CLARKSVILLE, TN — On the heels of winning a 2024 Michigan Notable Book award, Austin Peay State University (APSU) assistant professor Dr. Raymond (RS) Deeren has been named a Midwest Book Award finalist for his debut collection of short stories, Enough to Lose.
Deeren is being recognized in the Short Story/Anthology category of the 34th Annual Midwest Book Awards. The winners will be announced during a gala hosted on June 22, 2024, at the Mall of America in Minneapolis.
“It means the world to me that these stories from my neck of the woods have resonated with readers across the country,” Deeren said. “It’s humbling to know there is a desire for working-class storytelling.”
The Midwest Book Awards are presented by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MiPA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting independent publishers in the Midwest. The awards are open to all books published in the Midwest in the year leading up to the event.
MiPA founders organized the first Midwest Book Awards in 1989, and it has grown into one of the country’s longest-running literary recognition programs. Judges include booksellers, university staff and librarians who are subject matter experts representing each of MiPA’s 12 states.
The public is invited to attend the event on June 22, 2024, and all the finalists can be viewed at https://mipa.org/midwest-book-awards/2024-finalists.