February Virtual Program, New Special Collections Manager, Michigan Notable Books List and Author Tour, Night for Notables

February Virtual Program: The Story of Woodland Park Michigan, a Black Resort During Segregation Thursday, February 1, 2024 6:30PM - 7:30PM, Zoom Register For This Program Nestled deep in the Manistee Forest of Michigan, there was once a safe haven for people of color during segregation. It's founders, Ella and Marian Auther, a black couple from Toledo, Ohio named it the Woodland Park Resort. Listen as historian, Dianna Cross Toran, talks about its rich history and how it grew into a legacy that is still cherished to this day. Find a complete schedule of 2024 Virtual Programs with descriptions and registration information at Michigan.gov/LMPublicPrograms.

Image Source: Woodland Park, Michigan - https://www.woodlandparkmi.org/

New Special Collections Manager: David Votta David Votta has recently been named Special Collections Manager at the Library of Michigan. Prior to joining the Library of Michigan, David spent the last 4 years as the director of Charlotte Community Library in Charlotte, Michigan. His experience also includes serving as the Community Engagement Librarian for the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services as well as working for Capital Area District Libraries. David holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalist from Wayne State University. He also has a Master of Library and Information Science Degree with a Certificate of Archival Administration from Wayne State University and a Master of Business Administration from Northwood University.

2024 Michigan Notable Books List

The Library of Michigan is pleased to announce the 2024 Michigan Notable Book list:

• The All-American by Susie Finkbeiner – Revell
• Cinema Ann Arbor: How Campus Rebels Forged a Singular Film Culture by Frank Uhle – University of Michigan Press/Fifth Avenue Press
• A Cold, Hard Prayer by John Smolens – MSU Press
• Dearborn: Stories by Ghassan Zeineddine – Tin House Books
• Enough to Lose by R.S. Deeren – Wayne State University Press
• Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant: A Memoir by Curtis Chin – Little, Brown and Company
• Everything is Just Beginning: A Novel by Erin Bartels – Revell
• Girls and Their Monsters: The Genain Quadruplets and the Making of Madness in America by Audrey Clare Farley – Grand Central Publishing
• Great Women of Mackinac, 1800-1950 by Melissa Croghan – MSU Press
• In the Upper Country: A Novel by Kai Thomas – Viking
• Making Art in Prison: Survival and Resistance by Janie Paul – Hat & Beard Press
• Michigan Rocks!: A Guide to Geologic Sites in the Great Lakes State by Paul Brandes – Mountain Press
• My Murder: A Novel by Katie Williams – Riverhead Books
• An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford by Richard Norton Smith – Harper
• Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit by Abra Berens – Chronicle
• The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk – Yale University Press
• Strikers: A Graphic Novel by Kiel Phegley – Graphic Universe
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett – Harper
• Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley – Henry Holt and Co.
• The White Stripes: Complete Lyrics, 1997-2007 by Jack White – Third Man Books

Find book descriptions and more information about the Michigan Notable Books program at Michigan.gov/NotableBooks.

2024 Michigan Notable Books

2024 Michigan Notable Books Author Tour Host Applications

The application period to host an author as part of the 2024 Michigan Notable Books Author tour is now open. Find the tour host application and other information about the Michigan Notable Books program at Michigan.gov/NotableBooks. Applications are due by Thursday, February 1, 2024. 

Funding for the 2024 Michigan Notable Books program was made possible in part by Library of Michigan, Library of Michigan Foundation, and Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Tour stops during the 2023 Michigan Notable Books Author Tour.

2024 Night for Notables Headlined by Stephen Mack Jones

The Michigan Notable Books Night for Notables Reception on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at the Library of Michigan is featuring 2-time Michigan Notable Books author Stephen Mack Jones as the keynote speaker.

Stephen Mack Jones is a published poet, an award-winning playwright, and a recipient of the prestigious Kresge Arts in Detroit Literary Fellowship. He worked in advertising and marketing communications for several years before turning to fiction. Stephen has received many accolades for his August Snow crime/thriller series. August Snow won the Nero Award, and he has been shortlisted for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and a finalist for the Shamus Award as well as the Strand Critics Award. Stephen is a two-time Michigan Notable Books recipient, with August Snow honored in 2018 and Dead of Winter in 2022. He was born in Lansing, Michigan, and graduated from both J.W. Sexton High School and Michigan State University. Stephen currently lives in Farmington Hills, outside of Detroit.

To support this one-of-a-kind unique literary event, to register to attend, and to view event details, visit the Library of Michigan Foundation website. Thank you for helping to celebrate the 2024 Michigan Notable Books!

Stephen Mack Jones and Night for Notables Reception.