From: Sharron L. McElmeel <mcelmeels_at_uwstout.edu>
Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2012 21:45:18 -0500

Points have been made about a lack of comfort with judging non-fiction; and a subtle preference of committee members for genres that they are more knowledgeable about. I think both are true -- however, I also see a serious lack of great non-fiction. Other than biography (which there are some great ones), there is little creativity with non-fiction IMHO. Most do read much like reports.

So despite the fact that non-fiction books are eligible -- there is not really any innovation taking place. Not sure what that should be -- and whether publishers will dilute the "fact" books by encouraging more "creative non-fiction." Several authors that I know have bantered that term around and insist that they can write non-fiction by creating dialogue and characters and still call it non-fiction. And because they might put in an author's note it will be okay. I say it is historical fiction if "dialogue" and people are invented.

So what do we want from authors -- what would make non-fiction something worthy of an award for literary excellence?

Sharron

-- Sharron L. McElmeel Instructor University of Wisconsin - Stout RDGED 703 Children's Literature in the Reading Program RDGED 704 Young Adult Literature in the Reading Program Home _at_ Cedar Rapids IOWA e-mail: mcelmeels@uwstout.edu phone: (319) 393-2562 (in CST zone)
Received on Mon 06 Aug 2012 09:45:18 PM CDT