Oklahoma Center for the Book. 2011 Oklahoma Book Award Program.

              Welcome to the 22nd Annual Oklahoma Book Authors Ceremony Presented by the Oklahoma Center for the Book in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and the Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book
 Shakespearean Sponsors Dunlap Codding, P.C. The Oklahoma Heritage Association Pioneer Library System University of Oklahoma Press Hemingway Sponsor Chickasaw Nation Division of Arts & Humanities This evening would also not be possible without the generous support of the Friend of the Oklahoma Center for the Book.
 2011 • Oklahoma Book Awards Saturday, April 19, 2011 • Jim Thorpe Museum and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Welcome Greetings from the State Library Master of Ceremonies Glenda Carlile Distinguished Service Award Presentation Poetry Award Presentation Design/Illustration Award Presentation Children Young Adult Award Presentation Non-Fiction Award Presentation Fiction Award Presentation Directors Award Presentation Gini Moore Campbell President, Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book Susan McVey Director, Oklahoma Department of Libraries Jari Askins Former Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Glenda Carlile Former Executive Director, Oklahoma Center for the Book Sandra Soli Recipient of the 2008 Poetry Award Kelley Riha Board Member, Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book Bettie Estes-Rickner Board Member, Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book Revere Young Board Member, Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book Richard Rouillard Board Member, Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book Byron Price Oklahoma Book Awards Committee Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation Honoring Rilla Askew Paul Austin Actor, Director, Playwright Announcements Gini Moore Campbell Music provided by Jill Justice The book sale and signing continues after dinner. Best of Books contributes all proceeds to the Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book. Please enjoy visiting with the book award medalists and finalists. 
Congratulations Rilla Askew Thank You for helping the Pioneer Library System promote the reading of literature through programs and special events
 A Sporting Affair Books about sports and sport heroes have a winning record in the Oklahoma Book Awards Last May, when the Oklahoma Book Awards banquet committee selected the Jim Thorpe Museum and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame to be the site of our 22nd annual event, no one could guess that a book titled Native American Son: The Life and Sporting Legend of Jim Thorpe would end up on the list of non­fiction finalists this year. Such are life's serendipitous moments. It started us thinking-how often do books with sports connections make it as finalists and medalists in the competition? We can start by looking at this year. In addition to Native American Son, Richard Rattenbury's big, celebratory book on the heritage and memorabilia of rodeo, Arena Legacy, has found two spots on the finalist list, honored in both non-fiction and design/illustration. It's not officially a sports related work, but even this year's non-fiction final­ist from the Oklahoma Historical Society, The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, could keep a sports fan busy for hours with entries on Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf, and Rodeo as well as short bios on the sports legends of the state, from rodeo stars Bill (William) Pickett and Lucille Mullhall to baseball greats Mickey Charles Mantle and Johnny Lee Bench. Our search of past book award programs reveals J. Brent Clark was the first to pick up a medal for a "sports" book. His 3rd Down and Forever: Joe Don Looney and the Rise and Fall of an American Hero was the non-fiction medalist in 1994. That very same year, future Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Bill Wallace was a finalist in the children/young adult category for Never Say Quit, a tale about a motley assortment of kids who start their own soccer team. 
Fast forward to 2000, and another children/young adult finalist would end up receiving the medal: the reissue of Lifetime Achievement Award recipi­ent Harold Keith's celebration of girls basketball, Brief Garland, based on the true story of Coach Jim Keith. Actually, 2000 was the banner year for sports related works at the Book Awards. Michael Wallis' extraordinary The Real Wild West: The 107 Ranch and the Creation of the American West, was the non-fiction medalist. Carol Haralson picked up the book design medal for her work on Glory Days of Summer: The History of Baseball in Oklahoma. Glory Days, by Bob Burke, Kenny Franks and Royse Parr, was also a non-fiction finalist that year. In 2003, Native American stickball starred in The Great Ball Game of the Birds and Animals by author Deborah Duvall and illustrator Murv Jacob. It was a finalist in design/illustration and Jacob walked off with the medal. Tim Tharp took us into the world of high school foot­ball in his novel Knights of the Hill Country, winner of a 2007 book award medal in the children/young adult category. In 2009, Full Court Quest: The Girls from Shaw Indian School, Basketball Champions of the World by Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith received the non-fiction medal. Finally, Patti Dickinson's Coach Tommy Thompson and the Boys of Sequoyah landed on the non-fiction finalist list just last year. That's a lot of books, and quite a record! Ten finalist honors through the years have translated into seven medalists. The three finalist honors tonight are yet to be decided. Let's look at the actual medal count to date: Category Medals ChildrenlYoung Adult 2 Design/Illustration 2 Non-fiction 3 Will non-fiction retain its top status? Will one of the other two categories rise to glory? Will another category break into the fold? Stay tuned.
 2011 Oklahoma Book Award Finalists Poetry Spare Parts Ken Hada Mongrel Empire Press, Norman, OK This Hada collection is already an award-winner. Spare Parts has received the 2011 Western Heritage Award for Poetry from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. The author probes both the human and natural worlds with his poetry. Award-winning author Diane Glancy says: "These poems, acting as spare parts in themselves, go into the making of one smooth-running, powerful engine:' Hada is a fourth-generation Oklahoman and professor at East Central University in Ada, where he teaches American literature and courses in the humanities. Umberto Eeo Lost His Gun Carol Hamilton Pudding House Publications, Columbus, OH Hamilton has picked up a slew of awards for her poetry, including a Southwest Book Award, a Cherubim Award, a Clarion Review Chapbook Award, and a David Ray Poetry Prize. She received the Oklahoma Book Award in 1992 for Once the Dust, and is a multiple finalist in this competition. For this chapbook, she brings together poems she has contributed to 18 journals and publications, so we may read, enjoy, and contemplate together their themes of war, peace, and promise. Hamilton lives in Midwest City. Elegy for Trains Benjamin Myers Village Books Press, Cheyenne, OK Myers poetry is intimately connected to the landscape of Oklahoma, while honoring the spiritual that connects all things. Oklahoma Book Award winner Carl Sennhenn says, "These meditative poems range from the rural to the urban, the past to the present, from gain to inevitable loss, and the universal to the personal-all with the ease of grace:' Myers, an associate professor at Oklahoma Baptist University, lives in his boyhood home of Chandler with his wife and three children. Seeing Rightly with the Heart Howard Stein Finishing Line Press, Georgetown, KY Stein has been a finalist in the Oklahoma Book Awards in both non-fiction and poetry categories. A professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at OU's Health Sciences Center, he has published more than 250 scholarly articles and chapters, and has authored and edited 26 books. In his latest poetry collection, he explores the dualities that seemingly define our lives, and reaches for inspiration from the wonder and awe of the natural life around us.
