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Expanded Indiana Authors Awards will kick off with celebration at the Indianapolis Artsgarden on Oct. 21

The expanded Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards, newly powered by Indiana Humanities, will launch on Oct. 21 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with special cocktails, on-demand poetry…

The expanded Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards, newly powered by Indiana Humanities, will launch on Oct. 21 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. with special cocktails, on-demand poetry and a pop-up bookstore at a free Indianapolis Artsgarden event celebrating Hoosier writers and readers.

The public is invited to attend “Write Now: A Celebration of Indiana Literature,” where details about the expanded awards program will be revealed. The event will feature poets Adam Henze, Tony Brewer and Blaine Carrell creating new works on demand and an Indy Reads Books popup store of books by Indiana authors. Snacks, drinks and a complimentary signature cocktail or Sun King beer will be served.

Re-fashioned as biennial honors, the expanded Indiana Authors Awards also will offer author talks and writing workshops across the state, all aimed at celebrating Indiana writers, shining a light on the Hoosier literary community and deepening connections between the state’s writers and readers.

“We look forward to launching the expanded Indiana Authors Awards with an event that matches the excitement of today’s Indiana literary scene,” said Keira Amstutz, president and CEO of Indiana Humanities. “Indiana authors are creating adventurous and surprising works, and we intend to reflect that in everything we do.”

“Write Now,” the awards and related programming are made possible through the generous support of Glick Philanthropies, which invited Indiana Humanities to re-imagine the Indiana Authors Awards and build on the successful program guided by The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation for the past 10 years.

“We’re excited to continue celebrating Indiana authors and offer more ways to showcase their award-winning work to a wider audience through Indiana Humanities’ established and expansive statewide network,” said Marianne Glick, chair of the Glick Family Foundation and daughter of Eugene and Marilyn Glick. “Our state is producing many wonderful writers, and we want to be sure they are known to Hoosier readers.”

In addition to honoring the best books written by Indiana writers, the Indiana Author Awards – which will be awarded next in 2020 – also will encourage residents to read and recommend more works by Hoosier authors and help make them more widely known in Indiana and across the nation.

Among the new initiatives will be:

  • More awards in more categories, to better honor the breadth of writing in Indiana, from fiction and nonfiction, to graphic novels and genre fiction, to poetry and drama, to books for young readers, teens and adults. Nominations for the 2020 awards will open Oct. 21.
  • More opportunities for Hoosiers, especially students, to meet and interact with authors. The Novel Conversations Speakers Program, which features Indiana Authors Awards winners, will expand to include writing workshops. Applications are now open to book an author talk or writing workshop in 2020. Learn more at www.indianahumanities.org/indianaauthorsawards.
  • A communications blitz after each round of awards to increase awareness and excitement among Hoosier readers. Among other things, every library in the state will receive posters, bookmarks, and other materials to create displays and programming around selected books.
  • Starting in 2021, a statewide “rock star” tour, featuring one of Indiana’s high-profile literary all-stars. Over an intensive week every other fall, thousands of Hoosiers will have the opportunity to hear from a favorite writer and connect with other readers.
  • A new monthly book review column, offered to newspapers around the state and posted online, that will help readers find their next great Hoosier read. Each review will be written by an Indiana author.

Full details about these changes will be announced at “Write Now.” Sign up to attend the event at https://writenowindiana.eventbrite.com/.

RSVP for Write Now