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2004 Oklahoma Book Award Finalists
Winners
are marked with an Oklahoma Book Award graphic.
CHILDREN/YOUNG ADULT
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| Winner for Young Adult |
The Painters of Lexieville——Candlewick Press,
Cambridge, MA
For this harrowing coming-of-age story, Oklahoma native Darrow drew on
her experience of working in an Arkansas county welfare department. The
tale of determination and empowerment is told from the point of view of
the heroine, Pert, as well as that of her brother, Jobe, and mother, Truly.
This is Darrow’s first novel for young adults. She has written several
books for children. She lives in Chicago with her three daughters.
The Great American Bunion Derby——Eakin
Press, Austin, TX
Did you know a Sooner was crowned the best long distance runner in the
world in 1928? Griffis’s book is the inspiring story of Andy Payne,
the “Cherokee Kid” who ran 3,000 miles between Los Angeles
and New York to win the first International Trans-Continental Foot Race.
Griffis expresses her appreciation to Jim Ross for the “mounds of
research” provided for this book. Griffis has written five books
for children. Three have now been Book Award finalists. She received the
Oklahoma Book Award in 2002 for The Rachel Resistance.
Flying Blind——Walker & Company, New York, NY
Two-time Oklahoma Book Award winner Anna Myers spins an unusual tale
based on a real life environmental crisis. At the turn of the twentieth
century, millions of birds were being slaughtered in Florida so that
their feathers could be used to make fashionable hats. In Flying
Blind,
a father, son, and clairvoyant pet macaw take their traveling medicine
show to the Everglades. The son faces a moral dilemma when he befriends
two orphans who depend on feathering to stay alive.
S is for Sooner: An Oklahoma Alphabet——Sleeping
Bear Press, Chelsea, MI
“E” is for Enid and Elk City and El Reno and Edmond and Eskimo
Joe’s and evening at Lake Eufaula. Scillian’s book is a celebration
of Oklahoma “A” to “Z.” Author, journalist, and
musician Devin Scillian grew up all over the world, but considers Oklahoma
home. He is former anchor for KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City, and author of the
national best-seller A is for America: An American
Alphabet.
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| Winner for Children |
Grady’s in the Silo——Pelican Publishing
Company, Inc., Gretna, LA
How would someone squeeze a 1,200-pound cow out of a silo? That’s
the problem Townsend solves in this book, which is based on a true story
that happened in her hometown of Yukon, Oklahoma in 1949. Sick and upset,
Grady the cow tries to escape after the vet gives her a shot, only to end
up stuck in her farm family’s silo. People from across the country
and around the world are all too happy to give their advice on how
to rescue Grady. Townsend has been an elementary school teacher for
nearly 20 years.
Bone Head: Story of the Longhorn——Eakin
Press, Austin, TX
Webber was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award in 2000 for The
Buffalo Train Ride, the story of how the American Bison was saved from extinction.
Webber now turns her attention to the Longhorn, a species of cattle
that played a unique role in the history of America. Indeed, as Webber
explains, if not for these creatures, we may never have had the cowboy,
trail drives, or the Wild West! Webber is Director of the Mustang Public
Library.
DESIGN/ILLUSTRATION
Art Treasures of the Oklahoma State
Capitol—Designed by —Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc.
The last decade has been kind to the grand State Capitol. Architectural
restorations, the additions of new artwork, and the soaring new dome have
enhanced this historic building. The establishment of the State Senate
Historical Preservation Fund, through the leadership of Senator Charles
Ford, means more art is destined for the halls of state government. Haralson
has received a record five Oklahoma Book Awards. Her design for this work
showcases the diverse murals, paintings and sculptures currently on display
at the capitol, and provides a sneak peak at some projects in the works.
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| Winner for Design |
Family Album: A Centennial Pictorial of the
Oklahoma Publishing Company—Designed
by ; Chief Photographer, —The Oklahoma Publishing Company, Oklahoma City, OK
This book is one of two finalists that commemorate OPUBCO’s centennial. Family Album is
already a collector’s item since the company printed
only enough copies for distribution to employees, families, and friends.
Horton employs an intimate photo scrapbook design to pay tribute to the
many Oklahomans who have worked for OPUBCO, highlighting pictures from
the vaults as well as modern photographs.
How Medicine Came to the People and How
Rabbit Lost His Tail—Drawings by —University of New
Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM
These two titles mark the fifth and sixth times Jacob has been honored
as a Book Award finalist in Design/Illustration. He won the Oklahoma
Book Award last year for The Great Ball Game of
the Birds and Animals,
a retelling of a traditional Cherokee tale. Once again, Jacob has collaborated
with author Deborah Duvall to bring two more Cherokee stories to life
for children today.
