Oklahoma Book Awards
A Celebration of Oklahoma Books and Authors
March 8, 1997
Welcome
to the Eighth Annual
Oklahoma Book Awards
Ceremony
A Celebration of Oklahoma Books and Authors
National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center
Oklahoma City
1997 Oklahoma Book Awards
Welcome ............................................................................................................ Laurie Sundborg
President, Oklahoma Center for the Book
Master of Ceremonies .................................................................................... Daniel Blanchard
Past President, Oklahoma Center for the Book
Comments ....................................................................................................... Robert L. Clark Jr.
Director, Oklahoma Department of Libraries
Blison Award .................................................................................... Presented by David Clark
Past President, Oklahoma Center for the Book
Blison Award Acceptance Remarks ............................................................... Bob Blackburn
Deputy Director, Oklahoma Historical Society
Poetry Award ................................................................................ Presented by Teresa Miller
Director, Center for Poets and Writers
Non .. Fiction Award ................................................................. Presented by F. Lee Bollinger
Bollinger's Books
Children/Y oung Adult Award ................................................ Presented by Lynn Moroney
Author and Storyteller, Oklahoma City
Design/lUustration Award ................................................... Presented by Jean Richardson
Painter, Oklahoma City
Rction Award ........................................................................ Presented by Eve K. Sandstrom
Author, 1994 Oklahoma Book Award Winner
Ufetime Achievement Award ................................................ Presented by Ann Hamilton
Oklahoma Center for the Book
Announcements .................................................................................................... Glenda Carlile
Executive Director, Oklahoma Center for the Book
You're invited to an after .. party/
Join us at Full Circle Books, 50 Penn Place,
immediately following tonight's ceremony.
AngieDebo
recipient of the
1997 RAlph BIi,on Award
Angie Debo was a historian who lived near Marshall from the time she was nine years old . .
She was known as, and remains, the "first lady of Oklahoma history." Debo was born on
Jan~ary 30, 1890, in Beattie, Kansas. When she was 16, she Qbtained a rural school license 'and
later earned an A.B. degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1918, an A.M. degree from the
University of Chicago in 1924, and a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 1933. She was
inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1950 and won a Western Wrangler Award'in
1978 for -Cieronimo: The Man# HilTIme# Hi. Place (University of Oklahoma. Press, 1976). Her
other works include: The 8;,e and Fan of The Choctaw Republic (Univ~rsity of Oklah~ma
Press, 1934 and 1984); And StiD the Waterr-Run: The Betrayal of the Five Civilized Tribel
(Princeton University Press,:1940); The Road to Dilappearance: A Hi,tory of the Creek/ndianl
(U~iversity of Oklahoma Press, 1941); and Oi/ahoma: ~ot .. Loole and Fancy .. Fr" (University
of Oklah~ma Press~ 1949).' Debo died in 1988. .
1997 Oklahoma Book Award Finalists
Poetry
Small Wonder, by Gar Bethel
Bethel is the author of seven books of poetry. He has taught in a Baltimore high school, at the
University of Oklahoma, the University of Pittsburgh, and Southwestern College. He lives in
Winfield, Kansas, and, at present, is poet,in,residence at the Wichita Art Museum.
Shattering Air, by David Biespiel
Biespiel was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Texas. He has degrees from Boston University
and the University of Maryland. He is a recipient of the Academy of American Poets Award
and a Wallace Stegner Fellowship. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon.
Family Album, by Howard Starks
Starks is retired from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. He has been writing
poetry since he was a young man. He and his work have a strong sense of family and place.
The Blazing Li,ht, of the Sun, by Rosita Copioli; Translated by Renata Treitel
Treitel was born in Switzerland into an Italian family. She grew up in Italy, Argentina, and the
United States. Treitel has published her own collection of poetry and has many translations in
numerous journals. She has lived in Tulsa since 1960.