 Learn more about our publications, as well as programs providing scholarships and free field trips to the Gaylord-Pickens Museum, atwww.oklahomaheritage.com . 1400 CLASSEN DRIVE • OKC • 405 .235.4458 •www.oklahomaheritage.com
 Bird Days Sheila Tiarks Village Books Press, Cheyenne, OK Tiarks has a thing about birds, both the literal kind and the metaphorical kind. In consummate style she helps the reader glory in how the flight of birds lift our eyes to heaven, while several pages over she instills laughter about "Snowbirds" -"By their license tags shall we know them:' In "HSN 1;' a farmer sadly gathers her flock to prepare them for extermination by the "ghost-suited men;' while "Fast Food Nation" bemoans how the lowliest of fowl clog our arteries with "chicken vindictiveness:' Tiarks lives in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Baroque Renata Treitel Out On A Limb Publishing, Tulsa, OK This is Treitel's fourth honor as an Oklahoma Book Award finalist for her poetry. She won the medal in 1997 for her translation of Rosita Copioli's The Blazing Lights of the Sun. Treitel 's Oklahoma Baroque is brave and fiercely honest, celebrating what should be celebrated, and exploring what may be discovered. Her quest is set out in the opening poem "Field of Pumpkins": "I am a surgeon ready to explore past the rind, cut into the flesh, touch the core:' Treitel was born in Switzerland and educated in Italy, Argentina, and the U.s. She lives in Tulsa. Oklahoma Cantos Ron Wallace TJMF Publishing, Clarksville, IN Wallace writes, "The Cantos are a probably overly-ambitious undertaking intended to capture sights and sounds from the whole of'my'Oklahoma. For me this is a poetry of place and time. It is filled with the land and its creatures, small pieces ofthe magnificent whole:' Wallace is adjunct instructor of English at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. His collection Native Son was a finalist in the 2006 Oklahoma Book Awards. Design/Illustration Portrait of a Generation-The Children of Oklahoma: Sons and Daughters of the Red Earth Photography by M.J. Alexander, Design by Scott O'Daniel Southwestern Publishing, Oklahoma City, OK The eye of an artist captures the diverse faces of an up-and-coming generation here. Light, color, and setting all contribute to M.J. Alexander's palette. Her photographs walk the line between the traditional pose and acts of spontaneity, conveying the pride and vitality of young Oklahomans. Alexander has been an Oklahoman since 1998. She is an award-winning photographer, journalist, and lyricist. Her pictures have been featured on national magazine covers and exhibited in 10 solo shows. O'Daniel is graphic designer at Southwestern Publishing. 
OU Press author Rilla Askew Recipient of the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award Winner of the Oklahoma Book Award in fiction for HARPSONG (2008) Since 1929, the University of Oklahoma Press has published award-winning books that challenge readers to discover the past, contemplate the present, and shape the future. UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS 2800 VENTURE DRIVE· NORMAN, OK 73069 TEL 8006277377 . OUPRESS.COM
 Building One Fire Design by Carol Haralson Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, OK Designer Haralson taps this book's inspiration-the Four Directions concept of the Keetoowahs of the Cherokees-to graphically present 200 artworks, which speak to what it means to be Cherokee. Her award-winning attention to detail and story make the book a work of art unto itself for Cherokees, Oklahomans, and the rest of the world. Carol Haralson has won more Oklahoma Book Awards than any other person. The Miami, Oklahoma native is a writer, editor, and designer now based in Sedona, Arizona. Proud to Be Chickasaw: Elders of the Chickasaw Nation, Volume 1/ Artwork by Mike Larsen, Design by Skip McKinstry Chickasaw Press, Ada, OK This tribute to 25 elders through 23 paintings was a labor of love for artist Larsen-as it was for authors Martha Larsen and Jeannie Barbour. Larsen's use of color and brushstrokes are bold for such intimate portraits, communicating the importance of individual lives well lived. His preliminary sketches for the paintings show readers the beginning of an idea. McKinstry keeps the book design simple to let Larsen's paintings shine, and he employs large print type so older eyes can follow the histories of the elders. Larsen was an Oklahoma Book Award finalist in 2009 for the first book in the elder series, They Know Who They Are. This is McKinstry's fourth honor as a finalist in this category. Oklahoma National Stockyards Design by Doug Miller MUlierhaus Publishing Group, Tulsa, OK Miller's scrapbook design is brimming with photos, memorabilia, old news clippings and written history, providing a celebratory centennial tribute to the Number One Stocker-Feeder Cattle Market in the World. The origins, growth, challenges, and continuing promise of this institution, as well as Oklahoma City's Stockyards district, are all here for the reader. Miller is principal at Mullerhaus Publishing Group in Tulsa. "I did not choose art;' he says, "art chose me:' Arena Legacy: The Heritage of American Rodeo Design by Julie Rushing, Jacket Design by Tony Roberts Collection Photography by Ed Muno University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK To celebrate rodeo history and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's Rodeo Collection in print, Rushing, Roberts, and Muno have produced a book as big and bold as author Richard C. Rattenbury's subject. Roberts' book jacket demands readers to open the book, and Rushing's design and Muno's photography provide star status to the history and collection. The design of this book is all about respect and affection for a subject close to Oklahoma's heart. Rushing and Roberts are designers at the University of Oklahoma Press. Ed Muno is former Curator of Art at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and an object photographer of wide repute. 