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| Winner for Illustration |
S is for Sooner—Illustrated by —Sleeping Bear
Press, Chelsea, MI
Radzinski’s art has been described as “quirky realism.” She
has taught art at Central Washington State College and the University of
Tulsa, and has illustrated children’s books, posters, greeting
cards, and even a six-foot penguin. She won the Oklahoma Book Award in
1993 for The Twelve Cats of Christmas. She lives in Tulsa with her husband, son,
and two Scottie dogs.
The Oklahoma Publishing Company’s First
Century: The Gaylord Family Story—Designed by —The
Oklahoma Publishing Company, Oklahoma City, OK
Seattle designer Wincapaw helps bring author David Dary’s OPUBCO
history to life with historic photos, notable editorial cartoons, and
reproductions of Daily Oklahoman front pages from throughout the
company’s 100
years of existence.
FICTION
Death Row——Ballantine Books, New York,
NY
This “master of the courtroom drama” (Library
Journal) returns
with another legal thriller featuring crusading Oklahoma attorney Ben
Kincaid. This time around, Ben must save an innocent man from execution.
Bernhardt is a two-time winner of the Oklahoma Book Award in fiction.
He is a former trial attorney who has received a number of awards for
his public service. He lives in Tulsa with his wife and three children.
Stone Heart: A Novel of Sacajawea——The Overlook
Press, Woodstock, NY
Glancy juxtaposes excerpts from Lewis and Clark’s diaries with
those from an imagined journal kept by Sacajawea to retell the story
of this legendary Shoshoni woman. Glancy won the Oklahoma Book Award
in this category last year for The Mask Maker: A
Novel. She is also a
finalist in the Poetry category this year. She has received numerous
other awards, including the American Book Award, the Pushcart Prize,
and the Native American Indian Prose Award. She teaches at Macalester
College in Minnesota.
Letter from Home——Berkley Prime Crime, New York,
NY
Oklahoma City’s Carolyn Hart has written more than 30 mystery novels,
but this is the only one set in Oklahoma. Journalist G.G. Gilman receives
a letter from home, which brings back memories of a sultry summer in
a small Oklahoma town, when her life changed forever. Hart has won a
slew of mystery awards, including the cream of the crop: the Agatha,
the Anthony, and the Macavity. She is an Oklahoma Book Award winner for
fiction, and is the 2004 Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement
Award recipient.
University Boulevard——Clock Tower Press,
Ann Arbor, MI
This sequel to the best-selling Flatbellies follows Chipper DeHart and
Peachy Waterman as they maneuver college life in the late 1960s—a
time when the John Wayne world of right and wrong is turned upside down
in a tornado of social change. Flatbellies was also a finalist for the
Oklahoma Book Award. In addition to his new career as author, Hollingsworth
is a breast cancer specialist. He serves as Medical Director for Mercy
Women’s Center in Oklahoma City.
As Brown As I Want: The Indianhead Diaries——iUniverse,
Lincoln, NE
Eight year-old Glory has a father who has taken out a $50,000 accidental
death policy on her. Now he’s spending the summer trying to collect.
This is Hooper’s self-described “fictional autobiography” of
her childhood, growing up in Southwestern Oklahoma, and her second novel
set in Oklahoma. Her short stories and commentaries have been published
in books, magazines, and newspapers. She currently lives in Oregon.
The Greek Summer——iUniverse, Lincoln,
NE
In this funny and thought-provoking coming-of-age story, five young lifeguards
discover the Greek philosophers, and learn that the world of mind and
ideas is far more fascinating than anything they have ever known. Dr.
Miller received his Ph.D. from the Union Institute in Cincinnati. His
past publications include A Footnote on Plato: An
Introduction to Philosophy.
He currently teaches philosophy at the University of Central Oklahoma,
and lives in Edmond with his wife, Janelle.
Song of the Bones——Intrigue Press, Denver, CO
Preston’s first novel, Perhaps She’ll Die, was also an Oklahoma
Book Award finalist, as well as a finalist for the Redmond Barry, Macavity,
and Mary Higgins Clark Awards. This engaging second novel is also set
in the fictional town of Tetumka, Oklahoma, where protagonist and amateur
sleuth Chantalene Morrell becomes embroiled in a decades-old mystery.
Preston lives in Edmond, where she edits and publishes ByLine, a nationally
distributed trade magazine for writers.
This Raw, Red Land——iUniverse, Lincoln, NE
In Shipley’s first novel, a large family from Texas moves to Indian
Territory to protect a son from the law and to start a new life. Death,
murder, and punishment follow them to their new home. Shipley was raised
in Healdton, a town near the area depicted in the novel. She and her
husband John live an acreage where they raise pecans and hay.
