Wednesday, March 23, 2016

In the Margins Book Award and Selection Committee 2016 Awards




In the Margins Top Non-Fiction Award, 2016: 
 America’s Massacre: The Audacity of Despair and a Message of Hope by Tewhan Butler
SAN FRANCISCO —The In the Margins Book Award and Selection Committee, (ITM) a committee under the umbrella of Library Services for Youth in Custody (LYSC) selected their top fiction book, Tattooed Teardrops by PD Workman and non-fiction book, America’s Massacre: The Audacity of Despair and a Message of Hope by Tewhan Butler as well as a list of Top Ten, an official list of books by, for and about kids living in the margins. ITM strives to find the best books for teens living in poverty, on the streets, in custody, or a cycle of all three.
Many people in the margins choose to self-publish.  We are dedicated to finding the best of the best of these titles that fit our charge. This is our third year of highlighting self and small press published books that validate, illuminate and humanize those living in the margins. We bring true diversity to bookshelves and libraries by reading, reviewing, debating, soliciting teen feedback and awarding honors for these titles. The majority of  our list may be unknown to you or have gotten little attention in traditional reviews, but are hits with our teens. This is a statement for the need for more of us to look for and highlight diverse books. This year we continue with our top fiction, top non-fiction, and Social Justice | Advocacy award category.  We are proud to contribute to bringing these voices out of the underground and into your libraries, and hope more and more librarians and awards committees will see the value and necessity of including self-published and small press published books.
In the Margins Top Fiction Award, 2016: Tattooed Teardrops by P.D. Workman
In the Margins Top Non-Fiction Award, 2016:  America’s Massacre: The Audacity of Despair and a Message of Hope by Tewhan Butler

In addition, for the second year, we have chosen a title for our Social Justice/Advocacy Award.  The winning title is: Girls in Justice by Richard Ross

In the Margins Top Fiction Award, 2016:
 Tattooed Teardrops by P.D. Workman

In the Margins Official 2016 Top Ten List
Butler, Tewhan. America’s Massacre: The Audacity of Despair and a Message of Hope. Raise UP Media. October 2014. PB $19.99. ISBN 9780692281826.


Carter, Alton. The Boy Who Carried Bricks: A True Story of Survival. Roadrunner Press. March 2014. 196p. HC $18.95. ISBN 9781937054342.


Deutch, Kevin. The Triangle: A Year on the Ground with New York’s Blood and Crips. Lyons Press. December 2014. 214p. PB $16.95. ISBN 9781493007608.


Frank, E.R. Dime. Simon Teen. May 2015. 336p. HC $17.99. ISBN 9781481431606.
Kern, Peggy. Little Peach. Balzer + Bray. March 2015. 208p. HC $17.99. ISBN 9780062266958.


Laboucane-Benson, Patti. The Outside Circle. House of Anansi Press. June 2015. 264p. PB $19.95. ISBN 9781770899377.


Lewis, Tony Jr. Slugg: A Boy’s Life in the Age of Mass Incarceration. Hanover Place Press. July 2015. 166p. PB $9.99.


Ross, Richard. Girls in Justice. The Image of Justice. 2015. 192p. HC $29.95. ISBN 9780985510619.


Voloj, Julian. Ghetto Brother: Warrior to Peacemaker. NBM Publishing. May 2015. 128p. PB $12.99. ISBN 9781561639489.


Workman, P.D. Tattooed Teardrops. PD Workman. August 2014. 292p. PB $15.95. ISBN 9780993768750.
Annotations, the full list and further information on the committee and selections can be found at http://youthlibraries.org/2016-margins-official-list-0.



Social Justice/Advocacy Award.
   Girls in Justice by Richard Ross
The 2016 Committee members are:
  • Sabrina Carnesi, School Librarian, Crittenden Middle School, VA
  • Amy Cheney, District Library Manager, Oakland Unified School District, CA
  • Dale Clark, Teacher-Librarian, Fraser Park Secondary, Burnaby Youth Custody Services, Burnaby, BC, Canada
  • Joe Coyle, Project Coordinator, Mix IT Up!, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL
  • Marvin DeBose Sr., Library Supervisor, Free Library of Philadelphia, PA
  • Lisa Goldstein, Division Manager, Central Youth Wing, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
  • Sian Marshall, Head of Teen Services, Oxford Public Library, Oxford Michigan
  • Maggie Novario, Teen Librarian, Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, WA
  • Kerry Sutherland, Youth Services Librarian, Akron-Summit County Public Library, OH
Please go to Library Services for Youth in Custody (LYSC) http://youthlibraries.org/  for more information

