Aug. 30, 2006

The Michigan Center for the Book today announced Steve Hamilton as the winner of the 2006 Michigan Author Award.  Sponsored jointly by the Michigan Center for the Book (a program of the Library of Michigan) and the Michigan Library Association, this annual award honors a Michigan writer for his or her contributions to literature, based on an outstanding published body of work.

Steve Hamilton's first novel, "A Cold Day In Paradise," won the Edgar Allan Poe Award, one of the mystery genre's most prestigious awards.  That book introduced Alex McKnight, a reluctant private investigator living in the small town of Paradise, Mich.  Hamilton has won several other awards since then and his books are now translated into 12 languages.  "A Stolen Season," the seventh book in the McKnight series, is scheduled for release in early September 2006.

"It's always a delight to pay tribute to one of our state's true literary treasures with the Michigan Author Award," said Michigan Center for the Book coordinator Karren Reish.  "Steve Hamilton has stayed true to his Great Lakes roots and manages to affectionately weave pieces of Michigan into his always entertaining storytelling."

Hamilton was born and raised in the Detroit area and graduated from the University of Michigan, where he won the prestigious Hopwood Award for fiction.  He currently lives in New York's Hudson Valley with his family.  "I'm still a Michigan boy at heart," he said.  "I can't even tell you what this award means to me.  It feels like the whole state is calling me back home, to let me know I did something worth celebrating.  It's overwhelming."

The Michigan Author Award will be presented at the Michigan Library Association conference in Detroit on Friday, Oct. 13, 2006, as part of the Author Award luncheon.  Tickets are available from the Michigan Library Association at http://www.mla.lib.mi.us/.

A panel of judges representing Michigan librarians and the Michigan Center for the Book chooses the recipient of the Michigan Author Award, based on overall literary merit.  For more information on the Michigan Author Award, please see http://michigan.gov/mcfb.

Previous winners of the Michigan Author Award include Christopher Paul Curtis (2005),  Patricia Polacco (2004), Diane Wakoski (2003), Nicholas Delbanco (2002), Thomas Lynch (2001), Janie Lynn Panagopoulos (2000), Jerry Dennis (1999), Gloria Whelan (1998), Loren Estleman (1997), Elmore Leonard (1996), Janet Kauffman (1995), Nancy Willard (1994), Charles Baxter (1993) and Dan Gerber (1992).

The Michigan Center for the Book, a program of the Library of Michigan and the center's affiliates, aims to promote an awareness of books, reading, literacy, authors and Michigan's rich literary heritage.  New affiliates are welcome.  For more information about the Michigan Center for the Book and its programs, visit www.michigan.gov/mcfb.

The Library of Michigan is part of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).  Dedicated to strengthening the economy and enriching the quality of life for Michigan residents by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity, the department also includes the Michigan Historical Center, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan Film Office.  For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).