Walking the Choctaw Road——Cinco Puntos Press, El
Paso, TX
In his Introduction, Tingle writes, “…the Trail of Tears
lingers deep in the memory bank of every Choctaw. We have all heard the
stories. In our minds and dreams, we have walked the frozen ground carrying
our dead.” Although these stories depict tragedy and loss, they
also represent triumph and survival. Tingle is a collector of Choctaw
oral literature. He is the recipient of the 2003 John Henry Faulk Award
for “outstanding contributions to the art of storytelling.”
NON-FICTION
Dictators,
Democracy, and American Public Culture: Envisioning the Totalitarian
Enemy, 1920s–1950s—Benjamin L. Alpers—University
of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC
Alpers focuses on U.S. films, magazine and newspaper articles, books,
plays, speeches and other texts to trace America’s understanding
of dictatorship from the late 1920s through the early years of the cold
war. Alpers is Reach for Excellence Assistant Professor in the Honors
College, and Assistant Professor of History and Film and Video Studies
at the University of Oklahoma.
Art Treasures of the Oklahoma State Capitol—Bob
Burke, Betty Crow, and Sandy Meyers—Oklahoma State Senate Historical
Preservation Fund, Inc.
This official Oklahoma Centennial Project depicts and describes the more
than 100 works of art on display in and around the State Capitol building.
The Senate Historical Preservation Fund, founded through the leadership
of Senator Charles Ford, was joined by the Oklahoma Arts Council, Oklahoma
Heritage Association, Friends of the Capitol, and more than 36 other
contributors to make this publication a reality. Burke received the Oklahoma
Book Award in 1999 for From Oklahoma to Eternity:
The Life of Wiley Post and the Winnie Mae. Crow is coauthor of The
House Oklahoma Built: The History of the Oklahoma Governor’s Mansion. Meyers’s goal
for years has been to write a book about the art in the capitol and the
contributions of Oklahoma Arts Council Director Betty Price.
A Dancing People: Powwow Culture on the Southern
Plains—Clyde Ellis—University
Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Folklorist Barre Toelken describes the powwow as “one of the most
rapidly growing expressions of ethnic awareness and identity to be found
in the world today.” Ellis has written the first comprehensive
history of Southern Plains powwow culture: from its history and traditions
to the vital cultural force it is today in Indian country. Ellis himself
has participated in powwow culture for the past two decades. He is Associate
Professor of History at Elon University in North Carolina.
Taking Indian Lands: The Cherokee (Jerome)
Commission, 1889–1893—William
T. Hagan—University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK
The Cherokee Commission was formed to negotiate the purchase of huge
acres of land from tribes in Indian Territory in order to “civilize” the
Indians and speed their assimilation into American culture. The coerced
sales opened 15 million acres to white settlement, making possible the
state of Oklahoma at the expense of the tribes who had held claim to
the land. Hagan is retired Professor of History at the University of
Oklahoma, and the author of numerous books on American Indian subjects.
Machine Gun Kelly’s Last Stand—Stanley Hamilton—University
Press of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Machine Gun Kelly’s 1933 abduction of Oklahoma City oilman Charles
Urschel (“arguably the shrewdest kidnap victim in American history”)
sparked a chain of events that would have lasting significance on crime
fighting in America. Hamilton’s cast of larger-than-life characters
of the time includes the 38 year-old director of the national police
force, J. Edgar Hoover. Hamilton is a freelance writer and former reporter
for the Kansas City Star.
One Woman’s Political Journey: Kate Barnard and Social Reform,
1875–1930—Lynn Musslewhite and Suzanne Jones Crawford—University
of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK
Kate Barnard was a tireless crusader for the disadvantaged, becoming
a spokesperson for child labor laws, compulsory school attendance, and
a modern penal structure. In 1907, she became the first woman in the
nation elected to a state post: Commissioner of Charities and Corrections.
Musslewhite and Crawford detail Barnard’s life and work, including
her political successes and failures. Musslewhite is Professor Emeritus
of History at Cameron University in Lawton. Crawford is Professor of
History at Cameron.
Oklahoma Tough: My Father, King of the Tulsa
Bootleggers—Ron Padgett—University
of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK
Padgett draws on interviews, historical documents, police records and
his own vivid memories to resurrect the father he never really knew.
Wayne Padgett was a study in contrasts: charming and generous, and also
one of the state’s most elusive bootleggers and career criminals.
Poet Ron Padgett is the author of more than 20 books. He served as publications
director of Teachers and Writers Collaborative from 1980 to 2000.
