Contest Winners

2024 Awards for Books Published in 2023

ADULT FICTION
WINNER:
Central Places by Delia Cai, Ballantine. (Author grew up in Illinois.)

HONOREES:
— Brave in Season by Jon Volkmer, Milford House. (Author is from Nebraska.)
— Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal, Pamela Dorman Books. (Author grew up in Minnesota.)
— The Forbidden Territory of a Terrifying Woman by Molly Lynch, Catapult. (Author lives in Michigan.)

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. (Author lives in Chicago.)

HONOREES:
— Programmable Planet: The Synthetic Biology Revolution by Ted Anton, Columbia University Press. (Author grew up in River Forest, Illinois.)
— Murder Ballads Old & New: A Dark and Bloody Record by Steven L. Jones, Feral House. (Author lives in Chicago.)
— How to Taste Coffee: Develop Your Sensory Skills and Get the Most Out of Every Cup by Jessica Easto, Agate. (Author lives in Gary, Indiana.)

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. (Author lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.)

HONOREES:
— Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees by Diana P. Parsell, Oxford University Press. (Author grew up in Ohio.)
— Fieldwork: A Forager’s Memoir by Iliana Regan, Agate. (Author has lived in Chicago and Michigan.)

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. (Author is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota.)

HONOREES:
— Indigenous Missourians: Ancient Societies to the Present by Greg Olson, University of Missouri Press. (Author lives in Missouri.)
— Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival by Mark Guarino, University of Chicago Press. (Author lives in Chicago.)
— 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. (Author lives in Milwaukee.)

HONOREES:
— I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times by Taylor Byas, Soft Skull Press. (Author lives in Cincinnati.)
— Ghost Variations by Elton Glaser, University of Pittsburgh Press. (Author lives in Akron, Ohio.)
— When I Reach For Your Pulse by Rushi Vyas, Four Way Books. (Author was born in Ohio.)

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. (Author lives in Chicago.)

HONOREES:
— Mèo and Bé by Doan Phuong Nguyen, Lee & Low Books. (Author lives part time in St. Louis.)
— Sweet Dreams: Poems and Paintings for the Child Abed by Rick Telander, Skyhorse Publishing. (Author lives in Highwood, Illinois.)
— Maybe There Are Witches by Jude Atwood, Fitzroy Books. (Author grew up in Illinois.)

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. (Clark lives in Ohio; Hirsch was born in St. Louis.)

HONOREES:
— How to Spacewalk: Step-By-Step With Shuttle Astronauts by Kathryn Sullivan and Michael J. Rosen, MIT Kids Press. (Sullivan lives in Winona, Minnesota; Rosen lives in Ohio.)
— Virginia Wouldn’t Slow Down! The Unstoppable Dr. Apgar and Her Life-Saving Invention by Carrie Pearson, Norton Young Readers. (Author lives in Marquette, Michigan.)
— Restoring Prairie, Woods, and Pond: How a Small Trail Can Make a Big Difference by Laurie Lawlor, Holiday House. (Author lives in Evanston, Illinois.)

The judges for Children’s Nonfiction were Jingmai O’Connor, Jill Esbaum, and Marlene Targ Brill.

This year’s winners will receive a $750 award and a recognition plaque.