The Council of Wisconsin Writers is pleased to offer 10 awards for Wisconsin writers, eight of which are awarded each year and two of which are offered bi-annually in alternating years. You can read more about the history of each award contest and find a list of past winners below.
Active Awards
Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award
The Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award is given to the best fiction book published by a Wisconsin-based author in the previous year. From 1965 to 1991, this award was given as the Book-length Fiction Award, in 1993 as the Leslie Cross Book-length Fiction Award, and from 1994 to 2012 as the Anne Powers Fiction Book Award. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesake:
Edna Ferber (1888-1968), world famous in her day, was the author of 12 novels, nine plays (some in collaboration with other playwrights), 12 short story collections, and two autobiographies. Her novels included So Big (Pulitzer Prize winner in 1925), Show Boat (made into a musical in 1927), Cimarron (made into the 1931 Academy Award-winning movie), and Giant (made into the 1956 movie). When she was 12, her family moved to Appleton. She briefly attended Lawrence College and worked for the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before writing her first novel. She was also a member of the celebrated Algonquin Round Table. Possessed with a strong sense of her Jewish identity, Ferber was a lifelong fighter against anti-Semitism.
Norbert Blei/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award
The Norbert Blei/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award is given to the best nonfiction book published by a Wisconsin-based author in the previous year. From 1966 to 1992 this award was given as the Nonfiction Book Award, in 1993 as the August Derleth Book-length Nonfiction Award, from 1994 to 2000 as the Leslie Cross Book-length Nonfiction Award, and from 2001 to 2012 as the Kenneth Kingery/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesakes:
Norbert Blei [pronounced BLY] (1935-2013) grew up in Chicago and moved to Door County in 1968. The author of 18 books—fiction, nonfiction, essays, and poetry—Blei was described as a literary descendant of Carl Sandburg, Ernest Hemingway, Mike Royko, Studs Terkel, and Nelson Algren. His main literary themes were the sense of community and threats to community, whether in ethnic neighborhoods in Chicago or in his beloved Door County. Known for nurturing aspiring writers, he taught writing workshops for over 30 years at The Clearing in Door County. In 1994, he established Cross+Roads Press, which published the first chapbooks of poets, novelists, short story writers, and artists. Among his notable works were the nonfiction books Chi Town, Neighborhood, Door Way, Door Steps, and Meditations on a Small Lake.
August Derleth [pronounced DER leth] (1909-1971), a leading regional writer of his day, lived most of his life in Sauk City. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, he was a prolific author (more than 100 books), including horror, historical fiction, detective fiction, science fiction, biography, short stories, and poetry. His most ambitious work, the nonfiction Sac Prairie Saga series, combines fiction, historical fiction, nonfiction naturalist works, and poetry to memorialize life in Wisconsin at that time. He also founded Arkham House publishers, which brought to the United States supernatural fiction that had previously been available only in the UK; Arkham was the first publisher of horror fiction author H.P. Lovecraft.
Edna Meudt Poetry Book Award
The Edna Meudt Poetry Book Award is given to the best book of poems published by a Wisconsin-based writer in the previous year. From 1965 to 1992 this award was given as the Poetry Award, and from 1993 to 2012 as the Posner Poetry Book Award. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesake:
Edna Meudt [pronounced MITE] (1906-1989) was born on a farm in Wyoming Valley and lived most of her life on a farm near Dodgeville. She was a teacher, lecturer, editor, and writer who published six books of poetry and two plays. She taught poetry at Rhinelander School of Arts for 18 years and was a co-founder of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, as well as president of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. Widely published in magazines, she edited The Country Poet and a series of anthologies, An Upland Reader I, II, and III. Among her books are the much-lauded Round River Canticle, The Ineluctable Sea (which won the National League of American Pen Women prize in 1976), Plain Chant for a Tree, and her autobiography, The Rose Jar (1990).
Arthur Tofte/Betty Ren Wright Children’s Literature Award
The Arthur Tofte/Betty Ren Wright Children’s Literature Award is given to the Best Children’s Book published by a Wisconsin-based writer in the previous year. From 1966 to 1992 this award was known as the Juvenile Book Award, and from 1997-2003 as the Arthur Tofte Juvenile Fiction Book Award. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesakes:
Arthur Tofte (1902-1980) enjoyed two distinctly different careers: one as a businessman and the other as an author of science fiction, fantasy, and the occult. He published his first story, “The Meteor Monsters,” for Amazing magazine in 1938 when he was a member of the Milwaukee Fictioneers, a group focused on the memory and style of influential science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum. Tofte then focused on his career as a business executive in Milwaukee. Upon his retirement in 1969, and with the encouragement of editor Roger Elwood, he began publishing again, eventually producing five novels, 18 short stories, and four essays. His most popular works include Crash Landing on Iduna (1975), Walls Within Walls (1975), and The Ghost Hunters. His The Day the Earth Stood Still (1976) is a full-length version of the short story made into the world-famous film.
Betty Ren Wright (1927- 2013) grew up in Milwaukee, graduated from Milwaukee-Downer College (now Lawrence University), and worked as an editor for Western Publishing Co. in Racine from 1949 to 1978 until turning to writing full time. Known for her mastery of mystery and suspense, her popular mysteries for middle-grade readers include A Ghost in the House, The Ghost of Mercy Manor, Too Many Secrets, and A Ghost Comes Calling. Her novel The Dollhouse Murders was a 1983 Edgar Award nominee in the best juvenile category and won the Texas Blue Bonnet Award. She also wrote 35 picture books, and her short stories appeared in Young Miss, Ladies’ Home Journal, Redbook, and many other magazines.
Zona Gale Award for Short Fiction
The Zona Gale Award for Short Fiction goes to the best piece of short fiction published by a Wisconsin-based author in the previous year. From 1966 to 1992 this award was given as the Short Fiction Award, and from 1993 to 2012 as the Larry and Eleanor Sternig Award for Short Fiction. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesake:
Zona Gale (1874-1938), born in Portage, was a novelist, playwright, and short story writer whose work was inspired by her hometown. Her contemporary stories—often set in the fictional town of Friendship Village—focused on local color and descriptions of ordinary Midwestern people. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, she worked as a journalist in Milwaukee and New York before returning to Portage to concentrate on her writing. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama for the adaptation of her novel Miss Lulu Bett. She was active in progressive and feminist causes, including the National Women’s Party.
Kay W. Levin Award for Short Nonfiction
The Kay W. Levin Award for Short Nonfiction goes to the best piece of short non-fiction published by a Wisconsin-based author in the previous year. From 1967 to 1992 this award was given as the Short Nonfiction Award. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesake:
Kay W. Levin (1925- 1989) was a board member of the Council for Wisconsin Writers in its formative years. After her death in 1990, her family endowed the award for short nonfiction in her memory. Ms. Levin had written children’s fiction before she and her husband, Robert, moved to Cleveland, Wisconsin, in 1974 from Chicago. Slowing to the pace of rural life, she turned her attention to essay writing, using as her inspiration events from everyday life on Kingfisher Farm, where they lived. Her articles on topics as diverse as her daughter’s death in a car crash to the harvesting of maple syrup appeared in The Milwaukee Journal Wisconsin Magazine among other publications. Levin was a champion of Wisconsin Writers and the award in her name lives on to encourage essay writers into the future.
Lorine Niedecker Poetry Award
The Lorine Niedecker Poetry Award is given to the best collection of up to five poems published in literary magazines by a Wisconsin-based writer in the previous year. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesake:
Lorine Niedecker [pronounced NEE dicur] (1903-1970) was born on Blackhawk Island near Fort Atkinson, where she lived for most of her life. After two years at Beloit College, she returned home and began writing poetry, supporting herself by proofreading, writing for a radio station, and even cleaning hospital floors. At first, her work was influenced by Imagist and Objectivist poets, but she gradually developed her own voice and style, characterized by spare language, subtle rhythms, and stark, vivid imagery. During her lifetime, she published her four poetry books at infrequent intervals (New Goose in 1946 and My Friend Tree in 1962), although she was a regular contributor to literary magazines. Since her death, the publication of four additional books, her Collected Works (2002), in particular, has contributed to her reputation as a original and significant voice in contemporary American poetry.
Council for Wisconsin Writers Essay Award for Young Writers
Past Winners of the Essay Award for Young Writers:
2019: Tim Wang: Hartland, for “A Tailor’s Tale”
Honorable Mention: Marianna Kruger, Hartland, for “Black Sails”
2018: Elizabeth Stanfield, Ripon, for “Hand-Me-Downs”
Honorable Mention: Emily Kadrich, Hartland, for “Never Again: August 28,1955”
2014: Kade Byrand, IDEAS Academy, Sheboygan, “Shadow Dad”
Honorable Mention: Erica Howe, Viroqua Area Public School, Readstown “Narrowing it Down”
2013: Hannah Kinzer, Eisenhower Middle and High School, New Berlin “Thirty Thousand Feet in the Air”
Honorable Mention: Satir Kalsi, Brookfield Academy, “Out of the Cold, a Friend”
2012: Tatiana Lyons, Madison West High School, “The Greatest Wizard in South Dakota”
Honorable Mention: Elijah Carrel, Madison West High School, “Thank You, Christopher Columbus”
2011: Annetta Lorraine Martin, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, “Tiny Fingers”
Honorable Mention: Brandon Hansen, Florence High School, Florence, “You Have My Heart (At Least for the Most Part)”
2010: Caroline Brown, Williams Bay High School, Williams Bay, “Surviving the Hill”
Honorable Mention: Jacob Carrel, Madison West High School, Madison, “James Buchanan’s Presidency: A Crisis Without a Leader”
2009: Shauna Nicole Ward, Williams Bay High School, Williams Bay, “A Lesson in Goodbyes”
Honorable Mention: Phoebe Dyer, Homestead High School, Mequon, “The Dancer”
2008: Jennifer Heup, Shawano Community High School, Shawano, “Observations of an Amateur Astronomer”
Honorable Mention: Ellen Bley, Kettle Moraine High School, Wales, “Both”
Council for Wisconsin Writers Major Achievement Award:
Since 2006, the Council for Wisconsin Writers Major Achievement Award has been given bi-annually.
Past Winners of the Major Achievement Award:
2018: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton
2016: John Gurda, Milwaukee
2013: John Nichols, Madison
2013: Jane Hamilton, Rochester
2010: Alden Carter, Marshfield
2008: Kevin Henkes, Madison
2006: Jerry Apps, Madison
2005: Bruce Taylor, Eau Claire
2003: John Koethe, Milwaukee
2002: Antler, Milwaukee
2001: Gordon Weaver, Cedarburg
2000: James Liddy, Milwaukee
1999: Kelly Cherry, Madison
1998: Norbert Blei, Door County
1997: Ronald Wallace, Madison
1996: Betty Ren Wright, Racine
1995: Florence Parry Heide, Kenosha
Christopher Latham Sholes Award
This award is named for Christopher Latham Sholes (1819–1890), a Wisconsinite who is credited with inventing the first practical typewriter, and honors an individual or organization for the “outstanding encouragement of Wisconsin writers.” Since 2003, the Christopher Lathm Sholes Award has been given bi-annually.
Past Winners of the Sholes Award:
2019: Cathryn Cofell, Appleton
2017: Friends of Lorine Niedecker
2014: Daniel Goldin, Milwaukee
2011: Karl Elder, Howards Grove
2009: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Madison
2007: Linda Aschbrenner, Marshfield
2005: Richard Roe, Madison
2003: Harold Schwartz, Milwaukee
2002: Ellen Kort, Appleton
2001: Woodland Pattern Book Center, Milwaukee
2000: John Lehman, Cambridge
1999: John Judson
1998: Laurel Yourke, Madison
1997: Thomas J. Bontly, Bayside
1996: Harry Schwartz Bookshops
1994: Debra Brehmer, Milwaukee
1993: Donald Emerson, Milwaukee
1992: Ray Helminiak, Mequon
1991: Marshall Cook, Madison
1990: Bill Nelson, Milwaukee
1989: Gerald and Darlene Kronschnabel
1988: unknown
1987: Ginny Moore Kruse
1986: Conkey’s Bookstore, Appleton
1985: Al Nelson
1984: Gertrude Puelicher
1983: Larry Sternig
1982: Robert Gard
1981: Clarice Dunn
1980: Edna Meudt
Past Award Winners:
Past Winners of the Fiction Book Award:
2019: Thomas Davis, Sturgeon Bay, for IN THE UNSETTLED HOMELAND OF DREAMS (All Things That Matter Press)
Honorable Mention: Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden, Madison, for The Dead of Achill Island (University of Wisconsin Press)
2018: Liam Callanan, Milwaukee, for Paris by the Book (Dutton)
Honorable Mention: Tom Matthews, Wauwatosa, for Raising the Dad (St. Martin’s Press)
2017: Matt Cashion, La Crosse, for Our 13th Divorce (Livingston Press)
Honorable Mention: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton. for Mining for Justice (Midnight Ink)
2016: Patricia Skalka, Sturgeon Bay, for Death in Cold Water (University of Wisconsin Press)
Honorable Mention: Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden for Death on a Starry Night (University of Wisconsin Press)
2015: Judith Claire Mitchell, Madison, A Reunion of Ghosts, Harper Collins.
2014: Chloe Krug Benjamin, Madison, The Anatomy of Dreams (Atria/Simon & Schuster)
2013: Jesse Lee Kercheval, Madison, My Life as a Silent Movie (Indiana University Press)
Honorable Mention: Raymond D. Schrab, Hartford, Dutch Schultz and the Gold of Quilali (Create Space)
2012: Shauna Singh Baldwin, Milwaukee, The Selector of Souls (Random House of Canada)
Honorable Mention: Paul Salsini, Milwaukee, The Temptation of Father Lorenzo (iUniverse)
2011: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, The Heirloom Murders (Midnight Ink)
Honorable Mention: Douglas W. Jacobson, Elm Grove, The Katyn Order: A novel (McBooks, Inc.)
2010: Douglas Armstrong, Whitefish Bay, Even Sunflowers Cast Shadows (iUniverse)
Honorable Mention: Angela Woodward, Madison, End of the Fire Cult, Ravenna Press
2009: Valerie Laken, Milwaukee, Dream House (Harper)
Honorable Mention: Dwight Allen, Madison, The Typewriter Satyr (University of Wisconsin Press)
2008: Anthony Bukoski, Superior, North of the Port (Southern Methodist University Press)
Honorable Mention: Rae Meadows, Madison, No One Tells Everything (MacAdam/Cage)
Honorable Mention: David McGlynn, Appleton, The End of the Straight and Narrow (Southern Methodist University Press)
2007: Benjamin Percy, Stevens Point, Refresh, Refresh (Graywolf Press)
2006: Paul Salsini, Milwaukee, The Cielo: a Novel of Wartime Tuscany (iUniverse)
Honorable Mention: Margaret George, Madison, Helen of Troy (Viking Press)
2005: (tie) Dean Bakopoulos, Madison, Please Don’t Come Back from the Moon (Harcourt) and C. J. Hribal, Milwaukee, The Company Car (Random House)
2004: Rebecca Meacham, Oneida, Let’s Do (University of North Texas Press)
Honorable Mention: Judith Claire Mitchell, Madison, The Last Day of the War (Pantheon)
Honorable Mention: Tenaya Darlington, Madison, Maybe Baby (Back Bay Books)
Honorable Mention: Gordon Weaver, Cedarburg, Last Stands (University of Missouri Press)
2003: Anthony Bukoski, Superior, Time Between Trains (SMU Press)
2002: No award
2001: Richard Horan, Goose Music (Steerforth Press)
2000: Elizabeth Oness, La Crosse, Articles of Faith (University of Iowa Press)
1999: Anthony Bukoski, Polonaise
1998: Lorrie Moore, Birds of America
1997: Gordon Weaver, Four Decades: New & Selected Stories
1996: Jacquelyn Mitchard, The Deep End of the Ocean
1995: Kyoko Mori, One Bird
1994: Lorrie Moore, Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?
