Evansville-based author selects local public library and program for Library Foundation grant as part of 2011 Indiana Authors Award

University of Evansville Professor Margaret McMullan directs $2,500 grant honoring all Indiana authors to local programs

The hometown libraries of the three Indiana authors who were recently awarded the 2011 Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award will each receive $2,500 grants this month. The Award, a program of The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation, and the subsequent grants seek to recognize the contributions of Indiana authors to the literary landscape in Indiana and across the nation.

National Author Winner Margaret McMullan named the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library as a recipient of $1,500 and the Willard Library’s Children’s Services Program as a recipient of $1,000.

Regional Author Winner Helen Frost named the Allen County Public Library in her hometown of Fort Wayne, IN, and Emerging Author Winner Micah Ling named the Franklin Branch of the Johnson County Public Library in Franklin, IN as grant recipients.

“I am so honored to be named as this year’s National Award recipient,” said McMullan. “I moved to Indiana about 21 years ago to teach at the University of Evansville, and I’ve grown to love this state, its people and its strong literary heritage. I feel privileged and humbled to be a part of all that this award celebrates, including the ongoing value of public libraries.”

Public nominations of authors were submitted from across the state earlier this year and eligibility included any published writer who was born in Indiana or has lived in Indiana for at least five years. A ten-member, statewide Award Panel selected the winners in the three categories, which were announced last month.

Information about nominating an author for the 2012 Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award will be made available early next year. To learn more, contact The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation at (317) 275-4700 or visit www.indianaauthorsaward.org.
About The Glick Fund: Eugene and Marilyn Glick are two of the most generous philanthropists in Indiana. In addition to establishing the Indiana Authors Award with The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation, the Glick family has funded Indiana educational institutions, arts organizations, hospitals and the Pro-100 program, a leadership program for underprivileged youth. Recent grant recipients include the Indiana Historical Society Living History Center, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail and the Glick Eye Institute at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

About the Library Foundation: The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation supports and enhances programs, services and facilities of The Indianapolis Public Library, and its partnerships in lifelong learning initiatives that benefit a diverse community. Through advocacy, fundraising and stewardship, the Library Foundation supports numerous Library initiatives to enhance patrons’ lives, including early literacy programs, homework assistance, workforce development and technologies, including a variety of online library resources. The Foundation works to support these initiatives, making educational opportunities available free of charge to all Library patrons.

About Margaret McMullan: McMullan currently teaches in the Department of Creative Writing at the University of Evansville where she is Professor and Melvin M. Peterson Endowed Chair in Literature and Writing. A recipient of a 2010 NEA Fellowship in literature and a 2010 Fulbright at the University of Pécs in Pécs, Hungary, McMullan is the author of six award-winning novels. Her novels include “In My Mother’s House,” a Pen/Faulkner nominee; “Cashay,” a Chicago Public Library 2009 Teen Book Selection; and “When I Crossed No-Bob,” a recipient of many honors and awards for young adult literature and parents’ choice awards. Her latest book, “Sources of Light,” is an American Library Association 2011 Best Book for Young Adults and a Chicago Public Library Teen Selection. McMullan’s work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Ploughshares, Southern Accents, TriQuarterly, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Greensboro Review, Other Voices, Boulevard, The Arkansas Review, The Montréal Review, National Geographic for Kids, The Southern California Anthology, Southern Accents and The Sun. http://margaretmcmullan.com