FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tessa Timperley 402-471-3434 800-307-2665
Nebraska’s 2026 Book Award Winners Announced
Celebrate Nebraska’s 2026 Book Award winners with author readings and an awards presentation ceremony at the Nebraska Celebration of Book’s (NCOB) literary festival. Held at the UNL City Campus Union on November 14th, winners of the 2026 Nebraska Book Awards will be honored at the celebration which will include author roundtables during the festival and an awards ceremony. The ceremony will feature readings by some of the winning authors, designers, and illustrators of books with a Nebraska connection published in 2025. And the winners are:
Children’s Award: The Legend of Donnie Bats: Greatness Lives in Every Kid by Jeff Kurrus Publisher: Jeff Kurrus.
Young Adult Award: K-Jane by Lydia Kang. Publisher: Quill Tree Books.
Illustration Award: One Little Squiggle by Jodi Adams, illustrated by Polina Gortman. Publisher: Young At Heart Publishing.
Illustration Honor: The Tractor Squad Saves the Dayby Heather Dawn Torres, illustrated by Gary Laib. Publisher: Marble Press.
Design & Cover Award: Ak-Sar-Ben: Looking Back & Leading Onward, written by Angie Hempel, edited by Kristine Gerber, designed by Jared Cloudt. Publisher: The Durham Museum.
Design Honor: The Jewel of Midtown: Field Club of Omaha by Stu Pospisil, edited by Chris Christen, Designed by Christine Zueck-Watkins. Publisher: Field Club of Omaha.
Cover Honor: Human Nature: Poetryby Julie S. Paschold. Publisher: WSC Press.
Fiction Award: The Butcher and the Liar: A Novel by S.L. Woeppel. Publisher: Books Fluent.
Nonfiction Essay Award:At the Corner of Past and Future: A Collection of Life Stories by Pamela Carter Joern. Publisher: Bison Books.
Nonfiction History Award:An American Corner of the World by David J. Wishart. Publisher: Nebraska State Historical Society.
Nonfiction History Honor Ak-Sar-Ben: Looking Back & Leading Onward, written by Angie Hempel, edited by Kristine Gerber, designed by Jared Cloudt. Publisher: The Durham Museum.
Nonfiction Nebraska as Place Award: The Best of Intentions: A story of landscape Change in the Heart of the Great Plains by Larkin Powell. Publisher: University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Nonfiction Reconciliation Award: Roots of Justice: A History of Race and Racism in Nebraska by Kevin Abourezk. Publisher: University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Poetry: Eternal Life and other poems by Gene Fendt. Publisher: Angelico Press.
Poetry Honor: The Last Yellow Rose: Poems by Lin Marshall Brummels. Publisher: Lewis-Clark Press / Sandhills Press.
This year’s Book Awards winners will be honored at the Nebraska Celebration of Books, which aims to celebrate Nebraska’s literary heritage and contemporary authors. Held, Saturday, November 14th, from 10:00am-4:30pm, on the second floor of the UNL City Campus Union and Jackie Gaughn Multicultural Center. The event will feature 2026 One Book One Nebraska author Karen Russell, author panels and signings, book vendors, publishers, and presentation of the Nebraska Book Awards, Mildred Bennett Award and Jane Geske Award, and 2027 One Book One Nebraska announcement.
The 2026 One Book One Nebraska selection, The Antidote: A Novel by Karen Russell (Revell, 2023) will be featured with an author talk by Karen Russell.
The Nebraska Book Awards are sponsored and facilitated by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission.
The Nebraska Celebration of Books (NCOB) sponsors include Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, University of Nebraska Press, Omaha Public Libraries, Lincoln City Libraries, Francie and Finch Bookshop, and Flatwater Free Press. Humanities Nebraska provides support for One Book One Nebraska program.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Nebraska Library Commission.
As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tessa Timperley 402-471-3434 800-307-2665
Karen Russell Named Featured Author for the 2026 Nebraska Celebration of Books
The Nebraska Center for the Book is proud to announce Karen Russell as the featured author for the 2026 Nebraska Celebration of Books literary festival. Russell, an acclaimed novelist, short story writer, and recipient of major national literary honors, will headline the annual statewide event held November 14, 2026, at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s City Campus Union and Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center.