From Peter G. Pierce author of Baseball in the Cross Timbers The first books in a new series about professional baseball in Oklahoma Territorians to Boomers: Professional Baseball in Ardmore 1904- 1926 Indians, Cardinals &; Rosebuds Ardmore 1947- 1961 Look for both at better bookstores when the 2011 season begins. OKLAHOMA HERITAGE Association 1400 Classen Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 731 06 1-888-501-2059·www.oklahomaheritage.com 
Children/Young Adult Portrait of a Generation-The Children of Oklahoma: Sons and Daughters of the Red Earth M.J. Alexander Southwestern Publishing, Oklahoma City, OK From Boise City to Broken Bow, Alexander chronicles the faces and words of more than 230 young Oklahomans in this "ode to the land and its people, the sons and daughters of the red earth:' Created for all generations, the book holds a special place for the young who can see themselves reflected in the pages. Older kids can especially connect with the dreams and hopes of their generation. Alexander is a photographer and journalist whose first book, Salt of the Red Earth, captured Oklahoma's elders. She is a veteran of the Associated Press in New York, and former chair of the journalism department of St. Michael's College in Vermont. She has called Oklahoma home since 1998. Cholhkanat Lowak Ishminti: Spider Brings Fire Linda Hogan Chickasaw Nation Division of Arts and Humanities, Ada, OK Told in both English and Chickasaw, this ancient story is about the talents and ingenuity of even the smallest among us. It was originally adapted in written form by Hogan in 2009 as part of a modern classical music and theater performance. Hogan, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, is a Chickasaw poet, novelist, essayist, playwright, and environmentalist. Her novel Mean Spirit received the Oklahoma Book Award in 1991. She has been a finalist in three award categories over the years. Salvaged: A Love Story Stefne Miller Tate Publishing & Enterprises, Mustang, OK Told in alternating voices, Salvaged is the story of Attie Reed, a seventeen-year-old who is suffering the fallout from an accident that has shattered her life and the lives around her. Author Miller says she was inspired to write her debut novel because of a dream. The resulting work is indeed a love story-love between aboy and a girl, love of family and friends, and love of God. Salvaged was a finalist for Goodreads.com's 2010 Debut Author Choice Award. Miller was born in Oklahoma City as an "Army Brat" and has lived in several states. She currently resides in Edmond with her husband and three sons. Mostly Monsterly Tammi Sauer Simon & Shuster, New York, NY Bernadette is mostly monsterly, but she's also a sweetie. She likes to pick flowers, pet kittens, and bake goodies. This is a big, big problem because monsters just don't do those kinds of things, and her monster friends are good at reminding her of this. Our little Bernadette must find a way to be true to herself and still be part of her
 monster crew! Tami Sauer has been a teacher and a librarian. Her book Chicken Dance received the 2010 Oklahoma Book Award. She lives in Edmond with her family. Salty Pie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light Tim Tingle Cinco Puntos Press, EI Paso, TX Saltypie is a true tale, and it is one of Tim Tingle's most popular oral stories. He has written the tale in Walking the Choctaw Road, the 2005 Oklahoma Reads Oklahoma selection, and now joins with Choctaw artist Karen Clarkson to bring the story to children in picture book form. In the story, young Tim finds out the origin and real meanings of a family saying-"That was some kind of Saltypie!" As he grows to adulthood, the deeper meanings continue to enrich his understanding of what it means to belong to a family, and what it means to be Choctaw. Tingle is one ofthe most sought-after speakers and storytellers. When not performing, he divides his time between collecting Choctaw lore in Oklahoma, and writing on the shores of Canyon Lake, Texas. Non-fiction Native American Son: The Life and Sporting Legend of Jim Thorpe Kate Buford Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY This is the first comprehensive biography of one of Oklahoma's most iconic figures. Buford takes the readers from Thorpe's birth on the Sac and Fox lands of Indian Territory to his untimely death in 1953 and beyond as the Thorpe legend grew. We see the triumphs on the field, as well as the often tumultuous personal life of America's Greatest Athlete. Buford's biography of Burt Lancaster was named one of the best books of 2000 by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. She lives in Lexington, Virginia, and Westchester County, New York. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Edited by Diana Everett, Jon May, Larry O'Dell, and Linda Wilson Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, OK Announced as a Centennial project for the state, the encyclopedia initially debuted online and eventually made its way to print in two big volumes in 2010. It contains articles written by leading scholars in the field, and is chalk full of facts and stories that serve to educate citizens, students, historians, and the world at large about the fascinating history of our most unusual state. Everett lives in Edmond; May and Wilson live in Oklahoma City; and O'Dell calls Newcastle home.
