July 23, 2008

The Michigan Center for the Book today announced Tom Stanton - author of award-winning books on baseball and American life - as the winner of the 2008 Michigan Author Award. Sponsored jointly by the Michigan Center for the Book (a program of the Library of Michigan) and the Michigan Library Association, this annual award honors a Michigan writer for his or her contributions to literature based on an outstanding published body of work.

The Michigan Author Award will be presented this fall at the Michigan Library Association "Shaping Our Tomorrow" conference at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo. Tickets ($25) are available to hear Tom Stanton speak at the award presentation luncheon on Friday, Oct. 24. For more information, visit the Michigan Library Association Web site at www.mla.lib.mi.us/events/annual and access the conference registration.

Stanton writes about the memorable players and places of baseball, but most of all, how baseball is part of American life. His newest book is "Ty and the Babe: Baseball's Fiercest Rivals," the story of Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb's rivalry and friendship. "The Final Season" was named Baseball Book of the Year as the winner of both the Casey and Dave Moore awards. It is a memoir of the last year of Tiger Stadium. In "The Road to Cooperstown," Stanton fulfills the dream of a family trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame. "Hank Aaron and the Home Run That Changed America" tells the compelling story of one of sports most historic moments.

"Tom Stanton's books have earned national acclaim and reveal the tender place that baseball holds in the heart of America," said Karren Reish, Michigan Center for the Book coordinator. "In paying tribute to this gifted author, we are also able to spotlight a talented writer who proudly calls Michigan home."

Stanton, a lifelong baseball fan, is a resident of New Baltimore, Mich. He has been a journalist in southeast Michigan for 30 years and has also won state and national press awards, including a Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

To learn more about the Michigan Author Award, visit www.mla.lib.mi.us/maac.

Previous winners of the Michigan Author Award include Sarah Stewart (2007), Steve Hamilton (2006), Christopher Paul Curtis (2005), Patricia Polacco (2004), Diane Wakoski (2003), Nicholas Delbanco (2002), Thomas Lynch (2001), Janie Lynn Panagopoulos (2000), Jerry Dennis (1999), Gloria Whelan (1998), Loren Estleman (1997), Elmore Leonard (1996), Janet Kauffman (1995), Nancy Willard (1994), Charles Baxter (1993) and Dan Gerber (1992).

The Michigan Center for the Book, a program of the Library of Michigan and the center's affiliates, aims to promote an awareness of books, reading, literacy, authors and Michigan's rich literary heritage. New affiliates are welcome. For more information about the Michigan Center for the Book and its programs, visit www.michigan.gov/mcfb.

The Library of Michigan is part of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL). Dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity, the department also includes the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan Historical Center. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).