The State Library of Kansas Announces the 2022 Kansas Notable Books

 And we're on the list! Twice!

Ava is an American Avocet, a breed of shorebird who leaves her home at the Laguna Madre and travels 1,000 miles to stay for a season at the largest wetland complex in the interior of the United States. Cheyenne Bottoms, in the middle of Kansas, is home to millions of birds who stop during their annual migrations in the spring and fall, as well as a diverse population of wildlife who make a home there year-round. As Ava meets her mate and starts a family, readers are introduced to one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. Author: Mandy Kern. Illustrator: Onalee Nicklin

Brenda White’s verse resounds deeply, even in the dark places and in sentiments we Midwest working-class folk don’t often like to share. One might say she gives voice to the masses, her verse capturing the light and dark of those who dare to dream, even when we suspect our dreams might end in disappointment. Only a true poet can turn life’s harsh realities into line and stanza that move us to reflect, connect, and read again.

TOPEKA – This year’s list of Kansas Notable Books continues the tradition of celebrating the rich stories and culture of Kansas. 

 

“The 2022 Kansas Notable Books list recognizes 15 books written by Kansans or about Kansas,” said Ray Walling, Acting State Librarian.  “Through their work, the authors take readers on a journey through the wetlands of the Cheyenne Bottoms to the baseball fields of the Kansas City Monarchs.  Readers can be transported back in time to the 1887 election in Argonia or to the epic battle of twin sisters enabled with superpowers facing a sinister force. This year’s titles include something for everyone.  I hope all Kansans will visit their local public library to check out these wonderful titles.”

 

Each year, the Kansas Notable Books list features 15 books, published during the previous calendar year, which are about or set in Kansas, or written by a Kansas author. This year’s selection committee includes representatives of public, university, and school libraries, teachers, academics, and writers. 

 

Kansas Notable Books authors will be awarded their medals at the Kansas Book Festival on September 24 at Washburn University. The public is invited.

 

Kansas Notable Books is a project of the Kansas Center for the Book, a program at the State Library of

Kansas which is the state affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book. The mission of the Kansas Center for the Book is to highlight the state’s literary heritage and foster an interest in books, reading, and libraries.

 

For more information or questions about Kansas Notable Books program, visit kslib.info/notablebooks or contact the State Library of Kansas at 785-296-3296 or email infodesk@ks.gov.

 

2022 Kansas Notable Books

 

Ava: A Year of Adventure in the Life of an American Avocet by Mandy Kern (Great Bend), illustrated by Onalee Nicklin (Emporia), Meadowlark Press

 

Blue Collar Saint: Poems by Brenda Leigh White (Emporia), Meadowlark Press

 

Field Journal: Volume XIII, 2021, The Santa Fe Trail by Symphony in the Flint Hills (Cottonwood Falls)

 

From This Moment: A Novel by Kim Vogel Sawyer (Hutchinson), Waterbrook

 

The Greatest Thing: A Story About Buck O'Neil by Kristy Nerstheimer (Overland Park), illustrated by Christian Paniagua, (Queens, NY) The Little Fig

 

Haven’s Secret (The Powers Book 1) by Melissa Benoist, Jessica Benoist (Council Grove), Mariko Tamaki, Abrams Books

 

How to Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine (Lawrence), Microcosm Publishing

 

Killing Dragons: Order of the Dolphin by Kristie Clark (Jetmore), Delphi Imprint

 

Mad Prairie: Stories and a Novella by Kate McIntyre (Worcester MA), University of Georgia Press

 

Policing Sex in the Sunflower State: The Story of the Kansas State Industrial Farm for Women by Nicole Perry (Lawrence), University Press of Kansas

 

Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains by Lucas Bessire (Norman OK), Princeton University Press

 

Stormbreak: A Seafire Novel by Natalie C. Parker (Lawrence), Razorbill

 

A Vote for Susanna: The First Woman Mayor by Karen M. Greenwald (Rockville MD), illustrated  by Sian James (Cambridge UK), Albert Whitman & Co.

 

White Hot Hate: A True Story of Domestic Terrorism in America's Heartland by Dick Lehr (Belmont MA), Mariner Books

 

Words Is a Powerful Thing: Twenty Years of Teaching Creative Writing at Douglas County Jail by Brian Daldorph (Lawrence), University Press of Kansas

 

For more information about the State Library of Kansas, please visit https://kslib.info.

 

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