Society of Midland Authors

04/16/2026

Society of Midland Authors Announces 2026 Award Winners and Honorees

April 16, 2026 — The Society of Midland Authors today announced its annual awards, honoring its choices for the best books by Midwestern authors published in 2025. In each category, a panel of literary judges chose a winner as well as honorees whose work was also deemed worthy of recognition. The winners and honorees will be recognized at an awards dinner on May 12 in Chicago.

ADULT FICTION AWARD
WINNER:
J.R. Dawson, The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World, Tor. (Author lives in Minneapolis.)

HONOREES:
— Joan Corwin, Hindsight, Serving House. (Author lives in Evanston, Illinois.)
— Peter Geye, A Lesser Light, University of Minnesota Press. (Author lives in Minneapolis.)
— Joseph O’Malley, Starlight and Moonshine, Delphinium. (Author was born and raised in Detroit and now lives in New York.)

The judges for Adult Fiction were Patricia Skalka, Kathie Giorgio, and Barbara Shoup.

RICHARD FRISBIE AWARD FOR ADULT NONFICTION
WINNER:
Michael T. Osterholm and Mark Olshaker, The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics, Little, Brown Spark. (Osterholm lives in Minneapolis; Olshaker lives in the Washington, D.C., area.)

HONOREES:
— Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee, Shadow of the Bridge: The Delphi Murders and the Dark Side of the American Heartland, Pegasus Crime. (The authors live in Fishers, Indiana.)
— Dylan Taylor-Lehman, Going Rackless: Chicago’s Amateur Pool Players and the Quest for Glory in the Biggest Tournament in the World, 3 Fields/University of Illinois Press. (Author is from Ohio and lived in Chicago while working on this book; he now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.)

The judges for Adult Nonfiction were Gerry Plecki, Chris Lynch, and Susan Croce Kelly.

HISTORY AWARD
WINNER:
Willa Hammitt Brown, Gentlemen of the Woods: Manhood, Myth, and the American Lumberjack, University of Minnesota Press. (Author lives in Minneapolis.)

HONOREES:
— Sean Rost, Catching Hell From All Quarters: Anti-Klan Activists in Interwar Missouri, University of Missouri Press. (Author lives in Jefferson City, Missouri.)
— Mary Annette Pember, Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools, Pantheon. (Author lives in Cincinnati.)

The judges for History were Joseph Gustaitis, Greg Borzo, and David Witter.

POETRY AWARD
WINNER:
Greg Rappleye, Barley Child, University of Arkansas Press. (Author lives in Grand Haven, Michigan.)

HONOREES:
— David W. Berner, Garden Tools, Finishing Line Press. (Author lives in Clarendon Hills, Illinois.)
— Paul Martinez P***a, Domestic Co**se, Match Factory Editions. (Author lives in Elmhurst, Illinois.)
— Fleda Brown, The End of the Clockwork Universe, Carnegie Mellon University Press. (Author lives in Traverse City, Michigan.)

The judges for Poetry were Westley Heine, Ah Hee Lee, and John Kropf.

BERNARD BROMMEL AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR
WINNER:
Beth Macy, Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America, Penguin Press. (Author grew up in Urbana, Ohio.)

HONOREES:
— B.J. Hollars, Dinosaur Dreams: A Father and Daughter in Search of America’s Prehistoric Past, University of Nebraska Press/Bison Books. (Author lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.)
— David Hakensen, Her Place in the Woods: The Life of Helen Hoover, University of Minnesota Press. (Author lives in Corcoran, Minnesota.)
— Maggie Andersen, No Stars in Jefferson Park, Northwestern University Press. (Author lives in Chicago.)

The judges for Biography and Memoir were Bob Remer, Marlene Targ Brill, and Jean Iversen.

CHILDREN’S FICTION AWARD
WINNER:
John Sullivan, Can I Keep It, Please? Beach Lane. (Author lives in Chicago.)

HONOREES:
— Janna Matthies, Baby, Let’s Go to the Orchestra! Creative Company. (Author lives in Indianapolis.)
— Sue Harrison, Rescuing Crash, the Good Dog, Modern History Press. (Author lives in Pickford, Michigan.)
— Darcy Day Zoells, Smithy & Me, Clavis Publishing. (Author lives in Chicago.)