Lizards: Windows to the Evolution of Diversity—Eric R. Pianka and Laurie
J. Vitt—University of California Press, Berkeley, CA
“The biology of lizards is a window through which we can peek at
the evolutionary history of life,” Vitt writes in his introductory
copy. Lizards is considered the first comprehensive reference book on
lizards around the world. Pianka is Denton A. Cooley Centennial Professor
of Zoology at the University of Texas. Vitt is Professor of Zoology at
the University of Oklahoma and Curator of Reptiles at the Sam Noble Oklahoma
Museum of Natural History.
Searching for Lost City: On the Trail of America’s Native Languages—Elizabeth
Seay—Lyons Press, Guilford, CT
More than 100 Native American languages are quickly moving toward extinction.
By the middle of this century, experts predict only twenty tribal languages
may still be in use. What do we lose when a language disappears? That’s
the question that fuels Seay’s narrative as she tracks down what
is left of these languages in her home state of Oklahoma. Seay writes
for the Wall Street Journal.
The Days We Danced: The Story of My Theatrical
Family—Doris Eaton
Travis with Joseph and Charles Eaton as told to J.R. Morris—University
of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK
At age 14, Doris Eaton Travis was a young Ziegfeld Follies dancer appearing
with such legends as Will Rogers and Fanny Brice. Her sister Mary became
a Ziegfeld star, and her brother Charles was a popular child actor. This
book relates the remarkable successes and poignant sorrows of the theatrical
Eatons, complete with period photographs and an Eaton Family show business
chronology. Eaton Travis is still dancing at age 99, running a ranch
in Norman. Morris is Provost Emeritus and Regents Professor Emeritus
of the University of Oklahoma.
Around the Sacred Fire: Native Religious Activism
in the Red Power Era—James Treat—Palgrave Macmillan, New York, NY
This is the first comprehensive study of the Indian Ecumenical Conference.
Founded in 1969, the conference was an attempt at organizing grassroots
spiritual leaders who were concerned about the conflict between tribal
and Christian tradition. By the mid-seventies, thousands of people were
gathering each summer to participate in weeklong encampments promoting
spiritual revitalization and religious self-determination. Treat teaches
in the Honors College at the University of Oklahoma.
POETRY
Crossing
the Ladder of Sun—Laura
Apol—Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, MI
Apol’s poetry explores the ordinary, mundane moments of life, transforming
them into the extraordinary. Her poetry has appeared in numerous anthologies
and literary journals, including a full-length collection, Falling into
Grace. She is currently Associate Professor of Education at Michigan
State University. Although she now lives in East Lansing, she still considers
Oklahoma her spirit’s home.
Wild Civility—David Biespiel—University of Washington Press,
Seattle, WA
Biespiel was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Texas. The poems in Wild
Civility are the product of two years of writing in a single form: a
nine-line sonnet that Biespiel calls an American Sonnet. The result was
an “explosion of language” for the author. Biespiel lives
with his wife and son in Portland, Oregon.
The Shadow’s Horse—Diane Glancy—University of Arizona
Press, Tucson, AZ
“Wholeness is when the shadow of the rider and his horse are one,” according
to a saying in the Native American tradition. In The
Shadow’s Horse,
Glancy employs her diverse talent with words to walk the margin between
her Indian and white heritage as she writes about family, work, and faith.
A 2003 Oklahoma Book Award winner for The Mask Maker:
A Novel, Glancy
is a perennial presence on Oklahoma Book Award finalists lists, and is
also a finalist in the Fiction category this year.
By the Grace of Ghosts—Judith Tate O’Brien and Jane Taylor—Village
Books Press, Cheyenne, OK
O’Brien and Taylor met in poetry class in 1992. Thereafter, they
met weekly, “teaching each other how to look for the poem that
had gone into hiding; how to craft it or else abandon it; and how to
braid our writing lives into a long rope of friendship.” The small
Oklahoma Catholic mission of Sacred Heart, now a ghost town, played a
role in the family histories of both women. O’Brien currently teaches
creative writing at Rose State College, while Taylor makes her living
as a reference librarian at the University of Central Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Center for the Book, sponsor of the Oklahoma Book Award competition, is a non-profit, 501-c-3 organization located in the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. Established in 1986 as an outreach program of the Library of Congress, the Oklahoma Center was the fourth such state center formed. It is governed by a volunteer board of directors from across the state.
The mission of the Oklahoma Center for
the Book is
to
promote the work of Oklahoma authors,
to promote the
literary heritage of the state, and
to encourage reading
for pleasure by Oklahomans of all ages.
For more information about the Oklahoma Center for the Book or the Oklahoma Book Award program, contact Connie Armstrong, 200 N.E. 18th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73105; or call 405-522-3383.
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