Press Release
Torrey House Press joins the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association (MPIBA) in announcing the 33rd Annual Reading the West Book Awards Winners in nine categories.
The Reading the West Book Awards are sponsored and promoted by independent booksellers across many western and mid-western states. The awards honor the best fiction, non-fiction, and illustrated books for adults and children set in the region, or created by an author or artist living or working in the region. The awards, given to books published in the previous calendar year, celebrate the spirit of the west and the rich variety of writing in and about this region, and reflect the extraordinary diversity of the reading public.
Publishers and authors submit books for consideration for the Reading the West Book Awards program. Bookseller reading committees then evaluate all nominated titles to curate shortlists in each category. This year, thousands of bookseller and public votes were cast to select the winners from the shortlisted titles.
The awards were presented last evening at a special virtual event hosted by three indie booksellers from our reading committees, featuring acceptance remarks from each winning author. A recording of the Awards Presentation show can be viewed at readingthewest.com.
Our congratulations go out to these fantastic books and authors:
● “When I Was Red Clay: by Jonathan T. Bailey
● “Tracing Time: Seasons of Rock Art on the Colorado Plateau” by Craig Childs
FICTION
“Woman of Light,” by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (One World)
DEBUT FICTION
“Calling for a Blanket Dance” by Oscar Hokeah (Algonquin Books)
POETRY
“Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light” by Joy Harjo (W.W. Norton)
GENERAL NONFICTION
:Tracing Time: Seasons of Rock Art on the Colorado Plateau” by Craig Childs (Torrey House Press)
MEMOIR/BIOGRAPHY
“When I Was Red Clay” by Jonathan T. Bailey (Torrey House Press)
EATING THE WEST (Culinary/Cookbook)
“The Big Texas Cookbook” by the Editors of Texas Monthly (Harper Wave)
PICTURE BOOK
“Brave Every Day” by Trudy Ludwig; illus. by Patrice Barton (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
YOUNG READER/MIDDLE GRADE
“The River Between Hearts, by Heather Mateus Sappenfield (Fitzroy Books)
YOUNG ADULT/TEEN
“Abuela, Don’t Forget Me” by Rex Ogle (W.W. Norton)
See more about the awards, including previous winners, at readingthewest.com.
About Torrey House Press
Torrey House Press publishes books at the intersection of the literary arts and environmental advocacy. THP authors explore the diversity of human experiences and relationships with place. THP books create conversations about issues that concern the American West, landscape, literature, and the future of our ever-changing planet, inspiring action toward a more just world.
About MPIBA
The mission of the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association is to support and promote independent bookstores in our region, raise awareness of the value of locally owned businesses in our communities, and celebrate diversity in literary culture, and an open exchange of ideas. We are a non-profit professional association of bookstores, booksellers, publishers, authors, and industry professionals. The Association began over fifty years ago in Denver, Colorado, and has grown to represent hundreds of bookstores across fourteen western and mid-western states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.