The Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) created the 1st Annual U.P. Notable Books List in April 2020. UPPAA Publications Chair Mikel Classen (Sault Ste. Marie) initiated the effort as a response to the lack of representation of U.P. writers in other Michigan state literary circles. Classen said, “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.”
Going forward, additional lists will be considered only from books submitted to U.P. Book Review. Titles in the U.P. Notable Book List are eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:
- Subject matter concerns the U.P.
- Categories: memoir, biography, history, fiction, romance, genre fiction, humor, poetry, photo books, graphic novels, winter sports, hunting/fishing/tourism,
- Ethnographic stories about immigrants, indigenous peoples, yooper culture, and Scandinavian culture are encouraged
- Author is living in / was born in / lived several years in — the U.P.
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.