1993: Kyoko Mori, Shizuoko’s Daughter
1992: no award
1991: Mark Rich, Lifting
1990: Kelly Cherry, My Life and Dr. Joyce Brothers
1989: Martha Bergland, A Farm Under a Lake
1988: Jane Hamilton, The Book of Ruth
1987: Ellen Hunnicutt, Suite for Calliope
1986: Margaret George, The Autobiography of Henry VIII
1985: Patricia Hodgell, Dark of the Moon
1984: no award
1983: no award
1982: Gene DeWeese, A Different Darkness
1981: Barbara Vroman, Sons of Thunder
1980: Michael Mooney, Squid Soup
1979: Kelly Cherry, Augusta Played
1978: no award
1977: Peggy Dopp and Barbara Vroman, Tomorrow Is a River
1976: Gene DeWeese, Jeremy Case
1975: Herbert Kubly, The Duchess of Glover
1974: Tony Hozeny, Driving Wheel/My House Is Dark
1973: James Olson, Ulzana
1972: Warren Fine, Their Family
1971: Paul Covert, Cages
1970: no award
1969: (tie) Mel Ellis, Wild Goose, Brother Goose and Dion Henderson, On the Mountain
1968: Waldon Porterfield, The Hot Country
1967: Donald Emerson, Court Decision
1966: no award
1965: Beverly Butler, Feather in the Wind
Past Winners of the Nonfiction Book Award:
2019: Krista Eastman, Madison, for The Painted Forest (West Virginia University Press) Christina Ward, Cudahy, for American Advertising Cookbooks: How Corporations Taught Us to Love Spam, Bananas, and Jell-O(Process)
2018: Laura Jean Baker, Oshkosh, for The Motherhood Affidavits: A Memoir (The Experiment)Honorable Mention: Christy Wopat, Holmen, for Almost a Mother; Love, Loss and Finding Your People When Your Baby Dies (Orange Hat Publishing)
2017: Dave Zweifel and John Nichols, Madison, for The Capital Times (Wisconsin Historical Society Press) Honorable Mention: Heather Swan, Madison, for Where Honeybees Thrive (Pennsylvania State University Press)
2016: Paula Dáil, Spring Green, for Mother Nature’s Daughters: 21st Century Women Farmers (McFarland) Honorable Mention: James Campbell, Lodi, for Braving It: A Father, A Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey Into the Alaskan Wild (Crown Penguin Random House)
2014: John Hildebrand, Eau Claire, The Heart of Things: A Midwestern Almanac (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
Honorable Mention: Tom Pamperin, Chippewa Falls, Jagular Goes
Everywhere: (mis) Adventures in a $300 Sailboat (Cedar Street Press).
2013: B. J. Hollars, Eau Claire, Opening the Doors: The Desegregation of the University of Alabama and the Fight for Civil Rights in Tuscaloosa (University of Alabama Press)
Honorable Mention: Nicholas Hoffman and Jesse Gant, Appleton, Wheel Fever: How Wisconsin Became a Great Bicycling State (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
2012: David McGlynn, Appleton, A Door in the Ocean (Counterpoint Press)
Honorable Mention: Jim Draeger, Monona, and Mark Speltz, Madison, Bottoms Up: A Toast to Wisconsin’s Historic Bars & Breweries (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
2011: Paula W. Dáil, Spring Green, Women and Poverty in 21st Century America (McFarland)
Honorable Mention: Josephe Marie Flynn, SSND, Milwaukee, Rescuing Regina: The Battle to Save a Friend from Deportation and Death (Lawrence Hill Books)
2010: Ann Angel, Brookfield, Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing (Amulet Books)
Honorable Mention: M. Caren Connolly and Louis Wasserman, Milwaukee, with Zane Williams, photographer, Madison, Wisconsin’s Own: Twenty Remarkable Homes (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
2009: Barbara Manger, Milwaukee, Mary Nohl: Inside & Outside—A Biography of the Artist (Greater Milwaukee Foundation)
Honorable Mention: Dave Crehore, Green Bay, Sweet and Sour Pie: A Wisconsin Boyhood (University of Wisconsin Press)
2008: Richard Quinney, Madison, Things Once Seen (Borderland Books)
Honorable Mention: Jerrianne Hayslett, South Milwaukee, Anatomy of a Trial: Lessons Learned from the People vs. O.J. Simpson (University of Missouri Press)
2007: Jean Feraca, Madison, I Hear Voices: A Memoir of Love, Death, and the Radio (University of Wisconsin Press)
2006: Geoff Gilpin, DeForest, The Maharishi Effect: A Personal Journey Through the Movement That Transformed American Spirituality (Tarcher/Penguin)
Honorable Mention: Kerry A. Trask, Manitowoc, Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America (Henry Holt)
2005: Karen J. Coates, Brookfield, Cambodia Now: Life in the Wake of War (McFarland)
Honorable Mention: John Gurda, Milwaukee, Miller Time: A History of Miller Brewing Company, 1855-2005 (Miller Brewing Company)
Honorable Mention: Jerry Apps, Madison, Every Farm Tells a Story (Voyageur Press)
2004: Paul Zimmer, Soldiers Grove, Trains in the Distance (Kent State University Press)
Honorable Mention: Doug Moe, Madison, Lord of the Rings: The Triumph and Tragedy of College Boxing’s Greatest Team (University of Wisconsin Press)
2003: Tom Tolan, Milwaukee, Riverwest: A Community History (Past Press)
Honorable Mention: Herbert Wagner, Monona, At the Creation: Myth, Reality and the Origin of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, 1901-1909 (University of Wisconsin Press)
Honorable Mention: Ellen Kort, Appleton, The Art of Labor: Building the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center (Boldt Construction Corporation)
2002: Betsy Draine, Madison, and Michael Hinden, Madison, A Castle in the Backyard (University of Wisconsin Press)
Honorable Mention: Jim Hoehn, Milwaukee, The Father’s Guide to Birth, Babies and Loud Children (Parents Guide Press)
Honorable Mention: Sarah Streed, Leaving the House of Ghosts: Cambodian Refugees in the American Midwest (McFarland)
2001: no award
2000: Sara Rath, Spring Green, The Complete Pig (MBI Publishing Company)
1999: John Gurda, The Making of Milwaukee
1998: Brenda W. Quinn and Ellen D. Langill, Caring for Milwaukee: The Daughters of Charity at St. Mary’s
1997: Chad McGrath, Great Wisconsin Walks
1996: Gerard Wolfe, Chicago In and Around the Loop: Walking Tours of Architecture and History
1995: Kerry Trask, The Fire Within: A Civil War Narrative from Wisconsin
1994: Philip Martin, Farmhouse Fiddlers: Music and Dance Traditions in the Rural Midwest
1993: Rick Whaley and Walter Bresette, Walleye Warriors: An Effective Alliance Against Racism and for the Earth
1992: Lois Stark, Once Upon a Farm
1991: Sidney Iwens, How Dark the Heavens
1990: Glenn Jeansonne, The Women of Genesis
1989: Frances Hamerstrom, Is She Coming, Too? Memoirs of a Lady Hunter
1988: Glenn Jeansonne, Gerald L.K. Smith: Minister of Hate
1987: Sara Rath, About Cows
1986: Grace Samuelson, Reflections on Door County
1985: Loren Osman, W.D. Hoard: A Man for His Time
1984: Frances Hamerstrom, Birding with a Purpose
1983: Mary Mebane, Mary, Wayfarer
1982: Bruce Allison and Elizabeth Durbin, Wisconsin’s Famous & Historic Trees
1981: Norbert Blei, Door Way
1980: Frances Hamerstrom, Strictly for the Chickens
1979: Bill Stokes, Hi-Ho Silver, Anyway
1978: Robert Wells, Daylight in the Swamp
1977: Jerry Apps, Barns of Wisconsin
1976: Dion Henderson, A Season of Birds
1975: Robert Gard, Wild Goose Country
1974: Gwen Schultz, Ice Age Lost
1973: Mel Ellis, Peg Leg Pete
1972: Joseph McBride, Orson Wells
1971: Robert Wells, Vince Lombardi
1970: August Derleth, Return to Walden West
1969: Herbert Kubly, Gods and Heroes
1968: Ruth Fouts Pochmann, Triple Ridge Farm
1967: Mel Ellis, Run, Rainey, Run
1966: John Barker
Past Winners of the Poetry Book Award:
2019: Kimberly Blaeser, Burlington, for Copper Yearning (Holy Cow! Press)
Honorable Mention: Robin Chapman, Madison, for The Only Home We Know (Tebot Bach)
2018: Marilyn Annucci, Madison, for The Arrows That Choose Us (Press 53)
Honorable Mention: Denise Sweet, Green Bay, for Palominos Near Tuba City: New and Selected Poems (Holy Cow! Press)
2017: Matthew Guenette, Madison, for Vasectomania (University of Akron Press)
Honorable Mention, to Crystal Spring Gibbins of Washburn for her Now/Here (Holy Cow! Press)
2016: Catherine Jagoe, Madison, for Bloodroot (Settlement House Books)
Honorable Mention: Jon Loomis, Eau Claire, for The Mansion of Happiness (Oberlin College Press)
2014: Sean Bishop, Madison, The Night We’re Not Sleeping In (Sarabande Books
Honorable Mention: Angela Sorby, Milwaukee, The Sleeve Waves (University of Wisconsin Press)
2013: Amaud Jamaul Johnson, Madison, Darktown Follies (Tupelo Press)
Honorable Mention: Seth Abramson, Madison, Thievery (University of Akron Press)
2012: Sarah Busse, Madison, Somewhere Piano (Mayapple Press)
Honorable Mention: James Pollock, Madison, Sailing to Babylon (Able Muse Press)
2011: Adam Fell, Madison, I Am Not a Pioneer (H_NGM_N Books)
Honorable Mention: Robin Chapman, Madison, the eelgrass meadow (Tebot Bach)
2010: Nick Lantz, Madison, We Don’t Know We Don’t Know (Graywolf Press)
Honorable Mention: Rebecca Dunham, Bayside, The Flight Cage (Tupelo Press)
2009: Jesse Lee Kercheval, Madison, Cinema Muto (Southern Illinois University Press)
Honorable Mention: Angela Sorby, Milwaukee, Bird Skin Coat (University of Wisconsin Press)
2008: Ron Wallace, Madison, For a Limited Time Only (University of Pittsburgh Press)
Honorable Mention: Erin Hanusa, Madison, The House of Marriage (Louisiana State University Press)
2007: Paul Zimmer, Soldiers Grove, Crossing to Sunlight Revisited: New and Selected Poems (The University of Georgia Press)
Honorable Mention: Susan Elbe, Madison, Eden in the Rearview Mirror (Word Press)
2006: Richard Swanson, Madison, Men in the Nude in Socks and Other Poems (Fireweed Press)
2005: Robin Chapman, Madison, Images of a Complex World: The Art and Poetry of Chaos (World Scientific)
Honorable Mention: Karl Elder, Howards Grove, Mead: Twenty-Six Abecedariums (Marsh River Editions)
Honorable Mention: Dale Ritterbusch, Waukesha, Far from the Temple of Heaven (Black Moss Press)
2004: Alice D’Alessio, Madison, A Blessing of Trees (Cross+Roads Press)
Honorable Mention: Marilyn Taylor, Milwaukee, Subject to Change (David Robert Books)
Honorable Mention: Harriet Brown, Madison, The Promised Land (Parallel Press)
2003: Ronald Wallace, Madison, Long for This World (University of Pittsburgh Press)
Honorable Mention: Bruce Dethlefsen, Westfield, Something Near the Dance Floor (Marsh River Editions)
2002: David Steingass, Madison, Greatplains: A Prairie Lovesong (Red Dragonfly Press)
Honorable Mention: Susan Firer, Milwaukee, The Laugh We Make When We Fall (The Backwaters Press)
2001: Anne-Marie Cusac, Madison, The Mean Days (Tia Chua Press)
2000: C. Mikal Oness, La Crosse, Water Becomes Bone (Western Michigan University)
1999: Robin Chapman, The Way In
1998: Rusty McKenzie, Never Far from Water
1997: Denise Sweet, Songs for Discharming
1996: John Judson, The Inardo Poems
1995: Dale Ritterbusch, Lessons Learned
1994: James Liddy, Collected Poems
1993: Susan Firer, The Lives of the Saints and Everything
1992: Laura Mills, Hidden Seed
1991: Ronald Wallace, The Makings of Happiness
1990: unknown
1989: Donald Kummings, The Open Road
1988: Kelly Cherry, Natural Theology
1987: Ron Wallace, People and Dog in the Sun
1986: Richard Jones, Country of Air
1985: James Hazard, New Year’s Eve in Whiting, IN
1984: Roberta Hill Whiteman, Star Quilt
1983: Ronald Wallace, Tunes for Bears to Dance To
1982: Reinhold Kaebitzsch, Poaching for Ivory in Darkest Africa
1981: Peter Stambler, Wilderness Fires
1980: R.M. Ryan, Goldilocks in Later Life
1979: Warren Woessner, No Hiding Place
1978: Felix Pollak, Subject to Change
1977: Ronald Wallace, Installing the Bees
1976: John Judson, Routes From the Onion’s Dark
1975: Doug Flaherty, Near the Bone
1974: Kathy Weigener, Country Western Breakdown
1973: Felix Pollak, Gingko
1972: Scott Poulter, The Glass Partition
1971: Roger Mitchell, Letters from Siberia
1970: John Judson, Within Seasons
1969: Chad Walsh, The End of Nature
1968: Raymond Vils, Offshore Water Fisherman
1967: August Derleth, Collected Poems
1966: no award
1965: Chad Walsh, Unknown Dance/Psalm of Christ
Past Winners of the Children’s Literature Award:
2019: Dean Robbins, Madison, for The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon: The True Story of Alan Bean (Scholastic)
Honorable Mention: Callie J. Trautmiller, River Falls, for Becoming American: A World War II Young Adult Novel (Written Dreams)
2018: Patricia Sutton, Madison, for Capsized (Chicago Review Press)
Honorable Mention: Stef Wade, Brookfield, for A Place for Pluto (Capstone Editions)
2017: Shelly Tougas, Hudson, for Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life (Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press)
Honorable Mention: Dean Robbins, Madison, for Margaret and the Moon (Knopf)
2016: Rachel Davidson Leigh, Madison, for Hold (Interlude Press/Duet Books)
Honorable Mention: Dean Robbins, Madison, for Two Friends (Orchard Books/Scholastic)
2014: Bridget Birdsall, Madison, Double Exposure (Sky Pony Press)
Honorable Mention: Janet Halfmann, South Milwaukee, Animal Teachers (Blue Apple Books)
2013: A.M. Bostwick, Tomahawk, The Great Cat Nap (Cornerstone Press)
Honorable Mention: Rebecca Williams Spindler and Madelyn Spindler, Madison, Moving Out and Moving On (Little Creek Books)
2012: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, Meet Caroline, American Girl Company
Honorable Mention: Isabella Fontaine, Delevan, and Ken Brosky, Madison, The Grimm Chronicles (Vol. 1), Brew City Press
2011: Janet Halfmann, South Milwaukee, Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish (Henry Holt/Christy Ottaviano)
Honorable Mention: Rachel Callaray, Hartford, My Wooden Wings (Rachel Callaray)
2010: Jacqueline Houtman, Madison, The Reinvention of Edison Thomas (Boyd’s Mills Press)
Honorable Mention: Michael V. Uschan, Franklin, Eye on Art: Grafitti (Gale)
2009: Ann Bausum, Beloit, Denied, Detained, Deported: Stories from the Dark Side of American Immigrations, National Geographic
2008: Pat Schmatz, Amherst Junction, Mousetraps (Carolrhoda Books)
Honorable Mention: JoAnn Early Macken, Shorewood, Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move (Holiday House)
2007: Ann Bausum, Beloit, Muckrakers: How Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, and Lincoln Steffens Helped Expose Scandal, Inspire Reform, and Invent Investigative Journalism (National Geographic Society)
Honorable Mention: Dori Chaconas, Germantown, Pennies in a Jar (Peachtree Publisher)
2006: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, Hearts of Stone (Dutton Children’s Books)
