What's the Matter With Kansas Authors?

Absolutely nothing!

In fact, I had the distinct pleasure of being part of the committee that planned the Kansas Center for the Book's Author Dinner at last month's conference for the state's librarians and my only complaint about Kansas authors is that they aren't better known or read--either within the Kansas borders or outside the state.

Granted, I had a bit more (written) contact with the individuals before the event so I felt like I did know them a bit as they entered the ballroom in Topeka. But even if I hadn't, I think I would have found them to be very entertaining people--and nice, to boot. No, I haven't read all of them but that doesn't stop me from telling others about them.

Looking for inspirational fiction set on the Kansas plains? Try Judith McCoy Miller or Kim Vogel Sawyer. Do you lean more towards mysteries? Look for Suzanne Arruda or recent Edgar-nominated Nancy Pickard on the shelves. Perhaps you need a book for a younger person--you can't go wrong with the recent biography of John Steuart Curry by Alice Bertels or one of the interactive books by Stephen Johnson. Middle-school aged (& up) readers would do well to look at Mike Klaassen or the graphic novels of Ande Parks. And if you're in need of a few laughs, look for the works of Max Yoho.

I wasn't sure how much I'd actually enjoy the dinner, thinking I'd be too worried about making sure everything went smoothly but to my delight, I had a great time. Sitting next to Lora Reiter was a treat, the food was marvelous, and the chatter between librarians and authors was music to my ears. But I must say, the highlight of the evening was the address given by Thomas Fox Averill. A copy of his eloquent speech can be found at the KCFB's website and I encourage all to read it.

So the next time you're in your library, take time to look for books by the above authors--and they are only a small number of Kansas writers. We may not have the quite the same literary history as the South, but we're just as noteworthy. Check them out.