State library adds books by two Eagle writers to notable list
Two writers from The Wichita Eagle are being recognized by the State Library of Kansas as part of its annual Kansas Notable Books list.
Michael Pearce, author of “Michael Pearce’s Taste of the Kansas Outdoors Cookbook,” and Beccy Tanner, author of “999 Kansas Characters: Ad Astra,” are two of the 15 authors chosen for this year’s list.
The 15 books recognized each year are written by Kansas authors or are about the state. It is the only award that showcases the state’s writing community and encourages readers to explore Kansas, according to a news release.
A committee — including previous award winners and librarians — reviewed more than 100 nominated books, and State Librarian Jo Budler made the final selections. Budler said both Pearce and Tanner’s books celebrate Kansas people and places in unique ways.
“ ‘999 Characters: Ad Astra’ is a book that will surprise people,” Budler said. “There are so many Kansans that have made outstanding contributions to the world or their field and yet are not recognized by most Kansans.
“(In Pearce’s book) all will enjoy the beautiful Kansas photographs, stories about Kansans who enjoy hunting and will find recipes of interest.”
Tanner was one of three authors on the Ad Astra book, joining Dave Webb and Terry Rombeck.
The awards ceremony to honor this year’s authors will be at the Kansas Book Festival in Topeka on Sept. 12.
Pearce’s book is available at the front counter of The Eagle, 825 E. Douglas; online at customercare.kansas.com/Books/, and at the Town Crier Bookstore in Emporia.
Tanner’s book is sold through the Kansas Heritage Center, Watermark Books and the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum.
Reach Alyssa Scott at ascott@wichitaeagle.com.
Other books honored
▪ “Bluebird,” a children’s book by artist Lindsey Yankey
▪ “A Carol Dickens Christmas,” a novel by Thomas Fox Averill
▪ “Chasing Weather: Tornadoes, Tempests, and Thunderous Skies in Word and Image,” a collection of poetry by former Kansas Poet Laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg and weather photography by Stephen Locke
▪ “The Darkest Period: The Kanza Indians and Their Last Homeland, 1846-1873,” a history by Ronald D. Parks
▪ “The Devil’s Workshop,” a novel by Alex Grecian
▪ “Field Guide to the Common Grasses of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska,” a reference by Iralee Barnard
▪ “Girl in Reverse,” a young-adult novel by Barbara Stuber
▪ “The Kansas Relays: Track and Field Tradition in the Heartland,” a history by Joe D. Schrag
▪ “Music I Once Could Dance To,” poetry by Wichitan Roy J. Beckemeyer
▪ “The Ogallala Road,” a memoir by Julene Bair
▪ “Railroad Empire Across the Heartland,” a history through photography by James E. Sherow and John R. Charlton
▪ “Soldiers in the Army of Freedom: The 1st Kansas Colored, the Civil War's First African American Combat Unit,” a history by Ian Michael Spurgeon
▪ “Waiting on the Sky,” essays by Cheryl Unruh
This story was originally published June 15, 2015 at 6:48 AM with the headline "State library adds books by two Eagle writers to notable list."