News
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Two Mesa State College professors won first-place EVVY awards in March from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. The award is named after the association’s founder, Evelyn Kaye.
English professor Luis Lopez won first place in the poetry genre for his book “Each Month I Sing” — a collection of poems for each month of the year.
“A Body Less Perfect,” by business professor Jerry Moorman, took first in the inspirational category. Moorman’s book is a collection of poetry about his experiences living with cerebral palsy.
“It’s very difficult to get an EVVY award, and a wonderful achievement when a person does,” said CIPA President Mara Purl.
“It definitely means it’s one of the best books (in its genre) in Colorado, and it probably means it’s one of the best books in the country,” Purl said.
Corporate acquisitions have changed traditional publishing houses, meaning less autonomy and more concern regarding the bottom line, Purl said.
The tendency now is to support mostly known blockbuster authors, she said.
So authors with wonderful books, but not necessarily blockbusters, are left without advances or marketing budgets for their books.
One of the functions of Colorado Independent Publishers Association is to establish a good industry standard and help authors market their books.
“Each Month I Sing” and “A Body Less Perfect” were published by Farolito Press, a local press owned by Lopez.
The award “shows an appreciation of my work as a poet, and also an appreciation of my work as a publisher,” Lopez said. “It shows that small publishers are as capable of publishing good books as large (publishers).”
Moorman’s poems are about his experiences growing up poor in Mississippi to parents who were sharecroppers. A birth injury left him with cerebral palsy.
Because of his disability, Moorman said he spent a lot of time on the sofa, where he sat developing his mind.
Moorman read all the books available in the school library. He tried reading the encyclopedia and the dictionary.
“I read the Bible two or three times; anything I could get my hands on,” Moorman said.
Lopez won the national American Book Award for “Each Month I Sing” in December — an honor he shares with such writers as Rudolfo Anaya and Louise Erdrich.
Lopez will be doing a book signing of “Each Month I Sing” at Borders on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
English professor Luis Lopez won first place in the poetry genre for his book “Each Month I Sing” — a collection of poems for each month of the year.
“A Body Less Perfect,” by business professor Jerry Moorman, took first in the inspirational category. Moorman’s book is a collection of poetry about his experiences living with cerebral palsy.
“It’s very difficult to get an EVVY award, and a wonderful achievement when a person does,” said CIPA President Mara Purl.
“It definitely means it’s one of the best books (in its genre) in Colorado, and it probably means it’s one of the best books in the country,” Purl said.
Corporate acquisitions have changed traditional publishing houses, meaning less autonomy and more concern regarding the bottom line, Purl said.
The tendency now is to support mostly known blockbuster authors, she said.
So authors with wonderful books, but not necessarily blockbusters, are left without advances or marketing budgets for their books.
One of the functions of Colorado Independent Publishers Association is to establish a good industry standard and help authors market their books.
“Each Month I Sing” and “A Body Less Perfect” were published by Farolito Press, a local press owned by Lopez.
The award “shows an appreciation of my work as a poet, and also an appreciation of my work as a publisher,” Lopez said. “It shows that small publishers are as capable of publishing good books as large (publishers).”
Moorman’s poems are about his experiences growing up poor in Mississippi to parents who were sharecroppers. A birth injury left him with cerebral palsy.
Because of his disability, Moorman said he spent a lot of time on the sofa, where he sat developing his mind.
Moorman read all the books available in the school library. He tried reading the encyclopedia and the dictionary.
“I read the Bible two or three times; anything I could get my hands on,” Moorman said.
Lopez won the national American Book Award for “Each Month I Sing” in December — an honor he shares with such writers as Rudolfo Anaya and Louise Erdrich.
Lopez will be doing a book signing of “Each Month I Sing” at Borders on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.
Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.
