The 2024 Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards announced its shortlist, including works written by seven Black Hoosier authors.
The shortlist of books eligible for top honors in eight of the Indiana Authors Awards literary categories was released on Aug. 12. Fifty-two books written by Hoosier authors and published in 2022 and 2023 made the list, including those written by Angela Jackson-Brown, Maurice Broaddus, Curtis Crisler, Dori Graham, Douglass Manuel, Robin Lee Lovelace and Kekla Magoon.
“Indiana is fertile ground for local writers to grow and flourish, and the awards celebrate that,” Marianne Glick, chair of the Glick Family Foundation and daughter of Eugene and Marilyn Glick, said in a statement. “The Indiana Authors Awards programs provide the next generation of writers with opportunities to learn from previous winners and honorees. That’s something I would say is as important as the awards themselves, and I’m thrilled to see the continued success of both.”
Indiana Authors Awards was created from Eugene and Marilyn Glick’s vision in 2009 and is an active component of Indiana Humanities’ literary programming. With support from Glick Philanthropies, Indiana Humanities hosts the awards biannually. Honorees and winners are invited to participate in an annual statewide speaker program to engage with readers, teachers and students.
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Of the authors to make the 2024 shortlist, seven are Black; however, they represent nine books across five different genres, including Maurice Broaddus’ “Unfadeable” and “Sweep of Stars,” Dori Graham’s “Brave Miss Muffet,” Angela Jackson-Brown’s “Homeward,” Kekla Magoon’s “The Minus-One Club” and “Ketanji: Justice Jackson’s Journey to the U.S. Supreme Court,” Curtis Crisler’s “Doing Drive-bys on How to Love in the Midwest,” Douglas Manuel’s “Trouble Funk,” and Robin Lee Lovelace’s “A Wild Region: Tales and Stories from the Heartland.”
The other authors who made the shortlist include lifelong Hoosiers, former residents with deep ties to Indiana and professors at Indiana colleges and universities. The 52 books contain a variety of short stories and poetry related to “Indiana’s forgotten past,” contemporary retellings of fairy tales and mysteries.
“Literature is far more than words on a page, and these shortlisted books display the incredible talent and effort that goes into writing works that represent Indiana well,” Keira Amstutz, Indiana Humanities president and CEO, said in a statement. “We had the most nominations we’ve ever seen in 2024, and the competition was robust. We deeply appreciate the generosity of Glick Philanthropies that empowers us to connect readers with new and familiar writers whose work we know will inspire them.”
The Indiana Authors Awards are judged by former winners, writers, educators, scholars, local bookstore owners and librarians. All winners will be announced Aug. 21. For more information, visit indianaauthorsawards.org.
This story has been updated to include Robin Lee Lovelace and her book “A Wild Region: Tales and Stories from the Heartland.”
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