As the festival’s featured author, Russell will deliver the One Book One Nebraska Author Talk during the afternoon program, including a discussion of The Antidote: A Novel, her research travels across Nebraska, and the role of memory, resilience, and community in her work. Russell will be joined by guest speaker Judi gaiashkibos, Executive Director of the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. Russell will also participate in the Authors Reception directly after her talk, where she will be available for book signings.
About Karen Russell
Russell is the author of six books, including The Antidote, Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove. Her work has earned a MacArthur Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, Pulitzer Prize finalist recognition, and multiple national awards. The Antidote is a National Book Award finalist, and has received the National Book Critics’ Circle Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Russell is a Professor of English and Creative Writing at Stanford University.
About the Nebraska Celebration of Books
The Nebraska Celebration of Books (NCOB) is a free, public literary festival honoring Nebraska authors, readers, and the statewide literary community. The event features author panels, book award presentations, vendor markets, and programming for both authors and readers.
The event will feature 2026 Book Awards winners, author panels and signings, book vendors, publishers, and presentation of the Nebraska Book Awards, Mildred Bennett Award and Jane Geske Award, and 2027 One Book One Nebraska announcement.
The Nebraska Celebration of Books (NCOB) sponsors include Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, University of Nebraska Press, Omaha Public Libraries, Lincoln City Libraries, Francie and Finch Bookshop, and Flatwater Free Press. Humanities Nebraska provides support for One Book One Nebraska program.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Nebraska Library Commission.
Dear Friends of The Nebraska Center for the Book (NCB):
It has been a minute, hasn’t it? It’s always a surprise to remember that when the world shut down in 2020, that was six years ago. So, we’re reaching out to thank you for remembering that we’re still here and wanted to remind you that it’s time to renew your membership with NCB!
The great work that The Nebraska Center for the Book does has continued, as has the work we do with the Library of Congress. It’s hard to believe that our 501(c)(3) organization has been supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word since becoming an affiliate the Library of Congress Center for the Book over 35 years ago.
In fact, the Library of Congress National Book Festival is gearing up for its 26th year in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, August 22. Nebraska takes part in the celebration by sending representatives to showcase our “Great Reads from Great Places” to the rest of America. This year, our adult selection is our One Book One Nebraska choice, The Antidote by Karen Russell while the youth selection is Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Betterby Mylisa Larsen.
And, speaking of One Book One Nebraska, we are excited to announce that Karen Russell will be in attendance at Nebraska’s Book Festival, which we now call NCOB (Nebraska Celebration of Books)! We invite you to mark your calendar for Saturday, November 14, in the Student Union (second floor) on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s city campus. Happening from 10am until 5pm, this literature festival has special sessions to attend, awards presented such as NCB’s Jane Geske and Mildred Bennett Awards (you can nominate a person or organization now), and the announcement of the 2027 One Book One Nebraska selection, which that NCB committee is busy working on. The Nebraska Book Awards will also be given in categories for nonfiction, fiction, children/young adult, cover/design/illustration, and poetry. The NCB Annual Meeting, which all members are encouraged to attend, takes place at noon that same dayin the Heritage Suite. We hope you will join us!
Another exciting program we have been helping the Library of Congress with is actually a collaboration with them and PBS Books. Perhaps you have seen American Stories: A Reading Road Trip; each installment focuses on a different U.S. state or territory and showcases the influence that local writers, poets, and storytellers have had on the cultural identity of their region. Nebraska’s story is tentatively set to air in January.
Nebraska certainly has a rich heritage of writers that NCB promotes with grant support from Humanities Nebraska, not only through our One Book One Nebraska program, but also through our Letters About Literature program. This project encourages students in grades 4-12 to write to the author (living or deceased) of their favorite book or poem about how that affected them. Winners for 2026 were from the Tri-County Public, Lincoln Public, and Wahoo Public Schools and their Letters About Literature are now part of the Heritage Room collection at the Lincoln City Libraries.
We are updating our online news blog and hope you follow us on Facebook or Instagram. We are also looking into upcoming changes to membership which we hope to present at the annual meeting. We cannot emphasize enough how much we appreciate your continued support and hope that we can offer you ways to get involved at a variety of levels if you so desire. We are asking you to help us by inviting others you know who value our literary heritage to build the community of the book—and to build the Nebraska Center for the Book!