 Deadly Kingdom: The Book of Dangerous Animals Gordon Grice Random House, New York, NY Grice has been fascinated with nature-especially the deadly kind-since his days as a growing boy and young professional in the Oklahoma Panhandle. His The Red Hourglass: Lives of the Predators was named a best book by the New York Public Library and was a 1999 Oklahoma Book Award finalist. In Deadly Kingdom, Grice once again offers essays grounded in science and enlightened by personal experience. Michael Pollan hails him as "a fresh, strange, and wonderful new voice in American nature writing:'Grice lives in Wisconsin with his family. Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History S. C. Gwynne Scribner, New York, NY Gwynne's New York Times bestseller spans two great stories of the continent: the rise and fall of the Comanches, the powerful Indian tribe that delayed America's expansion west; and the epic saga of pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches. Gwynne is an award-winning journalist who worked as bureau chief, national correspondent, and senior editor for Time magazine. He attended Princeton and Johns Hopkins and lives in Austin, Texas, with his family. Race and the University: A Memoir George Henderson University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK Henderson recounts his formative years as a young professor at the University of Oklahoma during the late 1960s and early 70s. He describes in graphic detail the obstacles that he and other African Americans faced within the community, a place of "white privilege, black separatism, and campus-wide indifference to bigotry:' As an adviser and mentor to young black students, he found himself at the forefront of efforts to improve race relations at the university. Henderson is Sylvan N. Goldman Professor Emeritus and Davis Ross Boyd Professor Emeritus. He founded the Human Relations Program at the University of Oklahoma and served as Dean of the College of Liberal Studies. Arena Legacy: The Heritage of the American Rodeo Richard C. Rattenbury University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK Rattenbury traces the evolution of rodeo from its beginnings as amateur contest for working hands to the multimillion-dollar professional sport that it is today. Along the way, he addresses the changing character of rodeo-;-and society at large-as the sport opened up to new groups, analyzes the economics of rodeo, and provides a tour of the treasured artifacts from rodeo life, including costumes, trophies, buckles, and riding equipment.
 Congratulations to Tim Tingle and Karen Clarkson Saltypie A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light. Tim Tingle. Illustrated by Karen Clarkson. "This book is exceptional. When people ask me for a short list of recommended books, Saltypie is going to be on that list." --Debbie Reese From your friends at Cinco Puntos Presswww.cincopuntos.com Since 1947 Tulsa's Own Bookstore & More Steve's Sundry, Books & Magazines 26th & Harvard 918-743-3544 7:30 am - 9:00 pm Mon-Sat 10:00 am - 6:00 pm Sun for your convenience Books . Magazines Newspapers· Special Orders for those hard to find books and our SODA FOUNTAIN WITH TULSA'S BEST SHAKES. CHERRY AND VANILLA COKES Contact Us by Computer. .. Browse and Place orders on our website .www.stevessundrybooksmags.com email: info@stevessundrybooksmags.com 
Rattenbury is Curator of History at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. His book Hunting the American West was also a finalist in the Oklahoma Book Awards. Chickasaw Removal Amanda L. Paige, Fuller L. Bumpers, and Daniel F. Littlefield, Jr. Chickasaw Press, Ada, OK The Chickasaw Tribe's journey to Indian Territory is unique in the histories of Indian Removal. The tribe paid the expenses of their removal and acted independently to the dismay of the federal government. The authors offer a detailed story of this era, examining the governmental pressures, the difficult decisions, the devious politics, and the hardships endured by the tribe on their move westward. Paige is a historian, author, and researcher. Bumpers is a writer and historian specializing in Native American issues. Littlefield is director of the Sequoyah Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the author of numerous books. All three live in Arkansas. Luis Ortega's Rawhide Artistry: Braiding in the California Tradition Chuck Stormes and Don Reeves University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK Stormes and Reeves have produced the most comprehensive overview of the life, art, and career of Ortega. It's also the first book-length work on rawhide braiding in North America, charting changes in horse gear over five decades. Ortega's work was grounded in the Spanish vaquero tradition, but was also shaped by the artist's quest for excellence and an intuitive sense of how to fashion humble materials into objects of lasting beauty. Stormes is an award-winning saddle maker who lives in Alberta, Canada. Reeves holds the McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, home to the Ortega collection. Oilfield Trash: Life and Labor in the Oil Patch Bobby D. Weaver Texas A&M University Press, College Station, TX Taken from more than 350 oral history interviews, Oilfield Trash is a history of the "oilfield hands in greasy overalls who made the boom towns boom:' It is the story of a region that transformed from a primarily agricultural culture to incorporate oilfield economics in the early 20th century. Weaver, who worked in the oil patch himself, also traces the evolution of the oilfield workforce over time. The author was born in Texas and earned his PhD in history from Texas Tech University. From 1979 to 2002 he was a museum professional in Texas and Oklahoma. He lives in Edmond. 
Fiction Stations West Allison Amend Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA Amend's inspiration for this novel came from her maternal grandparents' estate in Tulsa: a copy of The Jews in Oklahoma, part of the Newcomers to a New Land series published by the University of Oklahoma Press. "I read about Bogy Johnson, the first Jewish immigrant in Oklahoma;' she says. "It was weird and wonderful enough that it merited a story:'The novel is dramatic, lyrical, and steeped in the history and lore of the territories. Stations West is also a finalist for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. Chicago native Amend currently lives in Pennsylvania. With No Steps To Follow David Allen Barton Tate Publishing & Enterprises, Mustang, OK Following the tragic deaths of his family, seventeen-year-old Rane McAlion decides to fulfill his sister's dying wish and sets out for California in this post-Civil War tale. Rane leaves behind his home in Tennessee, and the only girl he's ever loved, to embark on a journey that is filled with obstacles around every corner. Barton is a native Oklahoman with a passion for Western and Native American history. He lives in Union City and is working on two new novels. Cheyenne Madonna Eddie Chuculate David R. Godine, Jaffrey, NH Each of Chuculate's short stories work beautifully alone, but together they produce a powerful document. The author's short stories form the narrative of Jordan Coolwater, a descendant of a Trail ofTears survivor, who leaves Oklahoma to go West and become a sculptor. Throughout his journey he struggles with the two constants in his life: art and alcohol. Chuculate, a Creek and Cherokee Indian from Muskogee, won a PEN/O. Henry prize for short story in 2007 and held a Wallace Stegner creative writing fellowship at Stanford University. This is his first book. God's Acres David Gerard PenUltimate Press, St. Louis, MO Gerard draws on his real-life experiences to tell this story of a family whose dreams of rural living outside St. Joseph, Missouri, turn to grief. Told from the perspective of six-year old Bud, each chapter is prefaced by a psalm and the voice of an adult Bud, closing the circle on a complex tale of family relationships. God's Acres is, at turns, funny, and heartbreaking. Gerard earned a master's degree in literature from the University ofTulsa in 1992. He has worked for the Muskogee Phoenix newspaper since 1995.
