NEWS RELEASE March 17, 2014 Contact: Carolyn Sparks: (517) 373-1297 sparksc2@michigan.gov<mailto:sparksc2@michigan.gov> The Library of Michigan Foundation Announces Steve Hamilton as the 2014 Night for Notables Keynote Speaker The Library of Michigan Foundation is pleased to announce that 2012 Michigan Notable Book Award winner, Steve Hamilton (Misery Bay), has agreed to serve as the keynote speaker for the 2014 Night for Notables event scheduled for Saturday, April 26th at the Library of Michigan. This annual event honors the twenty 2014 Michigan Notable Books and their authors. The evening will include an award ceremony, featuring remarks by Steve Hamilton, followed by a gala evening of notable author book signings, interaction with the authors, and a fine selection of hors d' oeuvres, desserts and Michigan beverages. Past keynote speakers have included: Jaimy Gordon, the 2011 National Book Award Winner for fiction; National Book award finalist, Bonnie Jo Campbell; New York Times Best Selling Novelist, Doug Stanton; nationally renowned author Judith Guest ; National Book Award winner Kevin Boyle; and, Academy Award winning filmmaker and bestselling author, Michael Moore - all former Michigan Notable Authors. The annual Michigan Notable Books Program highlights 20 of the previous year's most engaging books that are set in Michigan or the Great Lakes region, have a Michigan theme or are written by a Michigan native or resident. The Library of Michigan coordinates a statewide committee of librarians, booksellers, reviewers, historians, writers and editors to review hundreds of titles each year and selects 20 quality titles that best capture Michigan's diverse heritage and have wide public appeal. For additional information on the 2014 Program, please visit: www.michigan.gov/notablebooks<http://www.michigan.gov/notablebooks>. "We are so pleased that Steve Hamilton will join us in honoring the 2014 Michigan Notable Book authors for their outstanding contributions to our state's rich literary tradition" said Carolyn Sparks, Executive Director of the Library of Michigan Foundation. "Steve has a large and enthusiastic following, both nationally and here in Michigan, who will welcome this special opportunity to see him in person and hear his thoughts." Steve Hamilton was born and raised in Detroit and graduated from the University of Michigan, where he won the prestigious Hopwood Award for fiction. In 2006, he won the Michigan Author Award for his outstanding body of work. His novels have won numerous awards and media acclaim beginning with the very first in the Alex McKnight series, A Cold Day in Paradise, which won the Private Eye Writers of America/St. Martin's Press Award for Best First Mystery by an Unpublished Writer. Once published, it went on to win the MWA Edgar and the PWA Shamus Awards for Best First Novel. His novel, The Lock Artist, won the 2011 Edgar Award. Sponsorship and ticket information will soon be available at www.libraryofmichiganfoundation.org. #####