I am pleased to report that on August 1st the State of Indiana announced finalists for the annual “Best Books of Indiana” competition sponsored by the Indiana Center for the Book, supported by the Indiana State Library, and the three finalists in the poetry category are as follows:
- Poetry from Paradise Valley edited by Edward Byrne (Pecan Grove Press)
- Seeded Light by Edward Byrne (Turning Point Books)
- Shadows Set in Concrete by J.L. Kato (Restoration Press)
I am grateful that two of my volumes have been chosen, and I am particularly pleased Pecan Grove Press and Turning Point Books are included in the recognition. I wish to express my appreciation to the editors for both of those presses. In addition, I salute all the authors whose works were included in the anthology of poems selected from Valparaiso Poetry Review. I am also delighted to have my books named alongside J.L. Kato’s fine poetry.
A description at the government web page revealing the finalists for “Best Books of Indiana”—which are separated into four categories: Children/Young Adult, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry— declares that “the Best Books of Indiana contest was created to honor Indiana's long and illustrious literary heritage and recognize Hoosier authors.” I am elated to have my work considered.
Readers are invited to visit the “Best Books of Indiana” page of the Center for the Book at the Indiana State Library web site, which notes: “Winners in all four categories will be announced by August 31.” I also urge everyone to visit the publishers’ web pages for Poetry from Paradise Valley and Seeded Light.