The judges for Children’s Fiction were Sandra Renner, Laura Hirshfield, and Rick Telander.

CHILDREN’S READING ROUND TABLE AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S NONFICTION
WINNER:
Laurie Lawlor, Many Voices: Building Erie, the Canal That Changed America, Holiday House. (Author lives in Evanston, Illinois.)

HONOREES:
— Ruth Spiro, How to Explain Climate Science to a Grown-Up, Charlesbridge. (Author lives in Deerfield, Illinois.)
— Katie Venit, Cassini’s Mission: A Spacecraft, a Tiny Moon, and the Search for Life Beyond Earth, MIT Kids Press. (Author lives in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.)
— Margi Preus, Snowshoe Kate and the Hospital Built for Pennies, Harry N. Abrams. (Author lives in Duluth, Minnesota.)

The judges for Children’s Nonfiction were Judith Schein Cohen, Pat Ku**er, and Michelle Houts.

Congratulations to all authors and publishers on submitting such an outstanding field of publications. This year’s winners will receive a $750 award and a recognition plaque.

The annual awards dinner will take place Tuesday, May 12, at the Cliff Dwellers Club, 200 S. Michigan Ave., 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 $95 each. Reservations can be made with PayPal at https://midlandauthors.org/awards-banquet-2026/ or by mailing a reservation form and check to: Dinner Reservations, Society of Midland Authors, c/o Tom Frisbie, 12 S. Owen St., Mount Prospect, IL 60056. Attendees will have the opportunity to take home free copies of some of the winning and honored books.

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, Roger Ebert, and Jonathan Eig.

This press release is also available in the PDF format at this link:https://midlandauthors.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026_awards_announcement.pdf

2026 Awards Banquet Join us Tuesday, May 12, for the 2026 Midland Authors Awards Banquetat the Cliff Dwellers, 200 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $95 each and can be purchased online or by mail. 6 p.m. – Cocktails, cash bar7 p.m. – Awards. Emcee: Justin Kaufmann Purchase Tickets using Pa...

04/16/2025

Congratulations to all of our awards winners and honorees!

April 16, 2025 — The Society of Midland Authors today announced its annual awards, honoring its choices for the best books by Midwest authors published in 2024. In each category, a panel of 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 13 in Chicago.

Congratulations to all authors and publishers on submitting such an outstanding field of publications.

RICHARD FRISBIE AWARD FOR ADULT NONFICTION
WINNER:
Kenn Kaufman, The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness, Avid Reader. (Author lives in Oak Harbor, Ohio.)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
— Casey A. Huegel, Cleaning Up the Bomb Factory: Grassroots Activism and Nuclear Waste in the Midwest, University of Washington Press. (Author lives in Dayton, Ohio.)
— Mark Larson, Working in the 21st Century: An Oral History of American Work in a Time of Social and Economic Transformation, Agate. (Author lives in Chicago.)
— Kim Mager with Lisa Pulitzer, A Hunger to Kill: A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and the Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever, St. Martin’s Press. (Mager lives in Hayesville, Ohio.)

The judges for Adult Nonfiction were Gerry Plecki, Chris Lynch, and Sharon Woodhouse.

ADULT FICTION
WINNER:
Miles Harvey, The Registry of Forgotten Objects, Mad Creek Books. (Author lives in Chicago.)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
— Barbara Gregorich, Exit Velocity, BookBaby. (Author lives in Chicago.)
— Amy Lee Lillard, Exile in Guyville, BOA Editions. (Author lives in Des Moines, Iowa.)
— Kevin Prufer, Sleepaway, Acre. (The author, who now lives near Houston, formerly resided in Warrensburg, Missouri.)

The judges for Adult Fiction were Patricia Skalka, Richard Reeder, and Jon Volkmer.