2005: Sheila Cohen, Madison, Mai Ya’s Journey (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
Honorable Mention: Mary Beth Lorbiecki, Hudson, Planet Patrol (Two Can Publishing)
2004: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, Betrayal at Cross Creek (American Girl Company)
Honorable Mention: Stephanie Golightly Lowden, Madison, Time of the Eagle: A Story of an Ojibwe Winter (Blue Horse Books)
2003: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, Ghosts of Vicksburg (White Mane Publishing)
2002: Patricia Curtis Pfitsch, Gays Mills, Riding the Flume (Simon and Schuster)
2001: Marc Kornblatt, Madison, Understanding Buddy (Simon & Schuster)
2000: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, Retreat from Gettysburg (White Mane Publishing)
1999: Joe Riederer, Restoration in the Barrens
1998: Patricia Curtis Pfitsch, The Deeper Song
1997: Alden Carter, Bull Catcher
1996: no award
1995: Betty Ren Wright, Out of the Dark
1994: Karen Hirsch, Ellen Anders on Her Own
1993: Sheri Cooper Sinykin, Sirens
1992: Alden Carter, Imperial Ambitions: The Spanish American War
1991: Lois Walfrid Johnson, Trouble at Wild River
1990: Ann Angel, John Glenn: Space Pioneer
1989: Peter and Connie Roop, Stonehenge
1988: Kevin Henkes, The Zebra Wall
1987: Alden Carter, Sheila’s Dying
1986: Kathy Kennedy Tapp, Smoke from the Chimney
1985: Betty Ren Wright, Christina’s Ghost
1984: Alden Carter, Growing Season
1983: Kenneth Roseman, The Cardinal’s Snuffbox
1982: Jocelyn Riley, Only My Mouth is Smiling
1981: Laura Greene and Eva Dicker, Sign Language
1980: Robert Siegel, Alpha Centauri
1979: Gene DeWeese, Major Corby and the Unidentified Flapping Object
1978: Sarah Sargent, Edward Troy and the Witch Cat
1977: Phyllis Green, Grandmother Orphan
1976: Florence Parry Heide, Growing Anyway Up
1975: Gwen Schultz, Icebergs and Their Voyages
1974: Leon McClinton, Cross-Country Runner
1973: Beatrice Smith, Road to Galveston
1972: Marion Fuller Archer, Sarah Jane
1971: Mel Ellis, Caribou Crossing
1970: Rita Ritchie, Night Coach to Paris
1969: Hope Dahle Jordan, Supermarket Sleuth
1968: Marion Fuller Archer, Nine Lives of Moses on the Oregon Trail
1967: Hope Dahle Jordan, Haunted Summer
Past Winners of the Short Fiction Award:
2019: Kimberly Blaeser, Burlington, for “Vision Confidence Score,” Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts
Honorable Mention: Jennifer Morales, Viroqua, for “Cousins,” Milwaukee Noir
2018: William Stobb, Onalaska, for Short Fiction for “All the Bodies,” North Dakota Quarterly
Honorable Mention: Kathie Giorgio, Waukesha, for “Quiet,” moonShine Review
2017: Bob Wake, Cambridge, for “Mudstone,” Wisconsin People and Ideas
Honorable Mention: Matt Cashion, La Crosse, for “What Kills You,” Carolina Quarterly
2016: Liz Wyckoff, Madison, for “Like This, Like That,” Copper Nickel
Honorable Mention: Jeff Esterholm, Superior, for “Flaming Chevy Lodestar,” RE:AL Regarding Arts & Letters
2014: Margaret Benbow, Madison, “Joe Szabo and the Gypsy Bride,” The Antioch Review
Honorable Mention: Liam Callanan, Milwaukee, “Exhibit A,” Commonweal
2013: Matt Cashion, La Crosse, “Awful Pretty,” Moon City Review
Honorable Mention: Margaret Benbow, Madison “Simeon Prophet and Johanna,” The Antioch Review
2012: Jeff Esterholm, Superior, “Mrs. Weir,” Midwestern Gothic
Honorable Mention: Karen Loeb, Eau Claire, “Housewarming,” Thema
2011: Lydia Conklin, Madison, “Bear With Me,” Narrative Magazine
Honorable Mention: Paul Schultz, Madison, “First Sign,” Burning Bright, Passager
2010: Christopher Mohar, Madison, “The Five Points of Performance,” The Southwest Review
Honorable Mention: Jennifer Morales, Milwaukee, “Heavy Lifting,” The Long Story
2009: Matthew Cashion, La Crosse, “Last Words of the Holy Ghost,” Willow Springs
Honorable Mention: Gary Jones, Sister Bay, “The Visit,” Peninsula Pulse
2008: Ingrid Kallick, Madison, “Sonia,” Wisconsin People & Ideas
Honorable Mention: Jeff Esterholm, Verona, “The Return of the Norseman,” The Dirty Napkin
2007: Christi Clancy, Whitefish Bay, “Little Frozen Universes,” Hobart Journal
Honorable Mention: John Campbell, Brookfield, “Breaking into Print,” Timber Creek Review
Honorable Mention: Abbey Frucht, Oshkosh, “Is Glistening,” Narrative Magazine
2006: George Makana Clark, Milwaukee, “In the Center of the World,” Anchor Book
Honorable Mention: David E. McGlynn, Appleton, “Sweet Texas Angel,” Shenandoah
Honorable Mention: Gordon Weaver, Cedarburg, “The Death of Will Kempe,” Sewanee Review
2005: Margaret Benbow, Madison, “Egyptian,” Barnstorm (University of Wisconsin Press)
2004: Susan Engberg, Milwaukee, “Moon,” The Threepenny Review
Honorable Mention: Rebecca Meacham, Oneida, “Good Fences,” Michigan Quarterly Review
Honorable Mention: Ted Hertel, Jr., Mequon, “It’s Crackers to Slip a Rozzer the Dropsey in Snide,” Small Crimes Anthology
2003: Geeta Sharma Jensen, Franksville, “A Good Country,” The Atlantic Monthly
2002: Gordon Weaver, Cedarburg, “And What Should I Do in Illyria,” High Plains Literary Review
2001: C. J. Hribal, Milwaukee, “Morton and Lilly, Dredge and Fill,” Wisconsin Academy Review
2000: Gordon Weaver, Cedarburg, “The Carted Whore,” Notre Dame Review
1999: Kathleen Lester, “Das Bächlein”
1998: C.J. Hribal, “And That’s the Name of That Tune”
1997: Gordon Weaver, “Without Spot or Wrinkle”
1996: Thomas Bontly, “Lucky’s Blues”
1995: Christine Tachick, “Ticket to Tower Bridge”
1994: Ellen Hunnicutt, “Tango”
1993: Joseph Gahagan, “Island People”
1992: John Goulet, “Trust”
1991: Rachel Pastan, “Cooking for Gloria”
1990: unknown
1989: Lisa Ruffolo, “My Grandfather’s Suit”
1988: Thomas Bontly, “Act of Faith”
1987: Ron Tanner, “Head Over Heels”
1986: Martha Bergland, “An Embarrassment of Ordinary Riches”
1985: Justin lsherwood, “Sideways Christmas”
1984: Robert Treu, “Living at the Riverbeau”
1983: Justin Isherwood, “The Cruiser”
1982: Jane Hamilton, “My Own Earth”
1981: Steve Tighe, “Sinful Blues”
1980: Sydney Harth, “Pain, What to Do With It”
1979: Jennifer Lodde, “Ladies Inside the Wall”
1978: Nobert Blei, “A Distance of Horses”
1977: John Allschwang, “Booby Trap”
1976: Thomas Bontly, “The Blue Smile”
1975: Jack Ritchie, “Bedlam at the Budgie”
1974: Robert Gard, “Tall Grasses of Search”
1973: John Fogarty, “A Final Lie”
1972: Jack Ritchie, “Let Your Fingers Do the Walking”
1971: Harold Rolseth, “Hey, You Down There”
1970: Robert Wells, “The Christmas Computer
1969: Thomas Ramirez, “The Secret Life”
1968: Dion Henderson, “The Bear”
1967: Jack Ritchie, (body of work)
Past Winners of the Short Nonfiction Award:
The Council of Wisconsin Writers is pleased to offer 10 awards for Wisconsin writers, eight of which are awarded each year and two of which are offered bi-annually in alternating years. You can read more about the history of each award contest and find a list of past winners below.
Active Awards
Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award
The Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award is given to the best fiction book published by a Wisconsin-based author in the previous year. From 1965 to 1991, this award was given as the Book-length Fiction Award, in 1993 as the Leslie Cross Book-length Fiction Award, and from 1994 to 2012 as the Anne Powers Fiction Book Award. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesake:
Edna Ferber (1888-1968), world famous in her day, was the author of 12 novels, nine plays (some in collaboration with other playwrights), 12 short story collections, and two autobiographies. Her novels included So Big (Pulitzer Prize winner in 1925), Show Boat (made into a musical in 1927), Cimarron (made into the 1931 Academy Award-winning movie), and Giant (made into the 1956 movie). When she was 12, her family moved to Appleton. She briefly attended Lawrence College and worked for the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before writing her first novel. She was also a member of the celebrated Algonquin Round Table. Possessed with a strong sense of her Jewish identity, Ferber was a lifelong fighter against anti-Semitism.
Norbert Blei/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award
The Norbert Blei/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award is given to the best nonfiction book published by a Wisconsin-based author in the previous year. From 1966 to 1992 this award was given as the Nonfiction Book Award, in 1993 as the August Derleth Book-length Nonfiction Award, from 1994 to 2000 as the Leslie Cross Book-length Nonfiction Award, and from 2001 to 2012 as the Kenneth Kingery/August Derleth Nonfiction Book Award. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesakes:
Norbert Blei [pronounced BLY] (1935-2013) grew up in Chicago and moved to Door County in 1968. The author of 18 books—fiction, nonfiction, essays, and poetry—Blei was described as a literary descendant of Carl Sandburg, Ernest Hemingway, Mike Royko, Studs Terkel, and Nelson Algren. His main literary themes were the sense of community and threats to community, whether in ethnic neighborhoods in Chicago or in his beloved Door County. Known for nurturing aspiring writers, he taught writing workshops for over 30 years at The Clearing in Door County. In 1994, he established Cross+Roads Press, which published the first chapbooks of poets, novelists, short story writers, and artists. Among his notable works were the nonfiction books Chi Town, Neighborhood, Door Way, Door Steps, and Meditations on a Small Lake.
August Derleth [pronounced DER leth] (1909-1971), a leading regional writer of his day, lived most of his life in Sauk City. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, he was a prolific author (more than 100 books), including horror, historical fiction, detective fiction, science fiction, biography, short stories, and poetry. His most ambitious work, the nonfiction Sac Prairie Saga series, combines fiction, historical fiction, nonfiction naturalist works, and poetry to memorialize life in Wisconsin at that time. He also founded Arkham House publishers, which brought to the United States supernatural fiction that had previously been available only in the UK; Arkham was the first publisher of horror fiction author H.P. Lovecraft.
Edna Meudt Poetry Book Award
The Edna Meudt Poetry Book Award is given to the best book of poems published by a Wisconsin-based writer in the previous year. From 1965 to 1992 this award was given as the Poetry Award, and from 1993 to 2012 as the Posner Poetry Book Award. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesake:
Edna Meudt [pronounced MITE] (1906-1989) was born on a farm in Wyoming Valley and lived most of her life on a farm near Dodgeville. She was a teacher, lecturer, editor, and writer who published six books of poetry and two plays. She taught poetry at Rhinelander School of Arts for 18 years and was a co-founder of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, as well as president of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. Widely published in magazines, she edited The Country Poet and a series of anthologies, An Upland Reader I, II, and III. Among her books are the much-lauded Round River Canticle, The Ineluctable Sea (which won the National League of American Pen Women prize in 1976), Plain Chant for a Tree, and her autobiography, The Rose Jar (1990).
Arthur Tofte/Betty Ren Wright Children’s Literature Award
The Arthur Tofte/Betty Ren Wright Children’s Literature Award is given to the Best Children’s Book published by a Wisconsin-based writer in the previous year. From 1966 to 1992 this award was known as the Juvenile Book Award, and from 1997-2003 as the Arthur Tofte Juvenile Fiction Book Award. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesakes:
Arthur Tofte (1902-1980) enjoyed two distinctly different careers: one as a businessman and the other as an author of science fiction, fantasy, and the occult. He published his first story, “The Meteor Monsters,” for Amazing magazine in 1938 when he was a member of the Milwaukee Fictioneers, a group focused on the memory and style of influential science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum. Tofte then focused on his career as a business executive in Milwaukee. Upon his retirement in 1969, and with the encouragement of editor Roger Elwood, he began publishing again, eventually producing five novels, 18 short stories, and four essays. His most popular works include Crash Landing on Iduna (1975), Walls Within Walls (1975), and The Ghost Hunters. His The Day the Earth Stood Still (1976) is a full-length version of the short story made into the world-famous film.
Betty Ren Wright (1927- 2013) grew up in Milwaukee, graduated from Milwaukee-Downer College (now Lawrence University), and worked as an editor for Western Publishing Co. in Racine from 1949 to 1978 until turning to writing full time. Known for her mastery of mystery and suspense, her popular mysteries for middle-grade readers include A Ghost in the House, The Ghost of Mercy Manor, Too Many Secrets, and A Ghost Comes Calling. Her novel The Dollhouse Murders was a 1983 Edgar Award nominee in the best juvenile category and won the Texas Blue Bonnet Award. She also wrote 35 picture books, and her short stories appeared in Young Miss, Ladies’ Home Journal, Redbook, and many other magazines.
Zona Gale Award for Short Fiction
The Zona Gale Award for Short Fiction goes to the best piece of short fiction published by a Wisconsin-based author in the previous year. From 1966 to 1992 this award was given as the Short Fiction Award, and from 1993 to 2012 as the Larry and Eleanor Sternig Award for Short Fiction. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesake:
Zona Gale (1874-1938), born in Portage, was a novelist, playwright, and short story writer whose work was inspired by her hometown. Her contemporary stories—often set in the fictional town of Friendship Village—focused on local color and descriptions of ordinary Midwestern people. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, she worked as a journalist in Milwaukee and New York before returning to Portage to concentrate on her writing. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama for the adaptation of her novel Miss Lulu Bett. She was active in progressive and feminist causes, including the National Women’s Party.
