The Massachusetts Center for the Book held a combined ceremony for the 2012 and 2013 Massachusetts Book Award winners and honorees yesterday at the State House.
A view of the State House, where the Massachusetts Book Awards ceremony was held yesterday.Laura Harrington won the 2012 Massachusetts Book Award for fiction with Alice Bliss, her first novel.
It was a lovely celebration of books and authors in the Grand Staircase space at the State House on the kick-off day for the Boston Book Festival, which runs through Saturday, October 19, in Copley Square locations, including the Boston Public Library.
Several authors received additional citations from their own state representatives. Among the speakers who spoke warmly of the need to continue to fund school and public libraries, and other literacy advocacy efforts such as the Center for the Book were Senate Majority Leader Stanley C. Rosenberg and the head of the library caucus, Representative Kate Hogan.
Matthew Pearl, the 2013 winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for fiction with The Technologists, poses for a photo with Jan Resnick of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, convener of the fiction panel of judges.
“The Massachusetts Center for the Book champions writers and writers need champions.” – Maureen Stanton, author of Killer Stuff & Tons of Money, winner of 2012 Massachusetts Book Award for Nonfiction.
Authors who were honored in person at the State House were:
Laura Harrington, Alice Bliss, Fiction Award 2012
Matthew Pearl, The Technologists, Fiction Award 2013
Maryanne O’Hara, Cascade, Fiction Honors 2013
William Landay, Defending Jacob, Fiction Honors 2013
B.A. Shapiro, The Art Forger, Fiction Honors 2013
Maureen Stanton, Killer Stuff & Tons of Money, Nonfiction Award 2012
George Howe Colt, Brothers, Nonfiction Award 2013
Natalie Dykstra, Clover Adams: A Gilded and Heartbreaking Life, Nonfiction Honors 2013
Martin Espada, The Trouble Ball, Poetry Award 2012
Michael Cantor, Life in the Second Circle, Poetry Honors 2013
Sallie (Penny) Chisholm, Ocean Sunlight, Children’s/YA Award 2013
Cynthia Levinson, We’ve Got a Job: The 1983 Birmingham Children’s March, Children’s/YA Honors 2013
Carol A. Peacock, Red Thread Sisters, Children’s/YA Honors 2013
Matt Tavares, There Goes Ted Williams, The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, Children’s/YA Honors 2013
For a complete list of all Massachusetts Book Award winners and honorees, visit the Massachusetts Center for the Book. Watch for the professional photos taken by Janet Picinich to be posted on Facebook on the Center for the Book’s page.
A copy of the Massachusetts Must Reads 2013 poster is available to public libraries upon request from the Center for the Book.
“Congratulations to the Massachusetts Center for the Book for producing such a beautiful [2013 Must Reads] poster! I confess it’s the first poster I’ve hung on my wall since the psychedelic Jefferson Airplane poster, senior year of high school.” – George Howe Colt, author of Brothers, winner of the 2013 Massachusetts Book Award for Nonfiction.
Authors in attendance graciously posed for photo after photo.
Honorees’ books on displayHonorees’ books on display
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Glad you had a good time. I had another obligation in Providence last night and meant to stop by here and tell you such before last night but… no excuses. I would have liked to meet Matthew Pearl – I enjoyed his first book but have yet to get to The Technologists but I’m sure it is something I would like.
Hope to see you tomorrow.
I wish I took better pictures and notes at the event! The Massachusetts Center for the Book will have photos from the professional photographer posted soon. Yes, Bill Landay was one of the authors I “met” at the Speed-Dating with Authors event in the spring!
The Massachusetts Center for the Book held a combined ceremony for the 2012 and 2013 Massachusetts Book Award winners and honorees yesterday at the State House.
Glad you had a good time. I had another obligation in Providence last night and meant to stop by here and tell you such before last night but… no excuses. I would have liked to meet Matthew Pearl – I enjoyed his first book but have yet to get to The Technologists but I’m sure it is something I would like.
Hope to see you tomorrow.
I’ll have more time to visit at the Book Festival if you go, anyway. Text me if you do!
I’ve been looking forward to this post 🙂 Yay for O’Hara and Shapiro being on the list, and I think Landay was one of the authors you met recently?
I wish I took better pictures and notes at the event! The Massachusetts Center for the Book will have photos from the professional photographer posted soon. Yes, Bill Landay was one of the authors I “met” at the Speed-Dating with Authors event in the spring!