 Insane Train Sheldon Russell St. Martin's Press, New York, NY Critics call Sheldon Russell's Hook Runyon Mysteries a "fresh take on the classic 1940s noir mystery:'They call Runyon "one of the most noteworthy characters in modern detective fiction:' In his second adventure, Runyon is given the unenviable task of transporting the survivors of a California asylum fire to a new location in Oklahoma. Not long into the train trip, suspicious deaths claim several of the inmates and attendants. Russell's first Hook Runyon book, The Yard Dog, was also honored as a finalist. His Dreams to Dust received the 2007 Oklahoma Book Award. He lives in Waynoka. Chasing Lilacs Carla Stewart Hatchett Brook Group, New York, NY Stewart's first novel is a poignant coming of age story set in a small Texas Panhandle town. The book begins in the summer of 1958, but this carefree season is anything but for Sammie Tucker. She has questions about her mother's "nerve" problems, about shock treatments, and about whether her mother loves her. As her life careens out of control, Sammie has to choose whom to trust with her deepest fears. Stewart was born in Oklahoma and graduated from OU. Following a stint out of state, she returned home and has been living in Oklahoma since 1992. Dunlap Codding Patent • Trademark • Copyright Lawwww.dunlapcodding.com
 Village Books Press Congratulates its two Oklahoma Book Award Finalists Benjamin Myers & Sheila Tiarks Cherokee Nation Congratulates "Building One Fire" book designer and editor Carol Haralson Finalist - Design/Illustration Category 2011 Oklahoma Book Awards CHEROKEE NATION ©Cherokee Nation Tate Publishing ond Enterprises would like to congratulate Stefne Miller, author of Salvaged, and David Allen Barton, author of With No Steps to Follow, on being named finalists in the 2011 Oklahoma Book Awards! Congratulations-we are honored to have you in our family of authors! 
Rilla Askew Recipient of the 2011 Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award "Oklahoma isn't what I write about; it's the place I write from- my spiritual and emotional and geographical center. It's where the voices reside. As a writer I always think of America as my subject, and Oklahoma as the landscape where the stories unfold." -From "A Writer's Source" by Rilla Askew, Tulsa World, December 20, 2009 All of Rilla Askew's books to date have been set in Oklahoma. She was born in the Sans Bois Mountains in the southeastern corner, a fifth generation descendant of southerners who settled in the Choctaw Nation in the late 1800s. Her maternal grandfather was a sharecropper who stayed on the land when the hard times came during the Great Depression, and her paternal grandfather was a coal miner, a carpenter, merchant, and one-time deputy sheriff. The daughter of a coon-hunting Southern Baptist deacon and an independent-minded mom, Askew is the middle of three sisters. She grew up in the oil company town of Bartlesville, where she first encountered the complex forces of race and class that she continues to explore in her fiction. She lived for several years in the Cherokee capital ofTahlequah before relocating to Tulsa, where she graduated from the Uni­versity ofTulsa with a degree in theatre performance. In 1980 she moved to New York to pursue an acting career, but she soon turned to writing fiction and went on to study creative writing at Brooklyn College, where she received her MFA in 1989. Her collection of stories Strange Business received the Oklahoma Book Award in 1993. Her short fiction has appeared in a variety of journals and has been selected for Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards. Her first novel The Mercy Seat was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and received the Western Heritage Award and the Oklahoma Book Award in 1998. Her novel about the Tulsa Race Riot, Fire in Beulah, received the American Book Award, the Myers Book Award, and was the Okla­homa Reads Oklahoma selection for 2007. Askew's most recent novel Harpsong was nominated for the Dublin IMPAC Prize and received the Oklahoma Book Award, the Western Heritage Award, the Willa Cather Award from Women Writing the West, and the Violet Crown Award from the Writers League ofTexas. She was the recipient of a 2009 Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Askew is married to actor Paul Austin, and they divide their time between Oklahoma, where she currently serves as Artist in Residence at the University of Central Oklahoma, and their home in upstate New York. The Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award The Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award is presented each year to recognize a body of work. This award is named for the Norman, Oklahoma, historian who served as the first president of the Oklahoma Center for the Book. 
