Title: Finalists Named In Best Books Of Indiana Competition
Publisher: Indiana State Library
Date: 8/19/09
Seventeen titles have been selected as finalists in the 2009 Best Books of Indiana Competition. The Indiana Center for the Book started the book contest in 2005 to renew interest in Indiana's strong literary heritage. The 2009 competition featured 61 titles by Hoosier authors or about Indiana that were published between January 1 and December 31, 2008.
A panel of judges in each of five categories considered all entries and granted awards at their discretion. This year's finalists are as follows:
Children's/Young Adult Finalists
- Diamond Willow by Helen Frost (Fort Wayne). Farrar, Straus and Giroux. New York, NY
- Double-Click for Trouble by Chris Woodworth (Fort Wayne). Farrar, Straus and Giroux. New York, NY
- Gobble Gobble Crash! A Barnyard Counting Bash by Julie Stiegemeyer (Fort Wayne). Dutton Children's Books. New York, NY
Fiction Finalists
- Anathema by Colleen Coble (Wabash). Thomas Nelson. Nashville, TN
- Blood on the Rimrock by Phil Dunlap (Carmel). Avalon Books. New York, NY
- The Incident by Stephen Lucid (Beech Grove). New Century Publishing. Indianapolis, IN
Nonfiction Historical/Biographical Finalists
- The Eccentric Billionaire: John D. MacArthur - Empire Builder, Reluctant Philanthropist, Relentless Adversary by Nancy Kriplen (Indianapolis). Amacom Books. New York, NY
- Racing in Place: Collages, Fragments, Postcards, Ruins by Michael Martone (Tuscaloosa, AL - Originally from Fort Wayne). The University of Georgia Press. Athens, GA
- The Ripest Moments: A Southern Indiana Childhood by Norbert Krapf (Indianapolis). Indiana Historical Society Press. Indianapolis, IN
- Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 Indiana Primary by Ray Boomhower (Indianapolis). Indiana University Press. Bloomington, IN
Nonfiction Creative/Instructional Finalists
- Brookville by Craig T. Chappelow & Donald Dunaway (Brookville). Arcadia Publishing. Mt. Pleasant, SC
- Every Way Possible: 125 Years of the Indianapolis Museum of Art by Anne P. Robinson & S.L. Perry. Indianapolis Museum of Art. Indianapolis, IN
- Home Grown Indiana by Christine Barbour (Bloomington) & Scott Hutcheson (Lebanon). Indiana University Press. Bloomington, IN
- Perennials Short and Tall by Moya Andrews (Bloomington). Indiana University Press. Bloomington, IN
Poetry Finalists
- Blood Root by Norbert Krapf (Indianapolis). Indiana University Press. Bloomington, IN
- The Floating Bridge by David Shumate (Zionsville). University of Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, PA
- A Matinee in Plato's Cave by Rob Griffith (Evansville). Water Press & Media. Argyle, 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 2009 competition 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 it via interlibrary loan at their local public library.
The winners of the 2009 Best Books of Indiana Competition will be announced at an awards ceremony taking place on Saturday, August 29, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. (EDT) at the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis. A complete listing of this year's entrants and finalists, 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 Indiana Center for the Book 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 supports both the professional endeavors and the popular pursuits of Indiana's residents toward reading and writing.