Please consider a $20 individual membership or a $35 organizational membership. Those monies help fund The Nebraska Center for the Book programs listed above. We have also listed a QR code below for your convenience if you would like to renew your membership at this time. Please feel free to share this information with others who might be interested in joining our organization.
With a strong foundation, the NCB can continue to do great work for literacy and the literary heritage of Nebraska. Check out our website at www.centerforthebook.nebraska.gov to see for yourself all the great things happening in the world of Nebraska literature. Click on the Membership tab there, where you can also join or renew membership in The Nebraska Center for the Book.
Sincerely,
Laurie Yocom The Nebraska Center for the Book, President
The Nebraska Center for the Book Board of Directors:
Anne Alston Katie Bean Joan Birnie Diane Downer Rebecca Faber Steve Fosselman, Treasurer Erika Hamilton, ex-officio Leslie Huerta Pat Leach, Past President Amy Mather Richard Miller Wyatt Packard, Vice-President Sherry Preston MeMe Smith, Secretary Lois Todd-Meyer Rod Wagner, ex-officio Christine Walsh
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tessa Timperley 402-471-3434 800-307-2665
Books Chosen to Represent Nebraska at National Book Festival
“Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better” and “The Antidote” chosen for the National Book Festival’s Great Reads from Great Places program.
The Nebraska Center for the Book has selected a youth book and adult book that feature Nebraska to represent the state at the 2026 National Book Festival: Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better by Mylisa Larsen and The Antidote: A Novel by Karen Russell.
Both titles will be part of the National Center for the Book’sGreat Reads from GreatPlaces program. Great Reads from Great Places features books and authors representing the literary heritage of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Marianas. For over 20 years this program has included a highlighted youth title from each affiliate center. In 2022, Great Reads from Great Places began including titles for adults for the first time.
This year’s National Book Festival on August 22nd will be held in-person in Washington, D.C., but will include many livestreamed and recorded virtual programs celebrating books and authors.
The Festival Near You
This year Nebraskans will have the opportunity to join in the fun with programming featuring our Youth Great Read. The Festival Near You, is a statewide initiative celebrating the 2026 National Book Festival by bringing Nebraska’s Great Reads from Great Places youth book to communities, and offers Nebraskans a chance to engage with literature close to home.
As part of the programming, schools and libraries across the state can check out a free book club kit of Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better. The Nebraska Library Commission has 50 books available for checkout, each reservation will include discussion guides, activity prompts, and bookmarks. To further support statewide engagement the author, Mylisa Larsen, will offer eight virtual author visits to Nebraska schools and libraries who check out the book club kits. These interactive sessions give young readers the chance to ask questions, learn about the writing process, and connect directly with the author whose book represents Nebraska on the national stage. Libraries and educators can register for these visits on a first‑come, first‑served basis. Find about The Festival Near You programming and National Book Festival at https://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/nationalbookfestival.html.
About the Books
“Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better” by Mylisa Larsen (Clarion Books, 2024)
“Quagmire Tiarello prides himself on not needing anything from anybody. Sure, his mom is skipping work again and showing signs of going into one of her full-out spins, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. He’s used to her up-and-down moods, even if this time it feels a little different. Then his mom disappears, and Quag must find shelter with an uncle he didn’t know he had. Should he come clean about his mother’s mental health challenges? Or can he use his carefully honed skills to bluff long enough to find his mom and get home? Readers will root for Quag as he finds himself rethinking his world and learning to accept help from the people who love him.”
Nebraska’s Great Reads from Great Places book is chosen from the previous year’s Nebraska Book Award winners and this book was awarded the 2025 Nebraska Book Award in the Teen Novel category.
“The Antidote: A Novel” by Karen Russell (Knopf, 2025)
“The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing—not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the dust bowl drought but beneath its own violent histories. The Antidote follows a “Prairie Witch,” whose body serves as a bank vault for peoples’ memories and secrets; a Polish wheat farmer who learns how quickly a hoarded blessing can become a curse; his orphan niece, a basketball star and witch’s apprentice in furious flight from her grief; a voluble scarecrow; and a New Deal photographer whose time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both the town’s secrets and its fate. “
Chosen as the 2026 One Book One Nebraska selection, libraries across Nebraska and other literary and cultural organizations have participated in book discussions, activities, and events that encourage Nebraskans to read and discuss this book.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the Nebraska Library Commission. As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”