22 Years of Winners and Special Recognition Poetry 1990 William Kistler· The Elizabeth Sequence 1992 Carol Hamilton· Once the Dust 1993 Jim Barnes· The Sawdust War 1994 Carter Revard· An Eagle Nation 1995 Joy Harjo· The Woman Who Fell from the Sky 1996 Francine Ringold· The Trouble with Voices 1997 Renata Treitel, translation of Rosita Copioli's The Blazing Lights of the Sun 1998 Betty Shipley. Somebody Say Amen 1999 Mark Cox· Thirty-Seven Years from the Stone 2000 N. Scott Momaday • In the Bear's House 2001 Carolyne Wright. Seasons of Mangoes and Brain fire 2002 Ivy Dempsey. The Scent of Water: New and Selected Poems 2003 Joy Harjo. How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems 2004 Laura Apol • Crossing the Ladder of Sun 2005 Francine Ringold. Still Dancing 2006 Leanne Howe· Evidence of Red 2007 Carl Sennhenn • Travels Through Enchanted Woods 2008 Sandra Soli. What Trees Know 2009 Nathan Brown· Two Tables Over 2010 Jeanetta Calhoun Mish • Work is Love Made Visible: Poetry and Family Photographs Design/Illustration 1990 David E. Hunt The Lithographs of Charles Banks Wilson 1991 Carol Haralson· Cleora's Kitchens 1992 Joe Williams Woolaroc 1993 Design-Carol Haralson· Will Rogers: Courtship and Correspondence * IIlustration-Kandy Radzinski The Twelve Cats of Christmas 1994 Deloss McGraw· Fish Story 1995 Mike Wimmer· All the Places to Love 1996 Kim Doner· Green Snake Ceremony 1997 Carol Haralson and Harvey Payne Big Bluestem: A Journey into the Tall Grass 1998 Carol Haralson Visions and Voices: Native American Painting from the Philbrook Museum of Art 1999 David Fitzgerald. Bison: Monarch of the Plains 2000 Carol Haralson· Glory Days of Summer: The History of Baseball in Oklahoma 2001 Lane Smith· The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip 2002 Carl Brune. Woven Worlds: Basketry from the Clark Field Collection 2003 Murv Jacob· The Great Ball Game of the Birds and Animals 2004· Design-Scott Horton and Jim Argo. Family Album: A Centennial Pictorial of the Oklahoma Publishing Company *IIlustration-Kandy Radzinski • S is for Sooner 2005 Carol Haralson A History of the Oklahoma Governor's Mansion 2006· Design-Carol Haralson Home: Native People in the Southwest * Illustration-Jon Goodell • Mother, Mother, I Want Another 2007· Design-Carl Brune· OKC: Second Time Around * Illustration-Jeanne Rorex Bridges. Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom 2008 Design-Carl Brune, Photography-Scott Raffe Oklahoma: A Portrait of America * IIlustration-Kandy Radzinski • What Cats Want for Christmas 2009 Design-Todd Stewart Placing Memory: A Photographic Exploration of Japanese American Internment * Illustration-Kandy Radzinski What Dogs Want for Christmas 2010 Design-Carol Haralson Willard Stone * Illustration-Kandy Radzinski Where to Sleep Children/Young Adult 1990 Helen Roney Sattler Tyrannosaurus Rex and Its Kin 1991 Stan Hoig A Capital, for the Nation
 1992 Jess and Bonnie Speer. Hillback to Boggy 1993 Anna Myers. Red Dirt Jessie 1994 Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith. Cherokee Summer 1995 Russell G. Davis and Brent Ashabranner • The Choctaw Code 1996 Anna Myers Graveyard Girl 1997 Barbara Snow Gilbert· Stone Water 1998 S. L. Rottman· Hero 1999 Barbara Snow Gilbert· Broken Chords 2000 Harold Keith. Brief Garland: Ponytails, Basketball, and Nothing But Net 2001 Joyce Carol Thomas· Hush Songs 2002 Molly Levite Griffis· The Rachel Resistance 2003 Darleen Bailey Beard· The Babbs Switch Story 2004 Children-Una Belle Townsend Grady's in the Silo *Young Adult-Sharon Darrow The Painters of Lexieville 2005 Children-Joyce Carol Thomas The Gospel Cinderella *Young Adult-Molly Levite Griffis· Simon Says 2006 Anna Myers Assassin 2007 Children-Tim Tingle· Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom * Young Adult-Tim Tharp. Knights of the Hill Country 2008· Children-Devin Scillian Pappy's Handkerchief Young Adult-P.E. Cast and Kristin Cast Marked: A House of Night Novel 2009 Anna Myers. Spy 2010· Children-Tammi Sauer· Chicken Dance *Young Adult-George Edward Stanley Night Fires Non-Fiction 1990 Leonard Leff· Hitchcock & Selznick 1991 Carl Albert and Danney Goble· Little Giant 1992 David Morgan, Robert England, and George Humphreys. Oklahoma Politics & Policies: Governing the Sooner State 1993 Henry Bellmon and Pat Bellmon· The Life and Times of Henry Bellmon; and Daniel Boorstin The Creators 1994 J. Brent Clark· 3rd Down and Forever 1995 Dennis McAuliffe Jr .• The Deaths of Sybil Bolton 1996 William Paul Winchester· A Very Small Farm 1997 Annick Smith· Big Bluestem: A Journey Into the Tall Grass 1998 John Hope Franklin and John Whittington Franklin, Editors· My Life and an Era: The Autobiography of Buck Colbert Franklin 1999 Bob Burke· From Oklahoma to Eternity: The Life of Wiley Post and the Winnie Mae 2000 Michael Wallis· The Real Wild West: The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West 2001 David LaVere Contrary Neighbors: Southern Plains and Removed Indians in Indian Territory 2002 Lydia L. Wyckoff, Editor· Woven Worlds: Basketry from the Clark Field Collection 2003 Michael A. Mares· A Desert Calling: Life in a Forbidding Landscape 2004 Eric R. Pianka and Laurie J. Vitt. Lizards: Windows to the Evolution of Diversity 2005 Ed Cray Ramblin' Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie 2006 Timothy Egan. The Worst Hard Time 2007 Charles Robert Goins and Danney Goble· Historical Atlas of Oklahoma, Fourth Edition 2008 Nancy Isenberg. Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr 2009 Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith· Full Court Quest: The Girls from Shaw Indian School, Basketball Champions of the World 2010 Randy Ramer, Carole Klein, Kimberly Roblin, Eric Singleton, Anne Morand, Gary Moore, and April Miller Thomas Gilcrease Fiction 1990 Robert Love Taylor. The Lost Sister 1991 Linda Hogan. Mean Spirit 1992 Robert L. Duncan· The Serpent's Mark