Non ... Fiction
The WPA OIrJahoma Slave Narrativa, by Undsay Baker and Julie P. Baker
T. Undsay Baker is Assistant Professor of Museum Studies and Director of Academic Programs
and Graduate Studies at Baylor University. Julie P. Baker is Director of the Layland Museum in
Qeburn, Texas. This definitive, indexed edition is an important resource for Oklahoma and
Southwest historians as well as those interested in the history of African Americans, slavery,
and the Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma.
Riclr Baylell" Mexican Kitchen, by Rick Bayless
Bayless grew up in Oklahoma City and today is one of America's foremost practitioners of
Mexican cooking. He and his wife, Deann, own and operate the highly acclaimed restaurants
Frontera Grill and T opolobampo, both in Chicago.
f
or
Alias Frank Canton, by Robert K. DeArment
DeArment is well known as the author of many books about lawmen and the frontier. This book
is the life story of the controversial Canton, who, after conviction and imprisonment for armed
robbery, escaped, changed his name, and became an ambitious, hard,working peace officer.
Thoma, Moran: The Field Sketches, 1856-l92.3, by Anne Morand
Morand is the Curator of Art Collections in the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History
and Art in Tulsa. This volume is an illustrated catalog of Thomas Moran's field sketches and
includes an interpretive essay tracing the artist's 7O,year career in the field.
Wild West Shows and the Images of American Indians 188J..19JJ, by L.G. Moses
L.G. Moses is professor of history at Oklahoma State University and the author of several books
about Native Americans. Here he examines the lives and experiences of Show Indians and looks
at Wild West shows as ventures in the entertainment business, revealing the complexity of the
enterprise and the meanings for Indians, entrepreneurs, audiences, and government officials.
Big Bluestem: A Journey into the TaD Goa", by Annick Smith
Smith's book features the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska, one of the Nature
Conservancy's HLast Great Places." An important record of a state treasure, Smith's work traces
the story of this land, never broken by the plow; land that, like the grasses, endures.
Texa" New Mexico, and the Compromise of 1850, by Mark J. Stegmaier
Stegmaier is professor of history and department chair at Cameron University. He received his
MA. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara. In this work, Stegmaier
provides a comprehensive analysis of the dispute, the compromise, and the overall implications
for the Civil War.
Goff on Goff: Conversations and Lectures, by Philip B. Welch
Welch practiced architecture for more than 30 years. He was Chair of the Department of Arts
and Architecture and of Creative Arts at the University of Santa Oara. This book is about the
architect Bruce Goff, and, as Welch points out, the material is as pertinent today as it was when
Goff delivered it. Welch is deceased.
Now the Wolf Ha, Come: The Creelr Nation in the Civil War,
by Christine Schultz White and Benton R. White
White and White are both on the faculty of the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science.
Christine White holds a Ph.D. in Native American history from Texas Christian University.
Benton White's Ph.D., also from TCU, is in frontier history. This account relies heavily on Creek
oral tradition.
Children/Y oung Adult
A Stranse and Diltant Shore: Indiam of the Geat Plaim in Stile. by Brent Ashabranner
Ashabranner has carried the seeds for this book from his boyhood in Oklahoma more than half
a century ago. He won the 1995 Oklahoma Book Award for The Choctaw Code. which
delivers a strong message of honor. Ashabranner's writing is infused with a sense of history. of
the value of differing cultures. and of the dignity and decency of human beings.
Stone Water. by Barbara Snow Gilbert
Gilbert. an Oklahoma City attorney. introduces sensitive legal. moral. and emotional questions
in this work for young adults. This. her first published novel. deals with attitudes toward an
older population. about parents and children. and about love and death.
The Buffalo in the Md. by Molly Levite Griffis
Griffis is a gifted storyteller and shopkeeper who lives in Norman. She owns a bookstore and
Pendleton franchise. has taught English and performed as an artist,in,residence. Her short
stories have appeared in magazines and newspapers. This is her first book.
One April Momilll: CNldren Remember the Olclahom& City Bombins. by Nancy Lamb
Lamb. an Oklahoma City native. came back to her hometown two months after the April 1995
bombing of the Murrah Building to talk with children about the disaster that had so sadly
disrupted their lives. Fifty Oklahoma children and their thoughts are featured in this work. I
Fire in the Hil&. by Anna Myers
Myers has won the Oklahoma Book Award twice: in 1993 for Red,Dirt Jellie. and in 1996 for
Gavqard Grl. Myers has a deep understanding of rural life that she brings to her work. She
is a teacher and lives with her family in Chandler.
The Le,end of the Windi,o. by Gayle Ross
Ross is a nationally known storyteller and is a direct descendant of John Ross. Principal Chief
of the Cherokee Nation during the Trail of Tears. Ross fills her characters with sparkle and
personality. and her stories with humor and meaning. She lives in Fredericksburg. Texas.
Design/mustration .
One April Mornins: Cllilclren Remember the OrlAhoma City Bombins.
illustrated by Royd Cooper
Cooper was born and grew up in Tulsa. He received a degree in fine arts from the University
of Oklahoma. Cooper worked as an artist for a major greeting card company. and in 1984.
moved to New York City to pursue a career as a book illustrator. He now lives with his family
in West Orange, New Jersey.
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The Buffa!o in the Md, illustrated by Kim Doner
Kim Doner is a native Oklahoman who loves everything about books, especially writing and
illustrating them. This is her third book. Doner won the 1996 Oklahoma Book Award for G-een
Snake Ceremony, and her award,winning work has been shown nationally through galleries
and juried shows. She lives in Tulsa and tours schools to present information about how books
are made.
Big Bluestem: A Journey into the TaO G-a5$,
design by Carol Haralson, photography by Harvey Payne
Haralson has wonthe Oklahoma Book Award twice: in 1991 and 1993. She lived in Tulsa for
many years, and now lives in Sedona, Arizona. Payne grew up on a ranch 18 miles west of the
T allgrass Prairie Preserve and took up photography after finishing his education and opening a
law practice in Pawhuska. He serves as director of the Nature Conservancy's preserve.
The Legend of the Windigo, illustrated by Murv Jacob
Jacob is a painter and pipemaker of both Kentucky Cherokee and European heritage. His
meticulously researched, brightly colored, and richly patterned paintings draw on the tradi,
tional Southeastern Indian cultures. He lives with his family in Tahlequah.
Fiction
Sweet Remedy, by Linda Phillips Ashour
Ashour is the great,granddaughter of legendary oilman frank Phillips; she makes her home in
California. Oklahoma plays a prominent role in her books: in Sweet Remedy, the heroine has a
grandmother from Granite, Oklahoma, who makes treasures of sacks of red dirt.
uuel JuJtice, by William Bernhardt
Bernhardt is a partner and trial attorney at the Hall, Estill law firm in Tulsa. This is his seventh
novel. Bernhardt has been a finalist in the Oklahoma Book Award competition four times and
won the award in 1995 for Perfect Justice. He lives in Tulsa with his wife, Kirsten, and their
children, Harry and Alice.
A KiOing in Ouail County, by Jameson Cole
This is Cole's first novel, set in Bob White, Oklahoma, in 1957. Bob White is a smatt town
where doors are left unlocked, everyone knows your name, and alcohol is strictly forbidden. A
richly cOl1)pe11ing depiction of a boy's coming,of,age, Cole's work is hauntingly evocative of a
time gone by. Cole lives in Morrison, Colorado.
Continued on next page
Fiction, cont.
And the Angeb Sing. by J. Madison Davis
Davis is a senior professor of the Professional Writing Program at the University of Oklahoma
and is president of the North American branch of the International Association of Crime Writ,
ers. He was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award for his first novel. The Murder of Frau
Schutz.
