PORTLAND — During an awards ceremony on June 14 hosted at SPACE, the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance (MWPA) revealed live the winners of the 2018 Maine Literary Awards.
This year, 145 books were entered across the award’s categories, more than 70 manuscripts were submitted into the award’s Short Works Competition, and nearly 40 Maine students submitted work in the award’s Youth Competition.
The Maine Literary Awards is an annual competition sponsored and coordinated by the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance. Nominations were open to all Maine residents, including seasonal residents. The statewide competition is for published books, as well as drama, short works (either published or unpublished), and student writing.
The winners are:
Fiction, “A Piece of the World,” by Christina Baker Kline. Crime Fiction, “In Solo Time,” by Richard J. Cass. Speculative Fiction, “Ka,” by John Crowley. Nonfiction, “The Evangelicals,” by Frances FitzGerald. Memoir, “Redeeming Ruth,” by Meadow Merrill. Poetry, “Work by Bloodlight,” by Julia Bouwsma. Young People’s Literature, “Grit,” by Gillian French. Children’s, “Pocket Full of Colors,” by Jacqueline Tourville. Anthology (Editors), “3 Nations Anthology: Native, Canadian & New England Writers,” Valerie Lawson (editor).
John N. Cole Award for Maine-themed Nonfiction, “One Man’s Maine,” by Jim Krosschell. Excellence in Publishing, “There Has to Be Magic,” by Donna Marie McNeil and Christina Shipps (Maine Authors Publishing).
Drama Award (for film, theater, and other scripts), Michael D. Burke. Short Works Competition, Fiction, Zach Brockhouse. Short Works Competition, Nonfiction, Leslie Moore. Short Works Competition, Poetry, Lee Sharkey. Youth Competition, Fiction, Makena Deveraux. Youth Competition, Nonfiction, Ayub Mohamud. Youth Competition, Poetry, Wilson Haims.
Special awards included:
2018 Book donation recipients: Millinocket Memorial Library will receive a copy of every book nominated to this year’s awards.
2018 MWPA Distinguhsed Achievement Award: Monica Wood for exceptional and steadfast contributions to the Maine literary arts. Presented by Richard Russo.
Winners are listed on the MWPA website at mainewriters.org/programs/maine-literary-awards/. Finalists are listed at mainewriters.org/2018-maine-literary-awards-finalists/.
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