Kay W. Levin Award for Short Nonfiction
The Kay W. Levin Award for Short Nonfiction goes to the best piece of short non-fiction published by a Wisconsin-based author in the previous year. From 1967 to 1992 this award was given as the Short Nonfiction Award. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesake:
Kay W. Levin (1925- 1989) was a board member of the Council for Wisconsin Writers in its formative years. After her death in 1990, her family endowed the award for short nonfiction in her memory. Ms. Levin had written children’s fiction before she and her husband, Robert, moved to Cleveland, Wisconsin, in 1974 from Chicago. Slowing to the pace of rural life, she turned her attention to essay writing, using as her inspiration events from everyday life on Kingfisher Farm, where they lived. Her articles on topics as diverse as her daughter’s death in a car crash to the harvesting of maple syrup appeared in The Milwaukee Journal Wisconsin Magazine among other publications. Levin was a champion of Wisconsin Writers and the award in her name lives on to encourage essay writers into the future.
Lorine Niedecker Poetry Award
The Lorine Niedecker Poetry Award is given to the best collection of up to five poems published in literary magazines by a Wisconsin-based writer in the previous year. See a list of past winners of this award.
About its namesake:
Lorine Niedecker [pronounced NEE dicur] (1903-1970) was born on Blackhawk Island near Fort Atkinson, where she lived for most of her life. After two years at Beloit College, she returned home and began writing poetry, supporting herself by proofreading, writing for a radio station, and even cleaning hospital floors. At first, her work was influenced by Imagist and Objectivist poets, but she gradually developed her own voice and style, characterized by spare language, subtle rhythms, and stark, vivid imagery. During her lifetime, she published her four poetry books at infrequent intervals (New Goose in 1946 and My Friend Tree in 1962), although she was a regular contributor to literary magazines. Since her death, the publication of four additional books, her Collected Works (2002), in particular, has contributed to her reputation as a original and significant voice in contemporary American poetry.
Council for Wisconsin Writers Essay Award for Young Writers
Past Winners of the Essay Award for Young Writers:
2019: Tim Wang: Hartland, for “A Tailor’s Tale”
Honorable Mention: Marianna Kruger, Hartland, for “Black Sails”
2018: Elizabeth Stanfield, Ripon, for “Hand-Me-Downs”
Honorable Mention: Emily Kadrich, Hartland, for “Never Again: August 28,1955”
2014: Kade Byrand, IDEAS Academy, Sheboygan, “Shadow Dad”
Honorable Mention: Erica Howe, Viroqua Area Public School, Readstown “Narrowing it Down”
2013: Hannah Kinzer, Eisenhower Middle and High School, New Berlin “Thirty Thousand Feet in the Air”
Honorable Mention: Satir Kalsi, Brookfield Academy, “Out of the Cold, a Friend”
2012: Tatiana Lyons, Madison West High School, “The Greatest Wizard in South Dakota”
Honorable Mention: Elijah Carrel, Madison West High School, “Thank You, Christopher Columbus”
2011: Annetta Lorraine Martin, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, “Tiny Fingers”
Honorable Mention: Brandon Hansen, Florence High School, Florence, “You Have My Heart (At Least for the Most Part)”
2010: Caroline Brown, Williams Bay High School, Williams Bay, “Surviving the Hill”
Honorable Mention: Jacob Carrel, Madison West High School, Madison, “James Buchanan’s Presidency: A Crisis Without a Leader”
2009: Shauna Nicole Ward, Williams Bay High School, Williams Bay, “A Lesson in Goodbyes”
Honorable Mention: Phoebe Dyer, Homestead High School, Mequon, “The Dancer”
2008: Jennifer Heup, Shawano Community High School, Shawano, “Observations of an Amateur Astronomer”
Honorable Mention: Ellen Bley, Kettle Moraine High School, Wales, “Both”
Council for Wisconsin Writers Major Achievement Award:
Since 2006, the Council for Wisconsin Writers Major Achievement Award has been given bi-annually.
Past Winners of the Major Achievement Award:
2018: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton
2016: John Gurda, Milwaukee
2013: John Nichols, Madison
2013: Jane Hamilton, Rochester
2010: Alden Carter, Marshfield
2008: Kevin Henkes, Madison
2006: Jerry Apps, Madison
2005: Bruce Taylor, Eau Claire
2003: John Koethe, Milwaukee
2002: Antler, Milwaukee
2001: Gordon Weaver, Cedarburg
2000: James Liddy, Milwaukee
1999: Kelly Cherry, Madison
1998: Norbert Blei, Door County
1997: Ronald Wallace, Madison
1996: Betty Ren Wright, Racine
1995: Florence Parry Heide, Kenosha
Christopher Latham Sholes Award
This award is named for Christopher Latham Sholes (1819–1890), a Wisconsinite who is credited with inventing the first practical typewriter, and honors an individual or organization for the “outstanding encouragement of Wisconsin writers.” Since 2003, the Christopher Lathm Sholes Award has been given bi-annually.
Past Winners of the Sholes Award:
2019: Cathryn Cofell, Appleton
2017: Friends of Lorine Niedecker
2014: Daniel Goldin, Milwaukee
2011: Karl Elder, Howards Grove
2009: Wisconsin Historical Society Press, Madison
2007: Linda Aschbrenner, Marshfield
2005: Richard Roe, Madison
2003: Harold Schwartz, Milwaukee
2002: Ellen Kort, Appleton
2001: Woodland Pattern Book Center, Milwaukee
2000: John Lehman, Cambridge
1999: John Judson
1998: Laurel Yourke, Madison
1997: Thomas J. Bontly, Bayside
1996: Harry Schwartz Bookshops
1994: Debra Brehmer, Milwaukee
1993: Donald Emerson, Milwaukee
1992: Ray Helminiak, Mequon
1991: Marshall Cook, Madison
1990: Bill Nelson, Milwaukee
1989: Gerald and Darlene Kronschnabel
1988: unknown
1987: Ginny Moore Kruse
1986: Conkey’s Bookstore, Appleton
1985: Al Nelson
1984: Gertrude Puelicher
1983: Larry Sternig
1982: Robert Gard
1981: Clarice Dunn
1980: Edna Meudt
Past Award Winners:
Past Winners of the Fiction Book Award:
2019: Thomas Davis, Sturgeon Bay, for IN THE UNSETTLED HOMELAND OF DREAMS (All Things That Matter Press)
Honorable Mention: Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden, Madison, for The Dead of Achill Island (University of Wisconsin Press)
2018: Liam Callanan, Milwaukee, for Paris by the Book (Dutton) Honorable Mention: Tom Matthews, Wauwatosa, for Raising the Dad (St. Martin’s Press)
2017: Matt Cashion, La Crosse, for Our 13th Divorce (Livingston Press) Honorable Mention: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton. for Mining for Justice (Midnight Ink)
2016: Patricia Skalka, Sturgeon Bay, for Death in Cold Water (University of Wisconsin Press) Honorable Mention: Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden for Death on a Starry Night (University of Wisconsin Press)
2015: Judith Claire Mitchell, Madison, A Reunion of Ghosts, Harper Collins.
2014: Chloe Krug Benjamin, Madison, The Anatomy of Dreams (Atria/Simon & Schuster)
2013: Jesse Lee Kercheval, Madison, My Life as a Silent Movie (Indiana University Press)
Honorable Mention: Raymond D. Schrab, Hartford, Dutch Schultz and the Gold of Quilali (Create Space)
2012: Shauna Singh Baldwin, Milwaukee, The Selector of Souls (Random House of Canada)
Honorable Mention: Paul Salsini, Milwaukee, The Temptation of Father Lorenzo (iUniverse)
2011: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, The Heirloom Murders (Midnight Ink)
Honorable Mention: Douglas W. Jacobson, Elm Grove, The Katyn Order: A novel (McBooks, Inc.)
2010: Douglas Armstrong, Whitefish Bay, Even Sunflowers Cast Shadows (iUniverse)
Honorable Mention: Angela Woodward, Madison, End of the Fire Cult, Ravenna Press
2009: Valerie Laken, Milwaukee, Dream House (Harper)
Honorable Mention: Dwight Allen, Madison, The Typewriter Satyr (University of Wisconsin Press)
2008: Anthony Bukoski, Superior, North of the Port (Southern Methodist University Press)
Honorable Mention: Rae Meadows, Madison, No One Tells Everything (MacAdam/Cage)
Honorable Mention: David McGlynn, Appleton, The End of the Straight and Narrow (Southern Methodist University Press)
2007: Benjamin Percy, Stevens Point, Refresh, Refresh (Graywolf Press)
2006: Paul Salsini, Milwaukee, The Cielo: a Novel of Wartime Tuscany (iUniverse)
Honorable Mention: Margaret George, Madison, Helen of Troy (Viking Press)
2005: (tie) Dean Bakopoulos, Madison, Please Don’t Come Back from the Moon (Harcourt) and C. J. Hribal, Milwaukee, The Company Car (Random House)
2004: Rebecca Meacham, Oneida, Let’s Do (University of North Texas Press)
Honorable Mention: Judith Claire Mitchell, Madison, The Last Day of the War (Pantheon)
Honorable Mention: Tenaya Darlington, Madison, Maybe Baby (Back Bay Books)
Honorable Mention: Gordon Weaver, Cedarburg, Last Stands (University of Missouri Press)
2003: Anthony Bukoski, Superior, Time Between Trains (SMU Press)
2002: No award
2001: Richard Horan, Goose Music (Steerforth Press)
2000: Elizabeth Oness, La Crosse, Articles of Faith (University of Iowa Press)
1999: Anthony Bukoski, Polonaise
1998: Lorrie Moore, Birds of America
1997: Gordon Weaver, Four Decades: New & Selected Stories
1996: Jacquelyn Mitchard, The Deep End of the Ocean
1995: Kyoko Mori, One Bird
1994: Lorrie Moore, Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?
1993: Kyoko Mori, Shizuoko’s Daughter
1992: no award
1991: Mark Rich, Lifting
1990: Kelly Cherry, My Life and Dr. Joyce Brothers
1989: Martha Bergland, A Farm Under a Lake
1988: Jane Hamilton, The Book of Ruth
1987: Ellen Hunnicutt, Suite for Calliope
1986: Margaret George, The Autobiography of Henry VIII
1985: Patricia Hodgell, Dark of the Moon
1984: no award
1983: no award
1982: Gene DeWeese, A Different Darkness
1981: Barbara Vroman, Sons of Thunder
1980: Michael Mooney, Squid Soup
1979: Kelly Cherry, Augusta Played
1978: no award
1977: Peggy Dopp and Barbara Vroman, Tomorrow Is a River
1976: Gene DeWeese, Jeremy Case
1975: Herbert Kubly, The Duchess of Glover
1974: Tony Hozeny, Driving Wheel/My House Is Dark
1973: James Olson, Ulzana
1972: Warren Fine, Their Family
1971: Paul Covert, Cages
1970: no award
1969: (tie) Mel Ellis, Wild Goose, Brother Goose and Dion Henderson, On the Mountain
1968: Waldon Porterfield, The Hot Country
1967: Donald Emerson, Court Decision
1966: no award
1965: Beverly Butler, Feather in the Wind
Past Winners of the Nonfiction Book Award:
2019: Krista Eastman, Madison, for The Painted Forest (West Virginia University Press) Christina Ward, Cudahy, for American Advertising Cookbooks: How Corporations Taught Us to Love Spam, Bananas, and Jell-O(Process)
2018: Laura Jean Baker, Oshkosh, for The Motherhood Affidavits: A Memoir (The Experiment)Honorable Mention: Christy Wopat, Holmen, for Almost a Mother; Love, Loss and Finding Your People When Your Baby Dies (Orange Hat Publishing)
2017: Dave Zweifel and John Nichols, Madison, for The Capital Times (Wisconsin Historical Society Press) Honorable Mention: Heather Swan, Madison, for Where Honeybees Thrive (Pennsylvania State University Press)
2016: Paula Dáil, Spring Green, for Mother Nature’s Daughters: 21st Century Women Farmers (McFarland) Honorable Mention: James Campbell, Lodi, for Braving It: A Father, A Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey Into the Alaskan Wild (Crown Penguin Random House)
2014: John Hildebrand, Eau Claire, The Heart of Things: A Midwestern Almanac (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
Honorable Mention: Tom Pamperin, Chippewa Falls, Jagular Goes
Everywhere: (mis) Adventures in a $300 Sailboat (Cedar Street Press).
2013: B. J. Hollars, Eau Claire, Opening the Doors: The Desegregation of the University of Alabama and the Fight for Civil Rights in Tuscaloosa (University of Alabama Press)
Honorable Mention: Nicholas Hoffman and Jesse Gant, Appleton, Wheel Fever: How Wisconsin Became a Great Bicycling State (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
2012: David McGlynn, Appleton, A Door in the Ocean (Counterpoint Press)
Honorable Mention: Jim Draeger, Monona, and Mark Speltz, Madison, Bottoms Up: A Toast to Wisconsin’s Historic Bars & Breweries (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
2011: Paula W. Dáil, Spring Green, Women and Poverty in 21st Century America (McFarland)
Honorable Mention: Josephe Marie Flynn, SSND, Milwaukee, Rescuing Regina: The Battle to Save a Friend from Deportation and Death (Lawrence Hill Books)
2010: Ann Angel, Brookfield, Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing (Amulet Books)
Honorable Mention: M. Caren Connolly and Louis Wasserman, Milwaukee, with Zane Williams, photographer, Madison, Wisconsin’s Own: Twenty Remarkable Homes (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
2009: Barbara Manger, Milwaukee, Mary Nohl: Inside & Outside—A Biography of the Artist (Greater Milwaukee Foundation)
Honorable Mention: Dave Crehore, Green Bay, Sweet and Sour Pie: A Wisconsin Boyhood (University of Wisconsin Press)
2008: Richard Quinney, Madison, Things Once Seen (Borderland Books)
Honorable Mention: Jerrianne Hayslett, South Milwaukee, Anatomy of a Trial: Lessons Learned from the People vs. O.J. Simpson (University of Missouri Press)
2007: Jean Feraca, Madison, I Hear Voices: A Memoir of Love, Death, and the Radio (University of Wisconsin Press)
2006: Geoff Gilpin, DeForest, The Maharishi Effect: A Personal Journey Through the Movement That Transformed American Spirituality (Tarcher/Penguin)
Honorable Mention: Kerry A. Trask, Manitowoc, Black Hawk: The Battle for the Heart of America (Henry Holt)
2005: Karen J. Coates, Brookfield, Cambodia Now: Life in the Wake of War (McFarland)
Honorable Mention: John Gurda, Milwaukee, Miller Time: A History of Miller Brewing Company, 1855-2005 (Miller Brewing Company)
Honorable Mention: Jerry Apps, Madison, Every Farm Tells a Story (Voyageur Press)
2004: Paul Zimmer, Soldiers Grove, Trains in the Distance (Kent State University Press)
Honorable Mention: Doug Moe, Madison, Lord of the Rings: The Triumph and Tragedy of College Boxing’s Greatest Team (University of Wisconsin Press)
2003: Tom Tolan, Milwaukee, Riverwest: A Community History (Past Press)
Honorable Mention: Herbert Wagner, Monona, At the Creation: Myth, Reality and the Origin of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, 1901-1909 (University of Wisconsin Press)
Honorable Mention: Ellen Kort, Appleton, The Art of Labor: Building the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center (Boldt Construction Corporation)
2002: Betsy Draine, Madison, and Michael Hinden, Madison, A Castle in the Backyard (University of Wisconsin Press)
Honorable Mention: Jim Hoehn, Milwaukee, The Father’s Guide to Birth, Babies and Loud Children (Parents Guide Press)
Honorable Mention: Sarah Streed, Leaving the House of Ghosts: Cambodian Refugees in the American Midwest (McFarland)
2001: no award
2000: Sara Rath, Spring Green, The Complete Pig (MBI Publishing Company)
1999: John Gurda, The Making of Milwaukee
1998: Brenda W. Quinn and Ellen D. Langill, Caring for Milwaukee: The Daughters of Charity at St. Mary’s
1997: Chad McGrath, Great Wisconsin Walks
1996: Gerard Wolfe, Chicago In and Around the Loop: Walking Tours of Architecture and History
1995: Kerry Trask, The Fire Within: A Civil War Narrative from Wisconsin
1994: Philip Martin, Farmhouse Fiddlers: Music and Dance Traditions in the Rural Midwest
1993: Rick Whaley and Walter Bresette, Walleye Warriors: An Effective Alliance Against Racism and for the Earth
1992: Lois Stark, Once Upon a Farm
1991: Sidney Iwens, How Dark the Heavens
1990: Glenn Jeansonne, The Women of Genesis
1989: Frances Hamerstrom, Is She Coming, Too? Memoirs of a Lady Hunter
1988: Glenn Jeansonne, Gerald L.K. Smith: Minister of Hate
1987: Sara Rath, About Cows
1986: Grace Samuelson, Reflections on Door County
1985: Loren Osman, W.D. Hoard: A Man for His Time
1984: Frances Hamerstrom, Birding with a Purpose
1983: Mary Mebane, Mary, Wayfarer
1982: Bruce Allison and Elizabeth Durbin, Wisconsin’s Famous & Historic Trees
1981: Norbert Blei, Door Way
1980: Frances Hamerstrom, Strictly for the Chickens
1979: Bill Stokes, Hi-Ho Silver, Anyway
1978: Robert Wells, Daylight in the Swamp
1977: Jerry Apps, Barns of Wisconsin
1976: Dion Henderson, A Season of Birds
1975: Robert Gard, Wild Goose Country
1974: Gwen Schultz, Ice Age Lost
1973: Mel Ellis, Peg Leg Pete
1972: Joseph McBride, Orson Wells
1971: Robert Wells, Vince Lombardi
1970: August Derleth, Return to Walden West
1969: Herbert Kubly, Gods and Heroes
1968: Ruth Fouts Pochmann, Triple Ridge Farm
1967: Mel Ellis, Run, Rainey, Run
1966: John Barker
Past Winners of the Poetry Book Award:
2019: Kimberly Blaeser, Burlington, for Copper Yearning (Holy Cow! Press)
Honorable Mention: Robin Chapman, Madison, for The Only Home We Know (Tebot Bach)
2018: Marilyn Annucci, Madison, for The Arrows That Choose Us (Press 53) Honorable Mention: Denise Sweet, Green Bay, for Palominos Near Tuba City: New and Selected Poems (Holy Cow! Press)
2017: Matthew Guenette, Madison, for Vasectomania (University of Akron Press)Honorable Mention, to Crystal Spring Gibbins of Washburn for her Now/Here (Holy Cow! Press)
2016: Catherine Jagoe, Madison, for Bloodroot (Settlement House Books)Honorable Mention: Jon Loomis, Eau Claire, for The Mansion of Happiness (Oberlin College Press)
2014: Sean Bishop, Madison, The Night We’re Not Sleeping In (Sarabande Books
Honorable Mention: Angela Sorby, Milwaukee, The Sleeve Waves (University of Wisconsin Press)
2013: Amaud Jamaul Johnson, Madison, Darktown Follies (Tupelo Press)
Honorable Mention: Seth Abramson, Madison, Thievery (University of Akron Press)
2012: Sarah Busse, Madison, Somewhere Piano (Mayapple Press)
Honorable Mention: James Pollock, Madison, Sailing to Babylon (Able Muse Press)
2011: Adam Fell, Madison, I Am Not a Pioneer (H_NGM_N Books)
Honorable Mention: Robin Chapman, Madison, the eelgrass meadow (Tebot Bach)
2010: Nick Lantz, Madison, We Don’t Know We Don’t Know (Graywolf Press)
Honorable Mention: Rebecca Dunham, Bayside, The Flight Cage (Tupelo Press)
2009: Jesse Lee Kercheval, Madison, Cinema Muto (Southern Illinois University Press)
Honorable Mention: Angela Sorby, Milwaukee, Bird Skin Coat (University of Wisconsin Press)
2008: Ron Wallace, Madison, For a Limited Time Only (University of Pittsburgh Press)
Honorable Mention: Erin Hanusa, Madison, The House of Marriage (Louisiana State University Press)
2007: Paul Zimmer, Soldiers Grove, Crossing to Sunlight Revisited: New and Selected Poems (The University of Georgia Press)
Honorable Mention: Susan Elbe, Madison, Eden in the Rearview Mirror (Word Press)
2006: Richard Swanson, Madison, Men in the Nude in Socks and Other Poems (Fireweed Press)
2005: Robin Chapman, Madison, Images of a Complex World: The Art and Poetry of Chaos (World Scientific)
Honorable Mention: Karl Elder, Howards Grove, Mead: Twenty-Six Abecedariums (Marsh River Editions)
Honorable Mention: Dale Ritterbusch, Waukesha, Far from the Temple of Heaven (Black Moss Press)
2004: Alice D’Alessio, Madison, A Blessing of Trees (Cross+Roads Press)
Honorable Mention: Marilyn Taylor, Milwaukee, Subject to Change (David Robert Books)
Honorable Mention: Harriet Brown, Madison, The Promised Land (Parallel Press)
2003: Ronald Wallace, Madison, Long for This World (University of Pittsburgh Press)
Honorable Mention: Bruce Dethlefsen, Westfield, Something Near the Dance Floor (Marsh River Editions)
2002: David Steingass, Madison, Greatplains: A Prairie Lovesong (Red Dragonfly Press)
Honorable Mention: Susan Firer, Milwaukee, The Laugh We Make When We Fall (The Backwaters Press)
2001: Anne-Marie Cusac, Madison, The Mean Days (Tia Chua Press)
2000: C. Mikal Oness, La Crosse, Water Becomes Bone (Western Michigan University)
1999: Robin Chapman, The Way In
1998: Rusty McKenzie, Never Far from Water
1997: Denise Sweet, Songs for Discharming
1996: John Judson, The Inardo Poems
1995: Dale Ritterbusch, Lessons Learned
1994: James Liddy, Collected Poems
1993: Susan Firer, The Lives of the Saints and Everything
1992: Laura Mills, Hidden Seed
1991: Ronald Wallace, The Makings of Happiness
1990: unknown
1989: Donald Kummings, The Open Road
1988: Kelly Cherry, Natural Theology
1987: Ron Wallace, People and Dog in the Sun
1986: Richard Jones, Country of Air
1985: James Hazard, New Year’s Eve in Whiting, IN
1984: Roberta Hill Whiteman, Star Quilt
1983: Ronald Wallace, Tunes for Bears to Dance To
1982: Reinhold Kaebitzsch, Poaching for Ivory in Darkest Africa
1981: Peter Stambler, Wilderness Fires
1980: R.M. Ryan, Goldilocks in Later Life
1979: Warren Woessner, No Hiding Place
1978: Felix Pollak, Subject to Change
1977: Ronald Wallace, Installing the Bees
1976: John Judson, Routes From the Onion’s Dark
1975: Doug Flaherty, Near the Bone
1974: Kathy Weigener, Country Western Breakdown
1973: Felix Pollak, Gingko
1972: Scott Poulter, The Glass Partition
1971: Roger Mitchell, Letters from Siberia
1970: John Judson, Within Seasons
1969: Chad Walsh, The End of Nature
1968: Raymond Vils, Offshore Water Fisherman
1967: August Derleth, Collected Poems
1966: no award
1965: Chad Walsh, Unknown Dance/Psalm of Christ
Past Winners of the Children’s Literature Award:
2019: Dean Robbins, Madison, for The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon: The True Story of Alan Bean (Scholastic)
Honorable Mention: Callie J. Trautmiller, River Falls, for Becoming American: A World War II Young Adult Novel (Written Dreams)
2018: Patricia Sutton, Madison, for Capsized (Chicago Review Press)
Honorable Mention: Stef Wade, Brookfield, for A Place for Pluto (Capstone Editions)
2017: Shelly Tougas, Hudson, for Laura Ingalls is Ruining My Life (Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press)
Honorable Mention: Dean Robbins, Madison, for Margaret and the Moon (Knopf)
2016: Rachel Davidson Leigh, Madison, for Hold (Interlude Press/Duet Books)
Honorable Mention: Dean Robbins, Madison, for Two Friends (Orchard Books/Scholastic)
2014: Bridget Birdsall, Madison, Double Exposure (Sky Pony Press)
Honorable Mention: Janet Halfmann, South Milwaukee, Animal Teachers (Blue Apple Books)
2013: A.M. Bostwick, Tomahawk, The Great Cat Nap (Cornerstone Press)
Honorable Mention: Rebecca Williams Spindler and Madelyn Spindler, Madison, Moving Out and Moving On (Little Creek Books)
2012: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, Meet Caroline, American Girl Company
Honorable Mention: Isabella Fontaine, Delevan, and Ken Brosky, Madison, The Grimm Chronicles (Vol. 1), Brew City Press
2011: Janet Halfmann, South Milwaukee, Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish (Henry Holt/Christy Ottaviano)
Honorable Mention: Rachel Callaray, Hartford, My Wooden Wings (Rachel Callaray)
2010: Jacqueline Houtman, Madison, The Reinvention of Edison Thomas (Boyd’s Mills Press)
Honorable Mention: Michael V. Uschan, Franklin, Eye on Art: Grafitti (Gale)
2009: Ann Bausum, Beloit, Denied, Detained, Deported: Stories from the Dark Side of American Immigrations, National Geographic
2008: Pat Schmatz, Amherst Junction, Mousetraps (Carolrhoda Books)
Honorable Mention: JoAnn Early Macken, Shorewood, Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move (Holiday House)
2007: Ann Bausum, Beloit, Muckrakers: How Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, and Lincoln Steffens Helped Expose Scandal, Inspire Reform, and Invent Investigative Journalism (National Geographic Society)
Honorable Mention: Dori Chaconas, Germantown, Pennies in a Jar (Peachtree Publisher)
2006: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, Hearts of Stone (Dutton Children’s Books)
2005: Sheila Cohen, Madison, Mai Ya’s Journey (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
Honorable Mention: Mary Beth Lorbiecki, Hudson, Planet Patrol (Two Can Publishing)
2004: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, Betrayal at Cross Creek (American Girl Company)
Honorable Mention: Stephanie Golightly Lowden, Madison, Time of the Eagle: A Story of an Ojibwe Winter (Blue Horse Books)
2003: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, Ghosts of Vicksburg (White Mane Publishing)
2002: Patricia Curtis Pfitsch, Gays Mills, Riding the Flume (Simon and Schuster)
2001: Marc Kornblatt, Madison, Understanding Buddy (Simon & Schuster)
2000: Kathleen Ernst, Middleton, Retreat from Gettysburg (White Mane Publishing)
1999: Joe Riederer, Restoration in the Barrens
1998: Patricia Curtis Pfitsch, The Deeper Song
1997: Alden Carter, Bull Catcher
1996: no award
1995: Betty Ren Wright, Out of the Dark
1994: Karen Hirsch, Ellen Anders on Her Own
1993: Sheri Cooper Sinykin, Sirens
1992: Alden Carter, Imperial Ambitions: The Spanish American War
1991: Lois Walfrid Johnson, Trouble at Wild River
1990: Ann Angel, John Glenn: Space Pioneer
1989: Peter and Connie Roop, Stonehenge
1988: Kevin Henkes, The Zebra Wall
1987: Alden Carter, Sheila’s Dying
1986: Kathy Kennedy Tapp, Smoke from the Chimney
1985: Betty Ren Wright, Christina’s Ghost
1984: Alden Carter, Growing Season
1983: Kenneth Roseman, The Cardinal’s Snuffbox
1982: Jocelyn Riley, Only My Mouth is Smiling
1981: Laura Greene and Eva Dicker, Sign Language
1980: Robert Siegel, Alpha Centauri
1979: Gene DeWeese, Major Corby and the Unidentified Flapping Object
1978: Sarah Sargent, Edward Troy and the Witch Cat
1977: Phyllis Green, Grandmother Orphan
1976: Florence Parry Heide, Growing Anyway Up
1975: Gwen Schultz, Icebergs and Their Voyages
1974: Leon McClinton, Cross-Country Runner
1973: Beatrice Smith, Road to Galveston
1972: Marion Fuller Archer, Sarah Jane
1971: Mel Ellis, Caribou Crossing
1970: Rita Ritchie, Night Coach to Paris
1969: Hope Dahle Jordan, Supermarket Sleuth
1968: Marion Fuller Archer, Nine Lives of Moses on the Oregon Trail
1967: Hope Dahle Jordan, Haunted Summer
Past Winners of the Short Fiction Award:
2019: Kimberly Blaeser, Burlington, for “Vision Confidence Score,” Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts
Honorable Mention: Jennifer Morales, Viroqua, for “Cousins,” Milwaukee Noir
2018: William Stobb, Onalaska, for Short Fiction for “All the Bodies,” North Dakota Quarterly
Honorable Mention: Kathie Giorgio, Waukesha, for “Quiet,” moonShine Review
2017: Bob Wake, Cambridge, for “Mudstone,” Wisconsin People and Ideas
Honorable Mention: Matt Cashion, La Crosse, for “What Kills You,” Carolina Quarterly
2016: Liz Wyckoff, Madison, for “Like This, Like That,” Copper Nickel
Honorable Mention: Jeff Esterholm, Superior, for “Flaming Chevy Lodestar,” RE:AL Regarding Arts & Letters
2014: Margaret Benbow, Madison, “Joe Szabo and the Gypsy Bride,” The Antioch Review
Honorable Mention: Liam Callanan, Milwaukee, “Exhibit A,” Commonweal
2013: Matt Cashion, La Crosse, “Awful Pretty,” Moon City Review
Honorable Mention: Margaret Benbow, Madison “Simeon Prophet and Johanna,” The Antioch Review
2012: Jeff Esterholm, Superior, “Mrs. Weir,” Midwestern Gothic
Honorable Mention: Karen Loeb, Eau Claire, “Housewarming,” Thema
2011: Lydia Conklin, Madison, “Bear With Me,” Narrative Magazine
Honorable Mention: Paul Schultz, Madison, “First Sign,” Burning Bright, Passager
2010: Christopher Mohar, Madison, “The Five Points of Performance,” The Southwest Review
Honorable Mention: Jennifer Morales, Milwaukee, “Heavy Lifting,” The Long Story
2009: Matthew Cashion, La Crosse, “Last Words of the Holy Ghost,” Willow Springs
Honorable Mention: Gary Jones, Sister Bay, “The Visit,” Peninsula Pulse
2008: Ingrid Kallick, Madison, “Sonia,” Wisconsin People & Ideas
Honorable Mention: Jeff Esterholm, Verona, “The Return of the Norseman,” The Dirty Napkin
2007: Christi Clancy, Whitefish Bay, “Little Frozen Universes,” Hobart Journal
Honorable Mention: John Campbell, Brookfield, “Breaking into Print,” Timber Creek Review
Honorable Mention: Abbey Frucht, Oshkosh, “Is Glistening,” Narrative Magazine
2006: George Makana Clark, Milwaukee, “In the Center of the World,” Anchor Book
Honorable Mention: David E. McGlynn, Appleton, “Sweet Texas Angel,” Shenandoah
Honorable Mention: Gordon Weaver, Cedarburg, “The Death of Will Kempe,” Sewanee Review
2005: Margaret Benbow, Madison, “Egyptian,” Barnstorm (University of Wisconsin Press)
2004: Susan Engberg, Milwaukee, “Moon,” The Threepenny Review
Honorable Mention: Rebecca Meacham, Oneida, “Good Fences,” Michigan Quarterly Review
Honorable Mention: Ted Hertel, Jr., Mequon, “It’s Crackers to Slip a Rozzer the Dropsey in Snide,” Small Crimes Anthology
2003: Geeta Sharma Jensen, Franksville, “A Good Country,” The Atlantic Monthly
2002: Gordon Weaver, Cedarburg, “And What Should I Do in Illyria,” High Plains Literary Review
2001: C. J. Hribal, Milwaukee, “Morton and Lilly, Dredge and Fill,” Wisconsin Academy Review
2000: Gordon Weaver, Cedarburg, “The Carted Whore,” Notre Dame Review
1999: Kathleen Lester, “Das Bächlein”
1998: C.J. Hribal, “And That’s the Name of That Tune”
1997: Gordon Weaver, “Without Spot or Wrinkle”
1996: Thomas Bontly, “Lucky’s Blues”
1995: Christine Tachick, “Ticket to Tower Bridge”
1994: Ellen Hunnicutt, “Tango”
1993: Joseph Gahagan, “Island People”
1992: John Goulet, “Trust”
1991: Rachel Pastan, “Cooking for Gloria”
1990: unknown
1989: Lisa Ruffolo, “My Grandfather’s Suit”
1988: Thomas Bontly, “Act of Faith”
1987: Ron Tanner, “Head Over Heels”
1986: Martha Bergland, “An Embarrassment of Ordinary Riches”
1985: Justin lsherwood, “Sideways Christmas”
1984: Robert Treu, “Living at the Riverbeau”
1983: Justin Isherwood, “The Cruiser”
1982: Jane Hamilton, “My Own Earth”
1981: Steve Tighe, “Sinful Blues”
1980: Sydney Harth, “Pain, What to Do With It”
1979: Jennifer Lodde, “Ladies Inside the Wall”
1978: Nobert Blei, “A Distance of Horses”
1977: John Allschwang, “Booby Trap”
1976: Thomas Bontly, “The Blue Smile”
1975: Jack Ritchie, “Bedlam at the Budgie”
1974: Robert Gard, “Tall Grasses of Search”
1973: John Fogarty, “A Final Lie”
1972: Jack Ritchie, “Let Your Fingers Do the Walking”
1971: Harold Rolseth, “Hey, You Down There”
1970: Robert Wells, “The Christmas Computer
1969: Thomas Ramirez, “The Secret Life”
1968: Dion Henderson, “The Bear”
1967: Jack Ritchie, (body of work)
Past Winners of the Short Nonfiction Award:
2019: Matt Blessing, Madison, for “Alaska Ho! Arville Schaleben and the Mantanuska Valley Colony,” Wisconsin Magazine of History
Honorable Mention: Chris Chan, Milwaukee, for “Someday the Truth Will Come Out: The Lemberger Family and the Murder that Stunned Wisconsin,” Sherlock Homes Mystery Magazine
2018: Christina Clancy, Madison, “Lost Cause,” The Sun Magazine
Honorable Mention: Judith Steininger, Milwaukee, for “The Girl(s) From Montana,” Montana Quarterly
2017: Ronnie Hess, Madison, for “Berlin Letters,” Poor Yorick Literary Journal.
