Monday, November 06, 2006

Promoting Local Authors, Part II

I don't often post about book awards because lots of people write about them and you hardly need me to give you a list of Newbery Honor Books or National Book Award finalists. However, today I have an opportunity to promote authors in my state by writing about the Connecticut Book Awards.

The Connecticut Book Awards are sponsored by the Connecticut Center for the Book, which is connected with the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. All fifty states have state Centers for the Book to "promote their own state's book culture and literary heritage." As of 2003, nineteen state centers sponsored book awards.

The local big city paper carries the list of finalists for Connecticut's book award and will do an article about the winners. Otherwise, I'm not aware of the awards getting much attention. But an award of this type is another opportunity to promote books and authors. And, since I feel it is my calling to promote those who may not be being promoted at bookstores or in the papers, here are the finalists in the categories of Children's Author and Children's Illustrator.

Children's Author :

Ross MacDonald for Bad Baby

Nora Raleigh Baskin for Basketball (Or Something Like It)

Judith St. George for The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of Independence

Elise Broach for Shakespeare's Secret

Philip Caputo for 10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War

Children's Illustrator:

Nancy Elizabeth Wallace for Alphabet House

Benny Andrews for Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights

Lynn Munsinger for Seven Spunky Monkeys

Linda Bronson for Think Cool Thoughts

Sue Rama for Yum! Yuck! A Foldout Book of People Sounds

That was rather a lot of typing. But, as I said, I'm on a mission.

Okay, bloggers. Do you live in states with state book awards? Let's all think globally, promote locally!

No comments: