Society of Midland Authors Announces Award Winners

The Society of Midland Authors has announced the winners of its annual competition of best books published in 2018 by authors with Midwest connections. My friend Marlene Targ Brill did a splendid job in coordinating this contest, and I thank her for asking me to be one of the judges in the Adult Fiction category. The winners are:
ADULT FICTION: Kelly O’Connor McNees, “Undiscovered Country”
ADULT NONFICTION: Shane Bauer, “American Prison: A Reporter’s Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment”
BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR: Will McGrath, “Everything Lost is Found Again: Four Seasons in Lesotho.”
CHILDREN’S FICTION: Samira Ahmed, “Love, Hate & Other Filters”
CHILDREN’S NONFICTION: Patricia Hruby Powell: “Struttin’ With Some Barbeque: Lil Hardin Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz”
POETRY: Claire Wahmanholm: “Wilder”
The annual awards dinner will be at the historic Cliff Dwellers Club, 200 S. Michigan, 22nd Floor, Chicago, Tuesday evening May 14. Tickets are $75 each. Reservations can be made by PayPal or check at http://www.midlandauthors.com.