 1993 Rilla Askew· Strange Business 1994 Eve Sandstrom· Down Home Heifer Heist 1995 William Bernhardt· Perfect Justice 1996 Billie Letts· Where the Heart Is 1997 Stewart O'Nan • The Names of the Dead 1998 Rilla Askew· The Mercy Seat 1999 Billie Letts· The Honk and Holler Opening Soon 2000 William Bernhardt· Dark Justice 2001 Carolyn Hart· Sugarplum Dead 2002 Douglas Kelley. The Captain's Wife 2003 Diane Glancy. The Mask Maker: A Novel 2004 M.K. Preston· Song of the Bones 2005 Will Thomas· Some Danger Involved 2006 David Kent· The Black Jack Conspiracy 2007 Sheldon Russell· Dreams to Dust: A Tale of the Oklahoma Land Rush 2008 Rilla Askew. Harpsong 2009 Carolyn Wall. Sweeping Up Glass 2010 Kirk Bjornsgaard Confessions of a Former Rock Star Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award 1990 Daniel Boorstin-Librarian of Congress Emeritus-native ofTulsa 1991 Tony Hillerman-award winning mystery writer-native of Sacred Heart 1992 Savoie Lottinville-Director of the University of Oklahoma Press for 30 years 1993 Harold Keith-Newbery Award winning children's author-Norman 1994 N. Scott Momaday-Pulitzer Prize winning Kiowa author-native of Lawton 1995 R.A. Lafferty-Hugo Award winning author­Tulsa 1996 John Hope Franklin-historian-native of Rentiesville 1997 S.E. Hinton-author of young adult novels­Tulsa 1998 Jack Bickham-novelist, teacher, and journalist-Norman 1999 Michael Wallis-historian and biographer­Tulsa 2000 Bill Wallace-writer of novels for young people-Chickasha 2001 Joyce Carol Thomas-children and adult fiction author, and playwright-native of Ponca City 2002 World Literature Today-The University of Oklahoma, Norman 2003 Joy Harjo-poet and member of the Muscogee Nation-native ofTulsa 2004 Carolyn Hart-award winning mystery writer-Oklahoma City 2005 C.J. Cherryh-Hugo Award winning author­Oklahoma City 2006 Bob Burke-Oklahoma historian-Oklahoma City 2007 Clifton Taulbert-award-winning author­Tulsa 2008 David Dary-award-winning author-Norman 2009 Robert J. Conley-Cherokee author-native of Cushing 2010 David G. Fitzgerald-award-winning photographer-Oklahoma City Ralph Ellison Award 1995 Ralph Ellison-National Book Award winner­Oklahoma City 1997 Angie Debo-"First Lady of Oklahoma History"-Marshall 1999 Melvin Tolson-poet, journalist, and dramatist-Langston 2000 Jim Thompson-novelist and screenwriter­Anadarko 2002 John Berryman-poet, biographer, and editor-McAlester 2004 Lynn Riggs-playwright and screenwriter­Claremore 2005 Woody Guthrie-author, illustrator, and songwriter-Okemah 2006 John Joseph Mathews-Osage novelist and historian-Pawhuska 2007 Muriel Wright-acclaimed Oklahoma historian-Oklahoma City 2008 Danney Glenn Goble-acclaimed Oklahoma historian-Tulsa 2010 Stan Hoig-author, journalist, and historian Edmond
 Past Presidents Arrell Gibson was the first president of the Oklahoma Center for the Book. The Center's lifetime achievement award is named for Dr. Gibson, a historian. Dan Blanchard, Oklahoma City-1988-1990 Judy Moody, Tulsa-1990-1992 David Clark, Norman-1992-1993 Glenda Carlile, Oklahoma City-1994-1995 Laurie Sundborg, Tulsa-1996-1997 Liz Codding, Oklahoma City-1998-2000 B.J. Williams, Oklahoma City-2001-2004 M.J. VanDeventer, Okla. City-2005-2007 Lynn Mcintosh, Ardmore-2008-2010 Directors Awards Presented by the Awards Committee for works of special merit 2004 Doris Eaton Travis, The Days We Danced: The Story of My Theatrical Family 2005 B. Byron Price, Fine Art of the West Deborah Duvall and Murv Jacob, The Series of Grandmother Stories 2006 Patricia Loughlin, Hidden Treasures of the American West Past Executive Directors Jan Blakely-1986-1988 Aarone Corwin-1988-1990 Ann Hamilton-1991-1996 Glenda Carlile-1996-2009 Glenda Carlile Distinguished Service Award 1999 Daniel Boorstin-Librarian of Congress Emeritus * John Y. Cole-Director, Center of the Book in the Library of Congress since 1977 * Robert L. Clark-Director, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, 1976-2000 * Lee Brawner-Director of the Metropolitan Library System, 1972-1999 2000 Ken Jackson-Tulsa World editor and columnist-Oklahoma Center for the Book Board Member, 1988-2000 2001 Julie Hovis and Kathy Kinasewitz-owners of Best of Books, booksellers for the Oklahoma Book Awards 2002 Dan Blanchard-a founding member ofthe Oklahoma Center for the Book and Master of Ceremonies for the book award ceremony for eleven years 2005 Fran Ringold-Oklahoma poet laureate and the founder and editor for over forty years of the international literary journal Nimrod 2006 Oklahoma Today-for fifty years of publication 2007 Bill Young-Public Information Manager, Oklahoma Department of Libraries 2008 Bob Burke-author, and supporter of the Oklahoma Center for the Book *B.J. Williams-producer and host of "Read About It; and Past President of the Oklahoma Center for the Book 2009 Glenda Carlile-20 years of service to the Center as volunteer, board member, president, and executive director 2010 Teresa Miller-founder of the Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers, and producer and host of "Writing Out Loud." 
