“Please Write” Receives Silver Medal in Midwest Book Awards for Non-fiction-Inspiration Category. Now Competing for Gold.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lynne M. Kolze

Saint Paul author honored as Midwest Book Awards finalist for title about celebrating and preserving the art of handwritten letters.

Saint Paul, MN – April 30, 2024 – Lynne M. Kolze from Saint Paul, MN was recognized in the Non-fiction- Inspiration category of the 34th annual Midwest Book Awards.

“Please Write is a celebration of all things that make handwritten letters so impactful, meaningful, delightful, and historically important, including their importance as an art form and as one of the most touching and memorable ways of communicating with others. “Please Write” was written to inspire past letter writers to return to letter writing on occasion, and to acquaint new writers with what they can look forward to if they write for the first time,” said Kolze. Minnesota publisher Beaver’s Pond Press released the book in May 2023.

Kolze argues that the letter can still serve an important role in our lives, complementing the useful and efficient technological tools we use every day. She shares the many benefits handwritten letters can provide to both the recipient and the writer if we just make the effort.

Other topics covered include a short history of the handwritten letter and the many innovations which enabled this amazing art form to flourish, the types of letters that are most often written (and why they matter), and the many ways in which letters have inspired, and continue to inspire the creation of art in many forms and contexts. The author also explores the letter writing tools and paraphernalia that make letter writing a visual feast and tactile experience for author and recipient alike. Also included, a chapter filled with ideas on how to model the way and inspire the next generation of letter writers.

Gold medal winners will be announced in person at the Midwest Book Awards gala held on June 22, 2024 at the Mall of America in Minneapolis. 

The Midwest Book Awards are presented by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting independent publishers in the Midwest. The awards are open to all books published in the Midwest in the previous year. 

MiPA founders organized the first Midwest Book Awards in 1989, and today the Midwest Book Awards is one of the longest running literary recognition programs in the country. Judges for the prestigious literary program are booksellers, university staff and librarians who are subject matter experts and collectively hail from each of MiPA’s twelve states. 

View all finalists at https://mipa.org/midwest-book-awards/2024-finalists/

The June 22, 2024 event is open to the public. Find out more at www.mipa.org/bookawards.

###