a copy via interlibrary loan at their local public library.
The winners of the 2010 Best Books of Indiana Competition will be announced on or before Friday, October 15, 2010. A complete listing 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.
