North Vernon novelist and Columbus instructor Elisabeth A. Hegmann is a finalist for a Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award, which honor the best books written by Hoosier authors in the past two years. The awards “celebrate Indiana writers, and shine a light on the Hoosier State’s literary community and deepen connections between Indiana writers and readers,” according to organizers.
The honors, to be announced in a matter of days, were established in 2009 as a vision of the Glicks’ philanthropic support of the arts and are “a new component of Indiana Humanities’ … diverse literary programming,” according to a news release.
Winners of the Indiana Authors Awards receive $5,000 and current Indiana residents are invited to participate in a statewide speakers program. Additionally, winning authors have the opportunity to designate a $500 award to an Indiana library of their choice.
The Literary Champion award will be given to an individual or organization for exceptional contributions to Indiana’s community of readers and writers. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an author for superior literary achievements throughout their career.
Hegmann, an adjunct English instructor at Ivy Tech Community College in Columbus, is author of the 2023 work “Modus Perfectus,” nominated in the genre category.
An online description of the book reads, “Lonely misfits face foes, beasts, and their own inner demons in search of a mythical land of music … and end up finding themselves instead.”
The book was among a select group shortlisted from among hundreds of titles nominated for the awards, organizers said authors eligible for the award were announced last week.
In May, she was chosen to be a participant in Indiana Arts Commission’s On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur fellowship. She will soon be the recipient of a grant that will involve a yearlong community engagement project beginning in September. The purpose of this Indiana Arts Commission program is to provide Indiana creatives with training on how to promote their work, while also engaging with the community in whatever ways would provide the most value – classes, readings, book talks, or whatever would help foster appreciation of the arts.
Hegmann also teaches creative writing classes at the nonprofit Perceptions Yoga, Mindfulness & Art in Vernon. She leads four classes per year, each five weeks long. The next one is called “Halloween Spooky Spectacular: How to Write Tales of Grinning Ghouls, Whimsical Witches, and Other Things that Go Bump in the Night.”
That class will meet from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and will run from Sept. 26 to Oct. 24.
The final class of this year will be “Cozy Comforts: Writing for Good Holiday Cheer,” also meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays from Nov. 7 through Dec. 12, with a week off for Thanksgiving. Anyone interested in the classes can sign up on Perceptions’ website: perceptionsyoga.org.
The blog soon will include interviews with local creatives.
More about the author
Read more about Elisabeth Hegmann and her Indiana Author Award-nominated book at indianaauthorsawards.org/authors/elisabeth-hegmann
Sign up for Hegmann’s newsletter and blog on her website: eahegmann.com.
Other book award finalists
See which other Indiana writers and books have been shortlisted for Indiana Author Awards at indianaauthorsawards.org/shortlist2024.