Honorable Mention: Tamara Thomsen, Paul Reckner and Richard J. Boyd, Madison, for “Solving the Mystery of the SS. Lakeland,” Wisconsin Magazine of History.
2016: Carolyn Kott Washburne, Whitefish Bay, for “A Natural Ken,” Milwaukee Magazine
Honorable Mention: Patti See, Chippewa Falls, for “Diary of a Bone Marrow Donor” 1966: A Journal of Creative Nonfiction
2014: Catherine Jagoe, Madison, “A Ring of Bells,” Gettysburg Review
Honorable Mention: Patti See, Chippewa Falls, “Hunter’s Mother,” The WayFarer
2013: Craig Reinbold, Milwaukee, “The Girl in the Photograph,” Ruminate Magazine
Honorable Mention: Jill Sisson Quinn, Scandinavia, “The Myth of Home,” Ecotone Journal
2012: George Johnson, Madison, “The American Pearl Rush: Its Wisconsin Beginnings,” Wisconsin Magazine of History
Honorable Mention: Tom Matthews, Wauwatosa, “Almost Famous,” Milwaukee Magazine
2011: Mary Ellen Gabriel, Madison, “Ne-rucha-ja: The Forgotten Tale of Frost’s Woods and Charles E. Brown’s Fight to Save It for the Ho-Chunk,” Wisconsin Magazine of History
Honorable Mention: Wendy Vardaman, Madison, “The Essay That I Begin Writing While Walking to the Wisconsin Capitol Trying to Discern the Right Question, 2/24/11,” Verse Wisconsin
2010: Krista Eastman, Madison, “Layers of Ice,” Witness
Honorable Mention: Tom Matthews, Wauwatosa, “Heart Breaker,” Milwaukee Magazine
2009: Robert Root, Waukesha, “Postscript to a Postscript ‘The Ring of Time,’” The Pinch
Honorable Mention: Michael Gordon, Milwaukee, “To Make a Clean Sweep: Milwaukee Confronts an Anarchist Scare in 1917,” Wisconsin Magazine of History
2008: David McGlynn, Appleton, “Hydrophobia,” The Missouri Review
Honorable Mention: Kurt Chandler, Wauwatosa, “The Joker,” Milwaukee Magazine
2007: Abbey Frucht, Oshkosh, “Blue Shirt,” Brevity Magazine
Honorable Mention: Frank Bures, Verona, “Spirits in the Material World,” Washington Post Magazine
2006: Harriet Brown, Madison, “One Spoonful at a Time,” The New York Times Magazine
Honorable Mention: Alison Townsend, Stoughton, “Praising What Persists: Reflections on the Personal Essay and Memoirs,” Arts and Letters
Honorable Mention: Julie Buckles, Washburn, “Cleora on Ice,” Fourth Genre
Honorable Mention: Tom Pamperin, Chippewa Falls, “All Right, Then, I’ll Go to Hell,” English Journal
Honorable Mention: David E. McGlynn, Appleton, “Detachment,” Ninth Letter
2005: Karen J. Coates, Brookfield, “Painting Cambodia for Judy,” Kyoto Journal
Honorable Mention: Jim Hazard, Whitefish Bay, “The Day I Met the Late Edna St. Vincent Millay,” 3711 Atlantic
Honorable Mention: Kurt Chandler, Milwaukee, “At War,” Milwaukee Magazine
2004: Jack Bushnell, Eau Claire, “A Baseball Boy Turns Fifty,” Elysian Fields Quarterly
Honorable Mention: Mary Van de Kamp Nohl, Oconomowoc, “A Second Chance,” Milwaukee Magazine
Honorable Mention: Richard Thieme, Fox Point, “I Remember Mama,” Heartlands
2003: Kurt Chandler, Milwaukee, “No Exit,” Milwaukee Magazine
Honorable Mention: Kent Williams, Madison, “Isn’t It Romantic,” Isthmus
Honorable Mention: Willa Schmidt, Madison, “Second Life,” Potomac Review
2002: Karen J. Coates, Brookfield, “Passing the Test: Reconciling Cambodia,” The Chattahoochee Review
Honorable Mention: Kent Williams, Madison, “Jackass Nation,” Isthmus
Honorable Mention: Pegi Taylor, Milwaukee, “I Am a Child Molester,” Milwaukee Magazine
2001: Bruce Murphy, Milwaukee, “Our Billion-Dollar Baby,” Milwaukee Magazine
2000: (tie) Kurt Chandler, Milwaukee, “The Sinking of the Linda E,” Milwaukee Magazine, and Carolyn Kott Washburne, Shorewood, “Zink the Zebra,” Exclusively Yours
1999: Robert McGuire, “Witness to Rage”
1998: John Hildebrand, “Coming Home”
1997: Kent Williams, “The ‘Real’ World: Special Effects Are Blurring the Line”
1996: Kurt Chandler, “Living Out Loud”
1995: Mary VandeKamp Nohl, “A Jury of Peers,” Milwaukee Magazine
1994: Bruce Murphy, “A Kind of Loving”
1993: Stephen Filmanowicz, “Elvis, Russ and Me”
1992: Bruce Murphy, “Endangered Species”
1991: Mary VandeKamp Nohl, “The Unmaking of a University”
1990: Judith Woodburn, “Are We Driving Ourselves Crazy?”
1989: Bruce Murphy, “Risky Business”
1988: Mary VandeKamp Nohl, “Florence Nightingale is Dead”
1987: Tim Howard McDonnell, “I Miss You Nurse”
1986: Jocelyn Riley, “A Death of One’s Own”
1985: Bruce Murphy, “Machine Dreams”
1984: (tie) Jackie Loohauis, “Desire Among Writers” and Susan Pigorsch, “Away and Aloft”
1983: Martin Hintz, “The Bahamian Bard”
1982: Felix Pollak, “Never Say Die”
1981: Dale Reich, “One Year in Vietnam”
1980: Jack Randolph, “The Grand Review”
1979: Jeff Dean, “Canoes and Different Drummers”
1978: Robert Gard, “The Haunting of the Wild”
1977: Ray Helminiak, “And Then There Were None”
1976: Nancy Mack, “Death and My Father”
1975: G.H. Schoff, “Something There Is About a Crane”
1974: Arthur Hove, “Pygmalion’s Pedestal”
1973: Kathryn Lamboley, “Our Harbors Once Had Amber Waves of Grain”
1972: David Crowe, “Birdman of the Chippewa”
1971: Marjorie Bitker, “Westminster Scene of Salute to Law”
1970: Susan Smith, “They Put Wisconsin on the Map”
1969: Jill Weber Dean and Larry Servais, “The Flight of the Great Northwest”
1968: Mel Ellis, “Spring and Summer”
1967: Robert Wells, “The Colt”
Past Winners of the Poetry Award:
2019: David Southward, Milwaukee
Honorable Mention: Bruce Taylor, Chippewa Fall
2018: Kathryn Gahl, Appleton
Honorable Mention: Eileen Mattmann, West Bend
2017: Ed Werstein, Milwaukee
Honorable Mention: Margaret Benbow, Madison.
2016: David Southward, Milwaukee
Honorable Mention: Georgia Ressmeyer, Sheboygan
2014: Cathryn Cofell, Appleton
Honorable Mention: DeWitt Clinton, Shorewood
2013: Jeanie Tomasko, Middleton
Honorable Mention: Rita Mae Reese, Madison
2012: Kara Candito, Madison
Honorable Mention: Amie Whittemore, Racine
2011: Sarah Busse, Madison
Honorable Mention: Susan Elbe, Madison
2010: David Krump, La Crosse
Honorable Mention: Catherine Jagoe, Madison
2009: Angela Sorby, Milwaukee
Honorable Mention: Catherine Jagoe, Madison
2008: Susan Firer, Whitefish Bay
Honorable Mention: Cathryn Cofell, Appleton
2007: David Krump, La Crosse
2006: Susan Elbe, Madison
Honorable Mention: Harriet Brown, Madison
Honorable Mention: Anjie Greene-Martin, Palmyra
2005: Alison Townsend, Stoughton
Honorable Mention: Susan Elbe, Madison
Honorable Mention: Susan Firer, Milwaukee
Honorable Mention: Karla Huston, Appleton
2004: Karl Elder, Howards Grove
Honorable Mention: Kathryn Gahl, Two Rivers
Honorable Mention: Susan Elbe, Madison
2003: Michael Kriesel, Aniwa
Honorable Mention: Wendy Vardaman, Madison
Honorable Mention: Robin Chapman, Madison
2002: Anne-Marie Cusac, Madison
Honorable Mention: Elaine Cavanaugh, Hartland
Discontinued Awards
Ellis/Henderson Outdoor Writing Award
From 1975 to 1991 this award was given as the Outdoor Writing Award. The award was last given in 2012.
Past Winners of the Outdoor Writing Award:
2012: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “Ghosts of the Little Sioux,” Pointing Dog Journal
Honorable Mention: Steven Dewald, La Crosse, Under a Poacher’s Moon: Stories of a Wisconsin Game Warden, CreateSpace
2011: Richard E. Carter, Wauwatosa, Through the Cabin Door, Appleport Press
Honorable Mention: Marcia Carmichael, Eagle, Putting Down Roots: Gardening Insights from Wisconsin’s Early Settlers, Wisconsin Historical Society Press
2010: Amy Lou Jenkins, Wauwatosa, Every Natural Fact: Five Seasons of Open-Air Parenting (HolyCow! Press)
Honorable Mention: Jill Sisson Quinn, Scandinavia, “Sign Here if You Exist,” Ecotone
2009: Kathleen Schmitt Kline, Madison; Ronald M. Bruch, Oshkosh; and Frederick P. Binkowski, Milwaukee, People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
Honorable Mention: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “Tales from the Dark Side,” Gray’s Sporting Journal
2008: Jerry Apps, Madison, Old Farm: A History (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
Honorable Mention: Robert C. Wilging, Rhinelander, On the Hunt: The History of Deer Hunting in Wisconsin (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
2007: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “Middle Lake,” Sporting Classics
Honorable Mention: Amy L. Jenkins, Wauwatosa, “Shepherded Flights,” The Florida Review
2006: John Bates, Mercer, Graced by the Seasons: Spring and Summer in the Northwoods, Manitowish River Press
Honorable Mention: Amy L. Jenkins, Wauwatosa, “Going In,” Flint Hills Review
2005: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “The Overnight Train from Montreal,” Sporting Classics Magazine
Honorable Mention: Katherine D. Rill, Oshkosh, Canticle of the Birds: Observations and Reflections on Nature (Xlibris)
2004: James Campbell, Lodi, The Final Frontiersman (Atria Books)
Honorable Mention: Tom Davis, Green Bay, The Tattered Autumn Sky (Lyons Press)
Honorable Mention: Justin Isherwood, Plover, “Potato Bin,” (selected columns), Wisconsin Vegetable & Potato Growers Magazine
2003: Keith Crowley, Madison, Gordon MacQuarrie: The Story of an Old Duck Hunter (University of Wisconsin Press)
Honorable Mention: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “Jewel of the North Country,” Sporting Classics Magazine
2002: Jack Kulpa, True North: Reflections on Fishing and a Life Well-Lived (The Derrydale Press)
Honorable Mention: Jeff Rennicke, Bayfield, “I Cried Aloud for You: The Mike Turner Story,” Backpacker Magazine
2001: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “The Drummer of Love,” Wisconsin Trails Magazine
2000: Allen M. Young, Milwaukee, Small Creatures and Ordinary Places (University of Wisconsin Press)
1999: Justin Isherwood, “Feeding the Multitude”
1998: Elizabeth McBride, “Skyrockets in Flight”
1997: Tom Davis, The Baraboo Hills: A Last Great Place and a Crossroads Between Progress and Preservation
1996: Elizabeth McBride, The Double Life of Isle Royale
1995: Tom Davis, “Hunting Pure in the Big Country,” Pointing Dog Journal
1994: Inga Brynildson Hagge, Those Mysterious Cats
1993: Justin Isherwood, Trout Killer
1992: no award
1991: Ellen Kort, Sea Turtle
1990: unknown
1989: Jack Kulpa, Hiking a Lonely Land
1988: Tom Klein, Border Country: The Quetico Superior Wilderness
1987: Margaret Guthrie, The Man Who Makes Canoes
1986: Justin Isherwood, North Country Journal
1985: George Vukelich, North Country Notebook
Council for Wisconsin Writers Drama Award
From 1993 to 1998 this award was given as the Dale Wasserman Drama Award. It was last given in 2005.