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

STREET LITERATURE BOOK AWARD MEDALS (SLBAM) ANNOUNCED FOR 2015

  
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
March 15, 2016


STREET LITERATURE BOOK AWARD MEDALS (SLBAM)
ANNOUNCED FOR 2015 PUBLICATIONS
Honolulu, HI. -- The 2016 Street Lit Book Award Medal (SLBAM) Committee is excited to announce the award winners for 2015 publications. The following winners and honorees were nominated based on popular demand of books as read and circulated by the reading public in school, academic, and public library settings throughout the nation. SLBAM honors what street lit readers are reading and deeming as their best authors and titles for the 2015 publication year.

ADULT NON-FICTION WINNER:                   Between The World And Me / Ta-Nehisi Coates

ADULT NON-FICTION HONOREE:         The short and tragic life of Robert Peace: a
                                                                        brilliant young man who left Newark for the Ivy
                                                                        League 
/ Jeff Hobbs


ADULT FICTION WINNER:                       King Divas / De’nesha Diamond

ADULT FICTION HONOREE:                   Animal III: Revelations / K'wan


GRAPHIC NOVELS WINNER:                  March: Book Two / John Lewis and Andrew Aydin

GRAPHIC NOVELS HONOREE:               Legend of the Mantamaji Book 3 / Eric Dean Seaton and
                                                                        Brandon Palas
EBOOK NON-FICTION WINNER:       Slugg: A Boy’s Life in the Age of Mass Incarceration /
                                                                        Tony Lewis Jr.

EBOOK FICTION WINNER:                      King Divas (Diva Series Book Series) / De'nesha Diamond

YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE WINNER: Brown Girl Dreaming / Jacqueline Woodson


EMERGING CLASSIC WINNER:              The Crossover / Kwame Alexander

AUTHOR OF THE YEAR:                           Kwame Alexander

The Street Lit Book Award Medals (SLBAM) are annually conferred and have been proven to a useful collection development resource for librarians. For a historical listing of the SLBAMs, visit the StreetLiterature.com website or email: SLBAM.Awards@gmail.com.
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EBOOK NON-FICTION WINNER
 Slugg: A Boy’s Life in the Age of Mass Incarceration 
      Tony Lewis Jr.


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Methodology: The Street Literature Book Award Medal (SLBAM) Committee conducted three nomination rounds where they reported on field research of patron readership and reader response to street literature in libraries across the country. The committee discussed all nominated titles. In response to evolving readership of the genre, two new categories were added this year: Ebooks and Graphic Novels. Other special categories include the "Emerging Classic" category, which recognizes a street lit-plotted or -themed book that was published during or before the year of nomination but continues to be in popular demand by the reading public. Another special category, "Author(s) of the Year", recognizes an author or writing team whose publications were particularly well-received by the reading public during the nomination year. Aside from the "Emerging Classic" category, books eligible for SLBAM nomination were required to be published between January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015.
2015-2016 SLBAM Committee Members:
K.C. Boyd, M.Ed., M.L.S., Chicago, IL
Marvin DeBose, Sr., M.L.S., Philadelphia, PA
D.L. Grant, Jr., M.L.S., San Antonio, TX
Patrice Grimball-Smith, Charleston, SC

Takiyah Jemison, M.L.S., Colorado Springs, CO
Vanessa Irvin, M.S.L.S., Ed.D., is the convener of the Street Lit Book Award Medal (SLBAM) Committee. As convener, Dr. Irvin is a non-voting member of the committee, and focuses on facilitating the committee’s research and nomination round process. Vanessa is the author of the Street Literature.com blog, and the award-winning publication, The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature (2012). A librarian with over 30 years' experience, Dr. Irvin teaches library and information science at the University of Hawai’i, in Honolulu, HI.**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
March 15, 2016
Contact:    Vanessa Irvin, Convener
                  Street Literature Book Award Medal Committee
                  (808) 956-6703
                  SLBAM.Awards@gmail.com

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