By 
I had the pleasure of hearing Nancy Pickard speak at the Kansas Notable Books Awards ceremony yesterday in the old Kansas Supreme Court Room in the Kansas Capitol.
She has a medallion around her neck because she was a winner of this same award in 2008 for her book “The Virgin of Small Plains,” which was also the Kansas Reads book for 2009.
Participating fully in the Kansas Reads program during January, February and March of 2009, Nancy traveled Kansas, visiting 50 libraries in 50 towns. “I didn’t have a bad experience in a single library,” she said.
Traveling the state, visiting libraries in small and large towns was a meaningful experience for her. And her presence was appreciated in those small town libraries that seldom, if ever, have authors visit.
For the winners, Nancy Pickard said the Kansas Notable Book Award will mean increased sales and a better chance that their next book will be published. And she said that on days when writing is not going well for them, they can look at their medallion and remember that they had been successful with their writing. And that they will be again.
Raising her medal, she said with a smile, “There are days I want to wear this to the grocery store.”
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Read about Nancy Pickard’s Journey Through Kansas for the Kansas Reads program. The page opens to the Introduction. Click on the top menu for January, February, and March entries.
The Kansas Notable Books Awards are presented by the Kansas Center for the Book and the State Library of Kansas.
The complete list of 2010 Kansas Notable Book Award winners is here.