Past Winners of the Drama Award:
2005: Danielle Dresden, Madison, Source Code: Candide (TAPIT/New Works)
Honorable Mention: Betty Diamond, Madison, Let Them Eat Cake (Vortex Repertory Company)
2004: Ludmilla Bollow, Glendale, Flickering Fireflies (Fire Rose Productions)
2003: Danielle Dresden, Madison, One Wall Missing (TAPIT/New Works)
2002: no award
2001: Neil Gregersen and David Hundhausen, Waukesha, Ordinary Hero (Civic Theater Playmakers)
2000: no award
1999: Danielle Dresden, Athena, Live!
1998: Marc Kornblatt, Madison, Rope of Sand
1997: Greg LeGault, The Road Less Traveled
1996: Marc Kornblatt, Dead Man on the Sidewalk
1995: Stephen Daly, lifeidreamedof
1994: Jack Forbes Wilson and Colleen Burns, Consumer Affairs: A Guide to Love in the Nineties
1993: Edward Amor, A Lamentation of Swans
1992: no award
1991: Wil Denson, Welcome to Carnie
1990: unknown
1989: no award
1988: Wil Denson, Artie
1987: Jaelen Cheney, Gilly
1986: Peter Stambler, Copper Country
1985: Bruce Calhoun, The Sinister Minister?
1984: Wil Denson, Playground, Aladdin McFadden, and A Friend Like Artie
1983: no award
1982: Henry Deutsch, Old Shoes
1981: Sara Rath, Annzinetta
1980: Amlin Gray, How I Got That Story
1979: no award
1978: Joy Daane, When You Can’t Turn Cartwheels
1977: no award
1976: Edna Meudt, Promised Land
1975: no award
1974: no award
1973: no award
1972: no award
1971: Sister Celeste Raspanti, I’ll Never See Another Butterfly
1970: Ludmilla Bollow, Martha’s Boy
1969: Sister Celeste Raspanti, No Alterations
1968: Ludmilla Bollow, Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
The Kenneth Kingery Book-length Scholarly Award
From 1972 to 1992 this award was given as the Scholarly Book Award. It was last given in 2005.
Past Winners of the Book-length Scholarly Award:
2005: Marc Galanter, Madison, Lowering the Bar: Lawyer Jokes and Legal Culture (University of Wisconsin Press)
2004: Victor Greene, Whitefish Bay, A Singing Ambivalence: American Immigrants between Old World and New, 1830-1930 (Kent State University Press)
Honorable Mention: Jo Ortel, Beloit, Woodland Reflections: The Art of Truman Lowe (University of Wisconsin Press)
2003: Gary Warren Niebuhr, Milwaukee, Make Mine a Mystery (Libraries Unlimited)
2002: Jerry Apps, Madison, The People Came First: A History of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension (Wisconsin Epsilon Sigma Phi Foundation)
2001: Egal Feldman, Superior, Catholics and Jews in Twentieth-Century America (University of Illinois Press)
2000: no award
1999: James Lorence, The Suppression of Salt of the Earth: How Hollywood, Big Labor, and Politicians Blacklisted a Movie in the American Cold War
1998: no award
1997: no award
1996: Milton J. Bates, The Wars We Took to Vietnam: Cultural Conflict and Storytelling
1995: James Soderholm, Fantasy, Forgery, and the Byron Legend
1994: Genevieve McBride, On Wisconsin Women: Working for Their Rights from Settlement to Suffrage
1993: Andrew Martin, Receptions of War: Vietnam in American Culture
1992: Victor Greene, A Passion for Polka
1991: David Hoeveler, Watch on the Right: Conservative Intellectuals in the Reagan Era
1990: unknown
1989: unknown
1988: Jerry Apps, Higher Education in a Learning Society
1987: Arnold Alanen, Main Street Ready-Made
1986: Gail Geiger, Renaissance Art in Rome
1985: Alfred Low, Anschluss Movement
1984: Ronald Wallace, God Be with the Clown
1983: no award
1982: David Mollenhoff, Madison: Formative Years
1981: Annis Pratt, Archetypal Patterns in Women’s Fiction
1980: Margot Peters, Bernard Shaw and Actresses
1979: Alfred Low, Jews in Eyes of the Germans
1978: Daniel Maguire, The Moral Choice
1977: Nicholas Burckel, Racine: Growth and Change
1976: Alfred Low, The Sino-Soviet Dispute
1975: James Stephens, Francis Bacon and the Style of Silence
1974: Steven Feierman, The Shambad Kingdom
1973: Alice Smith, History of Wisconsin, Vol. I
1972: Edward Krug, The Shaping of the American High Schools
Betty Ren Wright Children’s Picture Book Award
From 1975 to 1991 this award was known as the Children’s Book Award, and from 1993 to 2001 as the Archer-Eckblad Children’s Picture Book Award. It was last given in 2004.
Past Winners of the Children’s Book Award:
2004: Barbara Joosse, Cedarburg, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, Hot City (Philomel)
Honorable Mention: Julie Dunlap, Hudson, and Marybeth Lorbiecki, Hudson, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth, John Muir and Stickeen: An Icy Adventure with a No-Good Dog (Northword Books for Young Readers)
Honorable Mention: Kevin Henkes, Madison, Kitten’s First Full Moon (Greenwillow Books)
2003: Lee Bock, Green Bay, Oh, Crumps!, ¡Ay, Caramba! (Raven Tree Press)
2002: Dori Chaconas, Germantown, One Little Mouse (Viking)
Honorable Mention: Sharon Hart Addy, Oak Creek, When Wishes Were Horses (Houghton Mifflin)
2001: Alden Carter, Marshfield, I’m Tougher Than Diabetes (Albert Whitman)
2000: Dori Chaconas, Germantown, and Stephen T. Johnson, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, On a Wintry Morning (Viking)
1999: Sharon Hart Addy and John Clapp, Right Here on This Spot
1998: no award
1997: no award
1996: Barbara M. Joosse, I Love You the Purplest
1995: no award
1994: Jack Bushnell, Circus of the Wolves
1993: Kevin Henkes, Owen
1992: no award
1991: Kevin Henkes, Chrysanthemum
1990: Florence Parry Heide
1989: no award
1988: Donna Lugg Pape, The Book of Foolish Machinery
1987: unknown
1986: Kevin Henkes, Grandpa and Bo
1985: Barbara Joosse, Fourth of July
1984: Florence Parry Heide, Treehorn’s Wish
1983: Eleanor Lapp, The Blueberry Bears
1982: Barbara Joosse, The Thinking Place
1981: Florence Parry Heide, Treehorn’s Treasure
1980: Lorna Balien, Sweetheart for Valentine
1979: Phyllis Green, New Mother for Martha
1978: no award
1977: Eleanor Lapp, Duane the Collector
1976: (tie) Phyllis Green, Ice River and Marcia Conta and Maureen Reardon, Feelings
1975: Edith Eckblad, Soft as the Wind
Juvenile Book-length Nonfiction Award
This award was last given in 2004.
Past Winners of the Juvenile Book-length Nonfiction Award:
2004: (tie) Ann Bausum, Beloit, With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman’s Right to Vote (National Geographic), and Michael V. Uschan, Franklin, The Iraq War: Life of an American Soldier (Lucent Books)
Honorable Mention: Rick Chrustowski, River Falls, Blue Sky Bluebird (Henry Holt)
Honorable Mention: Jack Bushnell, Eau Claire, Farm Crossing: The Amazing Adventures of Addie and Zachary (Chippewa Valley Museum Press)
2003: Patty Loew, Verona, Native People of Wisconsin (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
2002: Kathleen Winkler, Brookfield, Tattooing and Body Piercing: Understanding the Risks (Enslow)
2001: Michael V. Uschan, Franklin, The Korean War (Lucent Books)
2000: no award
1999: Kathleen Winkler, Date Rape: A Hot Issue
1998: Karen Zeinert, Those Courageous Women of the Civil War
1997: Jonathon Kahl, Hazy Skies: Weather and the Environment
1996: Eileen Lucas, Civil Rights, the Long Struggle
1995: (tie) Karen Zeinert, Free Speech: From Newspapers to Music Lyrics and Elizabeth Van Lew: Southern Belle, Union Spy
1994: Alden Carter, China Past—China Future
1993: Karen Zeinert, The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Rediscovering Wisconsin Writers Essay Award
This award was given from 2002-2004.
Past Winners of the Rediscovering Wisconsin Writers Essay Award:
2004: Robert Wake, Cambridge, “Walden West and the Twilight of Transcendentalism”
Honorable Mention: Kevin Ducey, Madison, “Lorine Niedecker: Water Spirit”
2003: Martin Hintz, Milwaukee, “Hamlin Garland’s Coulee Country”
2002: Rediscovering Wisconsin Writers Essay Award: Inga Brynildson Hagge, “Bright Green Ink: The Writing Life of Aldo Leopold”
Honorable Mention: Anne-Marie Cusac, Madison,“Flood Plains Living: Reading Lorine Niedecker”
Paulette Chandler Award (short fiction or poetry)
The Paulette Chandler Award was given from 1987 to 1993 for either a small collection of poems or short fiction.
Past Winners of the Chandler Award:
1993: Sylvan Esh, The Animal Gardens
1992: William Phillips, “A Wake and Saint Swithin”
1991: Max Garland, poetry
1990: Lisa Ruffalo, “My Grandfather’s Suit”
1989: unknown
1988: David Cates, “Castro Ling”
1987: David Steingass, poetry
2014: Catherine Jagoe, Madison, “A Ring of Bells,” Gettysburg Review
Honorable Mention: Patti See, Chippewa Falls, “Hunter’s Mother,” The WayFarer
2013: Craig Reinbold, Milwaukee, “The Girl in the Photograph,” Ruminate Magazine
Honorable Mention: Jill Sisson Quinn, Scandinavia, “The Myth of Home,” Ecotone Journal
2012: George Johnson, Madison, “The American Pearl Rush: Its Wisconsin Beginnings,” Wisconsin Magazine of History
Honorable Mention: Tom Matthews, Wauwatosa, “Almost Famous,” Milwaukee Magazine
2011: Mary Ellen Gabriel, Madison, “Ne-rucha-ja: The Forgotten Tale of Frost’s Woods and Charles E. Brown’s Fight to Save It for the Ho-Chunk,” Wisconsin Magazine of History
Honorable Mention: Wendy Vardaman, Madison, “The Essay That I Begin Writing While Walking to the Wisconsin Capitol Trying to Discern the Right Question, 2/24/11,” Verse Wisconsin
2010: Krista Eastman, Madison, “Layers of Ice,” Witness
Honorable Mention: Tom Matthews, Wauwatosa, “Heart Breaker,” Milwaukee Magazine
2009: Robert Root, Waukesha, “Postscript to a Postscript ‘The Ring of Time,’” The Pinch
Honorable Mention: Michael Gordon, Milwaukee, “To Make a Clean Sweep: Milwaukee Confronts an Anarchist Scare in 1917,” Wisconsin Magazine of History
2008: David McGlynn, Appleton, “Hydrophobia,” The Missouri Review
Honorable Mention: Kurt Chandler, Wauwatosa, “The Joker,” Milwaukee Magazine
2007: Abbey Frucht, Oshkosh, “Blue Shirt,” Brevity Magazine
Honorable Mention: Frank Bures, Verona, “Spirits in the Material World,” Washington Post Magazine
2006: Harriet Brown, Madison, “One Spoonful at a Time,” The New York Times Magazine
Honorable Mention: Alison Townsend, Stoughton, “Praising What Persists: Reflections on the Personal Essay and Memoirs,” Arts and Letters
Honorable Mention: Julie Buckles, Washburn, “Cleora on Ice,” Fourth Genre
Honorable Mention: Tom Pamperin, Chippewa Falls, “All Right, Then, I’ll Go to Hell,” English Journal
Honorable Mention: David E. McGlynn, Appleton, “Detachment,” Ninth Letter
2005: Karen J. Coates, Brookfield, “Painting Cambodia for Judy,” Kyoto Journal
Honorable Mention: Jim Hazard, Whitefish Bay, “The Day I Met the Late Edna St. Vincent Millay,” 3711 Atlantic
Honorable Mention: Kurt Chandler, Milwaukee, “At War,” Milwaukee Magazine
2004: Jack Bushnell, Eau Claire, “A Baseball Boy Turns Fifty,” Elysian Fields Quarterly
Honorable Mention: Mary Van de Kamp Nohl, Oconomowoc, “A Second Chance,” Milwaukee Magazine
Honorable Mention: Richard Thieme, Fox Point, “I Remember Mama,” Heartlands
2003: Kurt Chandler, Milwaukee, “No Exit,” Milwaukee Magazine
Honorable Mention: Kent Williams, Madison, “Isn’t It Romantic,” Isthmus
Honorable Mention: Willa Schmidt, Madison, “Second Life,” Potomac Review
2002: Karen J. Coates, Brookfield, “Passing the Test: Reconciling Cambodia,” The Chattahoochee Review
Honorable Mention: Kent Williams, Madison, “Jackass Nation,” Isthmus
Honorable Mention: Pegi Taylor, Milwaukee, “I Am a Child Molester,” Milwaukee Magazine
2001: Bruce Murphy, Milwaukee, “Our Billion-Dollar Baby,” Milwaukee Magazine
2000: (tie) Kurt Chandler, Milwaukee, “The Sinking of the Linda E,” Milwaukee Magazine, and Carolyn Kott Washburne, Shorewood, “Zink the Zebra,” Exclusively Yours
1999: Robert McGuire, “Witness to Rage”
1998: John Hildebrand, “Coming Home”
1997: Kent Williams, “The ‘Real’ World: Special Effects Are Blurring the Line”
1996: Kurt Chandler, “Living Out Loud”
1995: Mary VandeKamp Nohl, “A Jury of Peers,” Milwaukee Magazine
1994: Bruce Murphy, “A Kind of Loving”
1993: Stephen Filmanowicz, “Elvis, Russ and Me”
1992: Bruce Murphy, “Endangered Species”
1991: Mary VandeKamp Nohl, “The Unmaking of a University”
1990: Judith Woodburn, “Are We Driving Ourselves Crazy?”