The Oklahoma Center for the Book wishes to thank this year's judges Leah Berne Adrienne Butler Mark Cotner Brian Dahlvang Julie Dill Bettie Estes-Rickner Kathryn Fanning Dee Fisher Larry Mike Garmon Patricia Loughlin Jeff Martin Sharon Martin Marilyn Miller Louisa McCune-Elmore Kitty Pittman Richard Rouillard Carl Sennhenn Sandy Shropshire Kristin Sorocco George Stanley William R. Struby AI Turner Maria Veres Revere Young The Center acknowledges the generous contributions of the following organizations and individuals Best of Books, Edmond Center for the Book in the Library of Congress Chickasaw Nation Division of Arts & Humanities Dunlap Codding, p.c. Fred Marvel, Photographer Oklahoma Department of Libraries Oklahoma Heritage Association Peter Pierce Pioneer Library System University of Oklahoma Press That's the Center's Executive Director Connie Armstrong in the chicken suit. She and Friends board member Dee Fisher staffed the Oklahoma booth at the Pavilion of the States last fall during the 2010 National Book Festival in Washington D.C. Each state selects a children's book to highlight in the pavilion, and Oklahoma selected Tammi Sauer's Chicken Dance. Thanks to publisher Sterling Publishing, 300 copies of the book were distributed to children during the festival. Connie was even interviewed by a local D.C. television station for their book festival coverage. "When you wear a chicken suit" she says, "the children just flock to you!" (Bawk! Bawk!) special thanks Ceremony Committee-Connie Armstrong, Gini Campbell, and Glenda Carlile Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Public Information Office- Connie Armstrong, Michael O'Hasson, Bill Petrie, Bill Struby, and Bill Young
 OKLAHOMA CENTER FOR THE BOOK Project Highlights The Oklahoma Center for the Book in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and its Friends sup­port group participated in several events in the last year. Kids Caught Reading is an annual event that the Center has been pleased to participate in for two decades. Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book gives $25 prizes to ten students from across the state who are "caught reading" in their spare time. Letters About Literature is a contest co-sponsored with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and Target Corporation. Each students who enters writes a letter to an author, living or dead, explaining h,owa book has influenced his or her life. Nine students were honored on March 29 at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb and several legislators were on hand to congratulate these young readers and writers. Three first-place winners received a Target gift card and a cash prize. The six second- and third-place winners received cash prizes. More than 70,000 letters were entered nationally. Literary Landmark-The Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book once again donated $500 to help with this project that honors Oklahoma's literary heritage. On April 30, the Friends of Li­braries in Oklahoma (FOLIO) will dedicate a Literary Landmark honoring the late Wilson Rawls, author of two beloved juvenile books, Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys. The dedication will take place in the Carnegie Room of the Tahlequah Public Library during the city's Red Fern Festival. This will be Oklahoma's 10th Literary Landmark. Oklahoma Author Database-The Center, its Friends group, and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries continue to add authors to this online resource for libraries, schools, and readers. Log on towww.crossroads.odl.state.ok.us. and click "collections" and "authors" to see this work-in­progress. Oklahoma Library Association Annual Conference- For many years, the Friends of the Center have provided funds to sponsor a presentation by an Oklahoma author or to support a panel of Oklahoma authors. This year's donation helped sponsor the conference's opening banquet presentation by Oklahoma Book Award winner Billie Letts. Information is available for membership to the Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book­please call 405-522-3383 or email carmstrong@oltn.odl.state.ok.us. 
Congratulations Finalists & Winners 2011 Oklahoma Book Awards A Miillerhaus Legacy Project represents the most noble and unique expression of enduring recognition. We welcome the opportunity to preserve the heritage of your family or organization. Please contact us today for a professional consultation. CUSTOM BOOK PUBLISHING Personal & Corporate Histories, Anniversary & Memorial Events, and Private Collections. DOCUMENTARY QUALITY Videos, Slide Shows, Multi-Media and Online Presentations. MUSEUM QUALITY Exhibits & Displays. SPECIAL PROJECTS Holiday & Executive Gifting. MULLERHAUsLEGACY.COM I MILLER@MuLLERHAUS.NET I 918.747.001 8 See our award-winning work by visiting VoicesofOklahoma.com Featuring exclusive first-person interviews of great Oklahomans like Henry Bellmon Voices of Oklahoma Preserving Oklahoma's Heritage One Voice at a Time
 OKLAHOMA CENTER FOR THE BOOK Friends of the Center The Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book is a non-profit, 501-c-3 organization. The Friends is a cultural and educational corporation to advance and promote the role of the book and reading in Oklahoma. The Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book supports and further enhances the programs and projects of the Oklahoma Center for the Book in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. A volunteer board of directors from across the state governs the Friends. President-Gini Moore Campbell-Oklahoma City Vice-President - Wayne Hanway-McAlester Secretary-Karen Klinka-Edmond Treas urer-Richard Rouillard-Oklahoma City Connie Armstrong-Norman Bob Burke-Oklahoma City Glenda Carlile-oklahoma City Dee Fisher-Norman Jennifer Greenstreet-Ada Julia Harmon-Shawnee Rodger Harris-Oklahoma City Gerald HibbS-Edmond Julie HoviS-Edmond Hannibal Johnson-Tulsa Jeff Martin-Tulsa Lynn Mcintosh-Ardmore Susan McVey-Oklahoma City Raymond Munkres- Midwest City Karen Neurohr-Stillwater Kitty Pittman-Oklahoma City Judy Randle-Tulsa Kelley Riha-Oklahoma City Lindsay Robertson-Norman Sandra Soli-Oklahoma City Kristin Sorocco-Oklahoma City Alice Stanton- Norman Laurie Sundborg-Tulsa M.J. Van Deventer-Oklahoma City Laurie Williams-Ardmore William R. Young
Oklahoma City Best of Books would like to congratulate all the finalists for the Oklahoma Book Award presented by the Friends of the Oklahoma Center for the Book Best of Books is located at 1313 N. Danforth in Edmond Kickingbird Square • Open Mon-Sat 9am-8pm , Sunday 1-5pm • 405-340-9202 Oklahoma Center for the Book 200 NE 18 Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73105-3298www.odl.state.ok.us/ocb 405-522-3575