2010 Best Books of Indiana Fiction Entries
Thank all of you for serving as a fiction in the sixth-annual Best Books of Indiana competition. On the "Judges" homepage you can find an entry form which provides background and basic guidelines for the competition.
Here are brief introductions and contact information for your fellow judges:
Mrs. Edythe Huffman has worked in all types of libraries in several parts of the country. Edie has judged book and writing contests for several years, including two years with the Best Books of Minnesota, and continuing in Indiana in the same capacity for the past five years in the Best Books of Indiana competition. She can be reached at ehuffman@library.in.gov.
Dr. Kelcey Parker is the author of For Sale By Owner, a collection of short stories forthcoming from Kore Press in 2011. Her stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Third Coast, Redivider, Bellingham Review, Santa Monica Review, Western Humanities Review, Indiana Review, Portland Review, Sycamore Review, and twice in Image, where she was featured as Artist of the Month in November 2009. She has a Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Cincinnati, and is currently a professor at Indiana University South Bend. Dr. Parker can be reached at parkerk@iusb.edu.
Ms. Suzanne Bailer Smith Sis a two-time entrant and one-time winner (Best Nontraditional Book of 2008) of the Best Books of Indiana competition. She received her BS and MS in English from Indiana University, and has taught high school English and Humorous Creative Writing at IUPUI as an adjunct professor. Her humor essays and articles have also appeared in numerous magazines and regional newspapers, including Indianapolis Woman, Parents Without Partners, and Indianapolis Star. Suzanne may be reached at sks1224@sbcglobal.net.
The decision process itself is up to the panel of judges for each category. Your panel can make individual decisions and then get together in person/email/phone to reach a group consensus, or you can make decisions as a group. You may want to use the “Evaluation Guide” to use in rating the books. Each panel picks up to three (3) finalists and from these chooses one (1) Best Book.
Important Dates:
September 20: The judging panel should provide the following: list of three (3) finalists and identification of the Best Book (email is fine).
September 21: Finalists will receive notification by this date. Note: They will not know which book is the Best Book until the awards ceremony.
September 27: Identify the winner among the three finalists and collectively submit a 3-6 sentence comment for each finalist (see attached sample from previous year).
Please contact Drew Griffis at agriffis@library.in.gov if you have questions, comments, or suggestions during the judging process.