1989: Bruce Murphy, “Risky Business”
1988: Mary VandeKamp Nohl, “Florence Nightingale is Dead”
1987: Tim Howard McDonnell, “I Miss You Nurse”
1986: Jocelyn Riley, “A Death of One’s Own”
1985: Bruce Murphy, “Machine Dreams”
1984: (tie) Jackie Loohauis, “Desire Among Writers” and Susan Pigorsch, “Away and Aloft”
1983: Martin Hintz, “The Bahamian Bard”
1982: Felix Pollak, “Never Say Die”
1981: Dale Reich, “One Year in Vietnam”
1980: Jack Randolph, “The Grand Review”
1979: Jeff Dean, “Canoes and Different Drummers”
1978: Robert Gard, “The Haunting of the Wild”
1977: Ray Helminiak, “And Then There Were None”
1976: Nancy Mack, “Death and My Father”
1975: G.H. Schoff, “Something There Is About a Crane”
1974: Arthur Hove, “Pygmalion’s Pedestal”
1973: Kathryn Lamboley, “Our Harbors Once Had Amber Waves of Grain”
1972: David Crowe, “Birdman of the Chippewa”
1971: Marjorie Bitker, “Westminster Scene of Salute to Law”
1970: Susan Smith, “They Put Wisconsin on the Map”
1969: Jill Weber Dean and Larry Servais, “The Flight of the Great Northwest”
1968: Mel Ellis, “Spring and Summer”
1967: Robert Wells, “The Colt”
Past Winners of the Poetry Award:
2014: Cathryn Cofell, Appleton
Honorable Mention: DeWitt Clinton, Shorewood
2013: Jeanie Tomasko, Middleton
Honorable Mention: Rita Mae Reese, Madison
2012: Kara Candito, Madison
Honorable Mention: Amie Whittemore, Racine
2011: Sarah Busse, Madison
Honorable Mention: Susan Elbe, Madison
2010: David Krump, La Crosse
Honorable Mention: Catherine Jagoe, Madison
2009: Angela Sorby, Milwaukee
Honorable Mention: Catherine Jagoe, Madison
2008: Susan Firer, Whitefish Bay
Honorable Mention: Cathryn Cofell, Appleton
2007: David Krump, La Crosse
2006: Susan Elbe, Madison
Honorable Mention: Harriet Brown, Madison
Honorable Mention: Anjie Greene-Martin, Palmyra
2005: Alison Townsend, Stoughton
Honorable Mention: Susan Elbe, Madison
Honorable Mention: Susan Firer, Milwaukee
Honorable Mention: Karla Huston, Appleton
2004: Karl Elder, Howards Grove
Honorable Mention: Kathryn Gahl, Two Rivers
Honorable Mention: Susan Elbe, Madison
2003: Michael Kriesel, Aniwa
Honorable Mention: Wendy Vardaman, Madison
Honorable Mention: Robin Chapman, Madison
2002: Anne-Marie Cusac, Madison
Honorable Mention: Elaine Cavanaugh, Hartland
Discontinued Awards
Ellis/Henderson Outdoor Writing Award
From 1975 to 1991 this award was given as the Outdoor Writing Award. The award was last given in 2012.
Past Winners of the Outdoor Writing Award:
2012: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “Ghosts of the Little Sioux,” Pointing Dog Journal
Honorable Mention: Steven Dewald, La Crosse, Under a Poacher’s Moon: Stories of a Wisconsin Game Warden, CreateSpace
2011: Richard E. Carter, Wauwatosa, Through the Cabin Door, Appleport Press
Honorable Mention: Marcia Carmichael, Eagle, Putting Down Roots: Gardening Insights from Wisconsin’s Early Settlers, Wisconsin Historical Society Press
2010: Amy Lou Jenkins, Wauwatosa, Every Natural Fact: Five Seasons of Open-Air Parenting (HolyCow! Press)
Honorable Mention: Jill Sisson Quinn, Scandinavia, “Sign Here if You Exist,” Ecotone
2009: Kathleen Schmitt Kline, Madison; Ronald M. Bruch, Oshkosh; and Frederick P. Binkowski, Milwaukee, People of the Sturgeon: Wisconsin’s Love Affair with an Ancient Fish (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
Honorable Mention: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “Tales from the Dark Side,” Gray’s Sporting Journal
2008: Jerry Apps, Madison, Old Farm: A History (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
Honorable Mention: Robert C. Wilging, Rhinelander, On the Hunt: The History of Deer Hunting in Wisconsin (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
2007: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “Middle Lake,” Sporting Classics
Honorable Mention: Amy L. Jenkins, Wauwatosa, “Shepherded Flights,” The Florida Review
2006: John Bates, Mercer, Graced by the Seasons: Spring and Summer in the Northwoods, Manitowish River Press
Honorable Mention: Amy L. Jenkins, Wauwatosa, “Going In,” Flint Hills Review
2005: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “The Overnight Train from Montreal,” Sporting Classics Magazine
Honorable Mention: Katherine D. Rill, Oshkosh, Canticle of the Birds: Observations and Reflections on Nature (Xlibris)
2004: James Campbell, Lodi, The Final Frontiersman (Atria Books)
Honorable Mention: Tom Davis, Green Bay, The Tattered Autumn Sky (Lyons Press)
Honorable Mention: Justin Isherwood, Plover, “Potato Bin,” (selected columns), Wisconsin Vegetable & Potato Growers Magazine
2003: Keith Crowley, Madison, Gordon MacQuarrie: The Story of an Old Duck Hunter (University of Wisconsin Press)
Honorable Mention: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “Jewel of the North Country,” Sporting Classics Magazine
2002: Jack Kulpa, True North: Reflections on Fishing and a Life Well-Lived (The Derrydale Press)
Honorable Mention: Jeff Rennicke, Bayfield, “I Cried Aloud for You: The Mike Turner Story,” Backpacker Magazine
2001: Tom Davis, Green Bay, “The Drummer of Love,” Wisconsin Trails Magazine
2000: Allen M. Young, Milwaukee, Small Creatures and Ordinary Places (University of Wisconsin Press)
1999: Justin Isherwood, “Feeding the Multitude”
1998: Elizabeth McBride, “Skyrockets in Flight”
1997: Tom Davis, The Baraboo Hills: A Last Great Place and a Crossroads Between Progress and Preservation
1996: Elizabeth McBride, The Double Life of Isle Royale
1995: Tom Davis, “Hunting Pure in the Big Country,” Pointing Dog Journal
1994: Inga Brynildson Hagge, Those Mysterious Cats
1993: Justin Isherwood, Trout Killer
1992: no award
1991: Ellen Kort, Sea Turtle
1990: unknown
1989: Jack Kulpa, Hiking a Lonely Land
1988: Tom Klein, Border Country: The Quetico Superior Wilderness
1987: Margaret Guthrie, The Man Who Makes Canoes
1986: Justin Isherwood, North Country Journal
1985: George Vukelich, North Country Notebook
Council for Wisconsin Writers Drama Award
From 1993 to 1998 this award was given as the Dale Wasserman Drama Award. It was last given in 2005.
Past Winners of the Drama Award:
2005: Danielle Dresden, Madison, Source Code: Candide (TAPIT/New Works)
Honorable Mention: Betty Diamond, Madison, Let Them Eat Cake (Vortex Repertory Company)
2004: Ludmilla Bollow, Glendale, Flickering Fireflies (Fire Rose Productions)
2003: Danielle Dresden, Madison, One Wall Missing (TAPIT/New Works)
2002: no award
2001: Neil Gregersen and David Hundhausen, Waukesha, Ordinary Hero (Civic Theater Playmakers)
2000: no award
1999: Danielle Dresden, Athena, Live!
1998: Marc Kornblatt, Madison, Rope of Sand
1997: Greg LeGault, The Road Less Traveled
1996: Marc Kornblatt, Dead Man on the Sidewalk
1995: Stephen Daly, lifeidreamedof
1994: Jack Forbes Wilson and Colleen Burns, Consumer Affairs: A Guide to Love in the Nineties
1993: Edward Amor, A Lamentation of Swans
1992: no award
1991: Wil Denson, Welcome to Carnie
1990: unknown
1989: no award
1988: Wil Denson, Artie
1987: Jaelen Cheney, Gilly
1986: Peter Stambler, Copper Country
1985: Bruce Calhoun, The Sinister Minister?
1984: Wil Denson, Playground, Aladdin McFadden, and A Friend Like Artie
1983: no award
1982: Henry Deutsch, Old Shoes
1981: Sara Rath, Annzinetta
1980: Amlin Gray, How I Got That Story
1979: no award
1978: Joy Daane, When You Can’t Turn Cartwheels
1977: no award
1976: Edna Meudt, Promised Land
1975: no award
1974: no award
1973: no award
1972: no award
1971: Sister Celeste Raspanti, I’ll Never See Another Butterfly
1970: Ludmilla Bollow, Martha’s Boy
1969: Sister Celeste Raspanti, No Alterations
1968: Ludmilla Bollow, Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
The Kenneth Kingery Book-length Scholarly Award
From 1972 to 1992 this award was given as the Scholarly Book Award. It was last given in 2005.
Past Winners of the Book-length Scholarly Award:
2005: Marc Galanter, Madison, Lowering the Bar: Lawyer Jokes and Legal Culture (University of Wisconsin Press)
2004: Victor Greene, Whitefish Bay, A Singing Ambivalence: American Immigrants between Old World and New, 1830-1930 (Kent State University Press)
Honorable Mention: Jo Ortel, Beloit, Woodland Reflections: The Art of Truman Lowe (University of Wisconsin Press)
2003: Gary Warren Niebuhr, Milwaukee, Make Mine a Mystery (Libraries Unlimited)
2002: Jerry Apps, Madison, The People Came First: A History of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension (Wisconsin Epsilon Sigma Phi Foundation)
2001: Egal Feldman, Superior, Catholics and Jews in Twentieth-Century America (University of Illinois Press)
2000: no award
1999: James Lorence, The Suppression of Salt of the Earth: How Hollywood, Big Labor, and Politicians Blacklisted a Movie in the American Cold War
1998: no award
1997: no award
1996: Milton J. Bates, The Wars We Took to Vietnam: Cultural Conflict and Storytelling
1995: James Soderholm, Fantasy, Forgery, and the Byron Legend
1994: Genevieve McBride, On Wisconsin Women: Working for Their Rights from Settlement to Suffrage
1993: Andrew Martin, Receptions of War: Vietnam in American Culture
1992: Victor Greene, A Passion for Polka
1991: David Hoeveler, Watch on the Right: Conservative Intellectuals in the Reagan Era
1990: unknown
1989: unknown
1988: Jerry Apps, Higher Education in a Learning Society
1987: Arnold Alanen, Main Street Ready-Made
1986: Gail Geiger, Renaissance Art in Rome
1985: Alfred Low, Anschluss Movement
1984: Ronald Wallace, God Be with the Clown
1983: no award
1982: David Mollenhoff, Madison: Formative Years
1981: Annis Pratt, Archetypal Patterns in Women’s Fiction
1980: Margot Peters, Bernard Shaw and Actresses
1979: Alfred Low, Jews in Eyes of the Germans
1978: Daniel Maguire, The Moral Choice
1977: Nicholas Burckel, Racine: Growth and Change
1976: Alfred Low, The Sino-Soviet Dispute
1975: James Stephens, Francis Bacon and the Style of Silence
1974: Steven Feierman, The Shambad Kingdom
1973: Alice Smith, History of Wisconsin, Vol. I
1972: Edward Krug, The Shaping of the American High Schools
Betty Ren Wright Children’s Picture Book Award
From 1975 to 1991 this award was known as the Children’s Book Award, and from 1993 to 2001 as the Archer-Eckblad Children’s Picture Book Award. It was last given in 2004.
Past Winners of the Children’s Book Award:
2004: Barbara Joosse, Cedarburg, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, Hot City (Philomel)
Honorable Mention: Julie Dunlap, Hudson, and Marybeth Lorbiecki, Hudson, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth, John Muir and Stickeen: An Icy Adventure with a No-Good Dog (Northword Books for Young Readers)
Honorable Mention: Kevin Henkes, Madison, Kitten’s First Full Moon (Greenwillow Books)
2003: Lee Bock, Green Bay, Oh, Crumps!, ¡Ay, Caramba! (Raven Tree Press)
2002: Dori Chaconas, Germantown, One Little Mouse (Viking)
Honorable Mention: Sharon Hart Addy, Oak Creek, When Wishes Were Horses (Houghton Mifflin)
2001: Alden Carter, Marshfield, I’m Tougher Than Diabetes (Albert Whitman)
2000: Dori Chaconas, Germantown, and Stephen T. Johnson, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, On a Wintry Morning (Viking)
1999: Sharon Hart Addy and John Clapp, Right Here on This Spot
1998: no award
1997: no award
1996: Barbara M. Joosse, I Love You the Purplest
1995: no award
1994: Jack Bushnell, Circus of the Wolves
1993: Kevin Henkes, Owen
1992: no award
1991: Kevin Henkes, Chrysanthemum
1990: Florence Parry Heide
1989: no award
1988: Donna Lugg Pape, The Book of Foolish Machinery
1987: unknown
1986: Kevin Henkes, Grandpa and Bo
1985: Barbara Joosse, Fourth of July
1984: Florence Parry Heide, Treehorn’s Wish
1983: Eleanor Lapp, The Blueberry Bears
1982: Barbara Joosse, The Thinking Place
1981: Florence Parry Heide, Treehorn’s Treasure
1980: Lorna Balien, Sweetheart for Valentine
1979: Phyllis Green, New Mother for Martha
1978: no award
1977: Eleanor Lapp, Duane the Collector
1976: (tie) Phyllis Green, Ice River and Marcia Conta and Maureen Reardon, Feelings
1975: Edith Eckblad, Soft as the Wind
Juvenile Book-length Nonfiction Award
This award was last given in 2004.
Past Winners of the Juvenile Book-length Nonfiction Award:
2004: (tie) Ann Bausum, Beloit, With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman’s Right to Vote (National Geographic), and Michael V. Uschan, Franklin, The Iraq War: Life of an American Soldier (Lucent Books)
Honorable Mention: Rick Chrustowski, River Falls, Blue Sky Bluebird (Henry Holt)
Honorable Mention: Jack Bushnell, Eau Claire, Farm Crossing: The Amazing Adventures of Addie and Zachary (Chippewa Valley Museum Press)
2003: Patty Loew, Verona, Native People of Wisconsin (Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
2002: Kathleen Winkler, Brookfield, Tattooing and Body Piercing: Understanding the Risks (Enslow)
2001: Michael V. Uschan, Franklin, The Korean War (Lucent Books)
2000: no award
1999: Kathleen Winkler, Date Rape: A Hot Issue
1998: Karen Zeinert, Those Courageous Women of the Civil War
1997: Jonathon Kahl, Hazy Skies: Weather and the Environment
1996: Eileen Lucas, Civil Rights, the Long Struggle
1995: (tie) Karen Zeinert, Free Speech: From Newspapers to Music Lyrics and Elizabeth Van Lew: Southern Belle, Union Spy
1994: Alden Carter, China Past—China Future
1993: Karen Zeinert, The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Rediscovering Wisconsin Writers Essay Award
This award was given from 2002-2004.
Past Winners of the Rediscovering Wisconsin Writers Essay Award:
2004: Robert Wake, Cambridge, “Walden West and the Twilight of Transcendentalism”
Honorable Mention: Kevin Ducey, Madison, “Lorine Niedecker: Water Spirit”
2003: Martin Hintz, Milwaukee, “Hamlin Garland’s Coulee Country”
2002: Rediscovering Wisconsin Writers Essay Award: Inga Brynildson Hagge, “Bright Green Ink: The Writing Life of Aldo Leopold”
Honorable Mention: Anne-Marie Cusac, Madison,“Flood Plains Living: Reading Lorine Niedecker”
Paulette Chandler Award (short fiction or poetry)
The Paulette Chandler Award was given from 1987 to 1993 for either a small collection of poems or short fiction.
Past Winners of the Chandler Award:
1993: Sylvan Esh, The Animal Gardens
1992: William Phillips, “A Wake and Saint Swithin”
1991: Max Garland, poetry
1990: Lisa Ruffalo, “My Grandfather’s Suit”
1989: unknown
1988: David Cates, “Castro Ling”
1987: David Steingass, poetry