HISTORY
WINNER:
Patricia Cleary, Mound City: The Place of the Indigenous Past and Present in St. Louis, University of Missouri Press. (Author was born in St. Louis and lives now in Long Beach, California.)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
— Charles Cosgrove, They Both Reached for the Gun: Beulah Annan, Maurine Watkins, and the Trial That Became Chicago, Southern Illinois University Press. (Author lives in Brookfield, Illinois.)
— Sarah E. Lirley, Sudden Deaths in St. Louis: Coroner Bias in the Gilded Age, Southern Illinois University Press. (Author lives in Columbia, Missouri.)
— Cathy Jean Maloney, Olmsted’s Riverside: Stewardship Meets Innovation in a Landmark Village, Southern Illinois University Press. (Author lives in Riverside, Illinois.)

The judges for History were Joseph Gustaitis, Greg Borzo, and David Witter.

BERNARD J. BROMMEL AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR
WINNER:
Trish O’Kane, Birding to Change the World: A Memoir, Ecco. (Author formerly lived in Wisconsin and now resides in Vermont.)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
— Stacy Cordery, Becoming Elizabeth Arden: The Woman Behind the Global Beauty Empire, Viking. (Author lives in Ames, Iowa.)
— Ray E. Boomhower, The Ultimate Protest: Malcolm W. Browne, Thich Quang Duc, and the News Photograph That Stunned the World, High Road. (Author lives in Indianapolis.)
— Scott Dominic Carpenter, Paris Lost and Found: A Memoir of Love, Travelers’ Tales. (Author lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.)

The judges for Biography and Memoir were Bob Remer, Marlene Targ Brill, and David Shih.

CHILDREN’S FICTION
WINNER:
Ruth Spiro, One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story, Dial. (Author lives in Deerfield, Illinois.)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
— Cristina Oxtra, What Lolo Wants, Kids Can Press. (Author lives in Savage, Minnesota.)
— Edward Underhill, This Day Changes Everything, Wednesday. (Author was raised in Wisconsin and lives now in Los Angeles.)
— Bob Holt, The Unlucky Kid, Kids Can Press. (Author lives in Kansas City, Missouri.)

The judges for Children’s Fiction were Sandra Renner, Laura Hirshfield, and W. Nikola-Lisa.

CHILDREN’S READING ROUND TABLE AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S NONFICTION
WINNER:
James W. Loewen and Nate Powell, Lies My Teacher Told Me: A Graphic Adaptation, The New Press. (Powell lives in Bloomington, Indiana. Loewen, a native of Decatur, Illinois, died in 2021.)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
— Ruth Spiro, How to Explain Robotics to a Grown-Up, Charlesbridge. (Author lives in Deerfield, Illinois.)
— Marlene Targ Brill, Jane Addams: The Most Dangerous Woman in America, Ohio University Press. (Author lives in Wilmette, Illinois.)
— Janet Nolan, Bats Beneath the Bridge, Albert Whitman & Company. (Author lives in Oak Park, Illinois.)

The judges for Children’s Nonfiction were Jingmai O’Connor, Carrie Pearson, and Laurie Lawlor.

POETRY
WINNER:
Alice Friman, On the Overnight Train, LSU Press. (Author is a former longtime Indianapolis resident who now lives in Milledgeville, Georgia.)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
— Ae Hee Lee, Asterism, Tupelo Press. (Author lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin.)
— Janice N. Harrington, Yard Show, BOA Editions. (Author lives in Champaign, Illinois.)
— Amie Whittemore, Nest of Matches, Autumn House Press. (Author lives in Urbana, Illinois.)

The judges for Poetry were Emilio Degrazia, Brenda Cardenas, and Elton Glaser.

The annual awards dinner will take place Tuesday, May 13, at the Cliff Dwellers Club, 200 S. Michigan Ave., 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 $85 each. Reservations can be made at https://midlandauthors.org/awards-banquet-2025/

with PayPal or by mailing a reservation form and check to: Dinner Reservations, Society of Midland Authors, c/o Tom Frisbie, 12 S. Owen St., Mount Prospect, IL 60056

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. A list of past winners is on the Midland Authors website at https://midlandauthors.org/past-winners/.

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

2025 Awards Banquet Join us Tuesday, May 13, for the 2025 Midland Authors Awards Banquet. Tickets are $85* each and can be purchased online or by mail. $2.39 per ticket handling fee is included for online ticket purchases. 6 p.m. – Cocktails, cash bar7 p.m. – Awards. Emcee: Justin Kaufmann Purch...

