MARQUETTE — the Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association announces the first U.P. Notable Books List. UPPAA Publications Chair Mikel Classen of Sault Ste. Marie initiated the effort as a response to the lack of representation of U.P. writers in other Michigan state literary circles. “Traditionally, recognition of Michigan books has been dominated by the university presses downstate and we would like to take this opportunity to highlight literature that focuses closer to home for us,” Classen said.

To build this list, UPPAA consulted with Upper Michigan booksellers, book reviewers, writers and publishers to winnow down the notable books to 10 titles. It must be emphasized the list is unranked; each title deserves equal merit as U.P. Notable Book. These ten books have been deemed essential reading for every U.P. lover and we highly recommend you ask your local librarian or booksellers for them.

On the list are —

–“Camera Hunter: George Shiras III and the Birth of Wildlife Photography” by James H. McCommons (University of New Mexico Press, 2019);

— “Out” by John Smolens (Michigan State University Press, 2019);

— “Cady and the Bear Necklace” by Ann Dallman (Three Towers Press, 2019);

— “Go Find! My Journey to Find the Lost — and Myself” by Susan Purvis (Blackstone Press, 2019);

— “Hunter’s Moon: A Novel in Stories” by Philip Caputo (Henry Holt and Co., 2019);

— “The Marsh King’s Daughter” by Karen Dionne (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2018);

— “Yoopernatural Haunts Upper Peninsula Paranormal Research Society Case Files” by Tim Ellis (Visionary Living, 2019);

— “Murder on Sugar Island (Getting to Know Jack Book 2)” — Michael Carrier (Greenwich Village Ink, 2013);

— “Lake Superior Tales: Stories of Humor and Adventure in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula,” 2nd Edition by Mikel B. Classen (Modern History Press, 2018);

— “Three Fires Unity: The Anishnaabeg of the Lake Huron Borderlands” by Phil Bellfy (University of Nebraska Press, 2019).

The U.P. Notable Books List will appear in the upcoming fourth volume of U.P. Reader, UPPAA’s own annual literary anthology featuring short stories, poetry and essays by its members. This successful publication helps spread the word about the organization, raise money for educational programming and encourages people in the Upper Peninsula and beyond to read U.P. writers. Complimentary copies of the U.P. Reader are available to all U.P. educators and media for the asking. The on-sale date is scheduled for Wednesday. Consult local booksellers for availability or purchase at Amazon. For more information, go to www.UPReader.org.

Established in 1998 to support authors and publishers who live in or write about Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, UPPAA is a Michigan nonprofit association with more than 100 members, many of whose books are featured on the organization’s website at www.uppaa.org. UPPAA welcomes membership and participation from anyone with a UP connection who is interested in writing and publishing books.