Pushing the Bear. by Diane Glancy
An acclaimed poet and essayist. Glancy is a professor of Native American literature at
Macalester College in Minnesota. She spent many years in the Artist,in,Residence program in
Oklahoma. This is her first novel; it recreates the story of the Cherokee Trail of Tears.
The fire Carrier. by Jean Hager
Jean Hager's novels of contemporary Native American life in Oklahoma have been praised by
critics for their authenticity and passion. Hager has written six previous mystery novels filled
with Cherokee lore. She lives in Tulsa with her husband.
The final Jihad. by Martin Keating
Martin Keating is a master storyteller with unique access to government intelligence agencies
and clandestine terrorist groups. Keating. who lives in Tulsa. is the brother of Oklahoma
Governor Frank Keating.
The Names of the Dad. by Stewart O'Nan
A graduate of the Cornell M.F A. program. O'Nan teaches writing at Trinity College in Hart'
ford. Connecticut. This is the story of a man trying to find his way back to himself" a story
about memories that refuse to fade. It is a harrowing and heartfelt portrait of the Vietnam War
and those who fought in it.
The Frequency of Souls. by Mary Kay Zuravleff
Zuravleff grew up in Oklahoma City and now lives with her husband and son in Washington,
D.C .• where she edits books and exhibition texts for the Smithsonian Institution. This is her first
novel. the story of a middle,aged engineer's first encounter with self,knowledge.
S.E. Hinton
recipient of the
1997 ArreH Gbson Llfetime Achievement Award
Tulsa author Susan Eloise Hinton was a 17,year,0Id student at Will Rogers High School
in 1967 when her first book, The OutsiderJ(Viking, 1967; Dell, 1989; Warner Brothers Pictures,
1983), was published. Today, 30 years later, The Outsider, ranks as a classic, still widely read
and re,read. The novel marked the beginning of a new kind of realism in adolescent literature.
After writing The Outsider" Ms. Hinton's next four books were also successful young
adult novels, and three of them, in addition to The Outsider" became major motion pictures.
That Was Then, This is Now, (Viking, 1971; Dell, 1989; Paramount Pictures, 1985); Rumble
Fish (Delacorte, 1975; Universal Pictures, 1983); Tex (Delacorte, 1979; Buena Vista/Walt
Disney Productions, 1982); and Tamin, the Star Runner (Delacorte, 1988) have collectively
won many honors. Ms. Hinton has received awards from the New York Herald Tribune,
Chicago Tribune, Media 6- Methods, American Library Association, School Library Journal,
and California, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New Mexico book awards. She has also been
honored by the American Library Association and School Library Journal for her body of
work.
In 1995, Ms. Hinton had two books for children published: Bi, David, Little David (Bantam
Doubleday Dell, 1995), and The Puppy Sister (Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1995).
The Olelahoma Center for the Book wishes to thanlc
the judges for the 1997 competition. They were:
Dan Blanchard
Kay Boies
Tom Buckley
David Clark
Aarone Corwin
Evelyn K. Davis
Bettie Estes,Rickner
Karyn Lynn Gilman
Ann Hamilton
Carol Hamilton
Rosemary Hardy
James Herring
Ann Hunt
Ken Jackson
Mary McAnally
Bill McCloud
Howard Meredith
Donna Norvell
B. Byron Price
Jean Richardson
DeWayne Smoot
Leah Taylor
James R. Tolbert III
Mary Woodman
William R. Young
The Oklahoma Center for the Book acknowledges the generous
contributions of the following organizations and individuals:
Best of Books, Edmond
Bollinger's Books, Oklahoma City
Full Circle Books, Oklahoma City
National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center
Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Office of Public Information
Oklahoma Independent Booksellers Association
Steve's Books, Tulsa
Very special thAnks to the chair of the ceremony committee:
Diane Cana van
Proceed. from tonight's book sale, will benefit the Oklahoma Center for the Book
Oklahoma Digital Prairie: Documents, Images and Information