01/16/2025

Hello authors! It's National Book Publishers Day. How will you celebrate?

12/11/2024

Hi SMA members! I've started the skeleton of a BlueSky Starter Pack just for us. Drop your handle below and I'll add you to the Pack.

Join the conversation

12/10/2024

SMA member Jean Iversen is seeking 1-2 new members for her monthly in-person writers group. Current members are working on personal essay, memoir, book-length nonfiction, and reported features. We workshop material, brainstorm ideas, discuss our goals, and offer each other support and encouragement.

Jean Iversen is a Chicago-based writer and editor. She is the author of Local Flavor and BYOB Chicago

11/15/2024

If you missed our virtual panel earlier this week on crafting non-fiction book proposals, you can find it at this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/iMRuryLH6ckI9pXB6fxcaoqJcd_p6dNlbqho1luhj0ZB-esxBK5cus_S-I2IU2Za.ps6Kznje2F3rYyCW
Pass code: Fg.1^sW+

11/11/2024

Join the Wisconsin Writers Association for a discussion on Book to Screen.

The Wisconsin Writers Association is a nonprofit organization that encourages, educates, supports, and promotes its member writers. Wisconsin Writers Association began serving the creative needs of Wisconsin writers in 1948.

11/11/2024

Nonfiction authors and interested others...join us tomorrow!

Upcoming Events Upcoming Events Crafting Your Nonfiction Book Proposal, Virtual Panel, November 12 Next up in our Demystifying Publishing Series, the Society of Midland Authors Presents…   Basics, Considerations, and Strategies for Crafting Your Nonfiction Book Proposal, a Virtual Panel Discussio...

10/31/2024

Call for Submissions: The Great Lakes Anthology

Coming in mid 2026 from Belt Publishing, The Great Lakes Anthology will be edited by Chicago Review of Books Editor-In-Chief Michael Welch. We’re looking for a wide range of contributions that speak to your personal relationship with the lake(s), the ways your community has been shaped and built alongside the water, and the rich past and undefined future of our lakes and coastal communities in the era of advancing climate change.

Overview:
The Great Lakes loom large in our collective imagination and the cultural fabric of the Rust Belt. As the largest freshwater system in the world, the lakes have long powered the region’s manufacturing operations and provided an economic and societal lifeline for the communities that formed around them. While often viewed as distinct bodies of water, they exist as a slow flowing river from Lake Superior onward. In turn, Rust Belt communities as far as Buffalo and Duluth and as seemingly different as a small coastal township and a city as large as Chicago share something in common: their relationship to a lake that sustains and embodies them.

The Great Lakes Anthology will explore this inherent interconnectedness of the Rust Belt through the bodies of water that define us, and will highlight the unique and shared experiences between authors and the lakes.

What We’re Looking For:
• Nonfiction personal essays between 1,000 and 4,000 words
• Longform narrative journalism between 1,000 and 4,000 words
• Select poetry

We’re open to all interpretations of the prompt, including topics such as:

• Personal reflections on the influence the Great Lakes have on our individual and collective imaginations as well as identifying with the region
• How the Great Lakes shaped our communities and how we exist alongside the lakes
• Stories about working, playing, and traveling on the lakes and along their shores
• Threats to our Great Lakes in the era of climate change, including invasive species, increased flooding, challenges to tribal sovereignty, and access to fresh water

How to Submit
Please email your submission to [email protected] by January 31, 2025. Reprints are welcome. Contributors will be paid an honorarium and a copy of the anthology.

10/30/2024

The Zoom link for our virtual November 12 panel discussion on Crafting Your Nonfiction Book Proposal has been posted. Join us for an information-packed one-hour event!

Upcoming Events Upcoming Events Crafting Your Nonfiction Book Proposal, Virtual Panel, November 12 Next up in our Demystifying Publishing Series, the Society of Midland Authors Presents…   Basics, Considerations, and Strategies for Crafting Your Nonfiction Book Proposal, a Virtual Panel Discussio...