April 15, 2024 — The Society of Midland Authors today announced its annual awards, honoring its choices for the best books by Midwest authors published in 2023. In each category, a panel of literary judges chose a winner as well as one or more honorees whose work was also deemed worthy of recognition. The winners and honorees will be recognized at an awards dinner on May 21 in Chicago.
ADULT FICTION
WINNER:
Central Places by Delia Cai (Ballantine)
HONOREES:
— Brave in Season by Jon Volkmer (Milford House)
— Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal (Pamela Dorman Books)
— The Forbidden Territory of a Terrifying Woman by Molly Lynch (Catapult)
The judges for Adult Fiction were Rita Woods, Andrew Graff, and Wendy Schuchart.
RICHARD FRISBIE AWARD FOR ADULT NONFICTION
WINNER:
Hit Girls: Women of Punk in the USA, 1975-1983 by Jen B. Larson (Feral House)
HONOREES:
— Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution by Ted Anton (Columbia University Press)
— Murder Ballads Old & New: A Dark and Bloody Record by Steven L. Jones (Feral House)
— How to Taste Coffee: Develop Your Sensory Skills and Get the Most Out of Every Cup by Jessica Easto (Agate)
The judges for Adult Nonfiction were James Nowlan, Kathleen Hale, and Gerry Plecki.
BERNARD J. BROMMEL AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
WINNER:
Chinese Prodigal: A Memoir in Eight Arguments by David Shih (Atlantic Monthly Press)
HONOREES:
— Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees by Diana P. Parsell (Oxford University Press)
— Fieldwork: A Forager’s Memoir by Iliana Regan (Agate)
The judges for Biography & Memoir were Robert Remer, Donna Urbikas, and Hugh Eakin.
HISTORY
WINNER:
— The Burning of the World: The Great Chicago Fire and the War for a City’s Soul by Scott W. Berg (Pantheon Books)
HONOREES:
— Indigenous Missourians: Ancient Societies to the Present by Greg Olson (University of Missouri Press)
— Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival by Mark Guarino (University of Chicago Press)
— Without Warning: The Tornado of Udall, Kansas by Jim Minick (University of Nebraska Press)
The judges for History were Greg Borzo, Joe Gustaitis, and David Witter.
POETRY
WINNER:
Trace by Brenda Cárdenas (Red Hen Press)
HONOREES:
— I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times by Taylor Byas (Soft Skull Press)
— Ghost Variations by Elton Glaser (University of Pittsburgh Press)
— When I Reach For Your Pulse by Rushi Vyas (Four Way Books)
The judges for Poetry were Sun Yung Shin, Nandi Comer, and Emilio DeGrazia.
CHILDREN’S FICTION
WINNER:
— Maddie’s Ghost by Carol Fisher Saller (Duckweed Books)
HONOREES:
— Mèo and Bé by Doan Phuong Nguyen (Lee & Low Books)
— Sweet Dreams: Poems and Paintings for the Child Abed by Rick Telander (Skyhorse Publishing)
— Maybe There Are Witches by Jude Atwood (Fitzroy Books)
The judges for Children’s Fiction were Laura Hirshfield, W. Nikola-Lisa, and Sandra Renner.
CHILDREN’S READING ROUND TABLE AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S NONFICTION
WINNER:
Work With What You Got: A Memoir by Zion Clark and James S. Hirsch (Candlewick)
HONOREES:
— How to Spacewalk: Step-By-Step With Shuttle Astronauts by Kathryn Sullivan and Michael J. Rosen (MIT Kids Press)— Virginia Wouldn’t Slow Down! The Unstoppable Dr. Apgar and Her Life-Saving Invention by Carrie Pearson (Norton Young Readers)
— Restoring Prairie, Woods, and Pond: How a Small Trail Can Make a Big Difference by Laurie Lawlor (Holiday House)
The judges for Children’s Nonfiction were Jingmai O’Connor, Jill Esbaum, and Marlene Targ Brill.
Congratulations to all authors on this outstanding feat. Also, we congratulate and thank all publishers for taking part in this most worthy endeavor. We hope that all publishers will consider sponsorships, or perhaps purchasing a table to honor their authors.
The annual awards dinner will take place Tuesday, May 21, at the Cliff Dwellers Club, 200 S. Michigan, 22nd floor, Chicago, which features a beautiful view of Lake Michigan and Millennium Park. The reception with cash bar begins at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner and awards ceremony at 7 p.m. The emcee will be Justin Kaufmann of Axios.
Tickets are $80 each. Reservations can be made at https://midlandauthors.org/banquet/ with PayPal or by mailing a reservation form and check to: Dinner Reservations, Society of Midland Authors, P.O. Box 10419, Chicago IL 60610.
The Society, founded in 1915 by a group of authors including Hamlin Garland, Harriet Monroe, and Vachel Lindsay, has given out annual awards since 1957. The juried competition is open to authors who live in, were born in, or have strong ties to Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, or Wisconsin.
Notable winners have included Saul Bellow, Kurt Vonnegut, Studs Terkel, Gwendolyn Brooks, Mike Royko, Jane Smiley, Dempsey Travis, Leon Forrest, William Maxwell, Louise Erdrich, Scott Turow, Alex Kotlowitz, Aleksandar Hemon, Stuart Dybek, and Roger Ebert.
This year’s winners will receive a $750 award and a recognition plaque.
Members of the media may contact Gerry Plecki, president of the SMA, with any questions at: [email protected].