Nominating mystery authors for halls of fame.

Consider nominating distinguished mystery authors for halls of fame that exist throughout the country. Quite often, genre writers are overlooked for these honors or are nominated for some other achievement (e.g., Celestine Sibley was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame for her journalism rather than her mysteries; Mildred Wirt Benson is a member of the U Iowa School of Journalism Hall of Fame for her reporting credentials, although her Nancy Drew novels are mentioned).

To be considered for nomination, writers usually need some connection to the particular state (e.g., birth or a minimum term of residence) and a body of work.

Anna Katharine Green.
NYPL

Links to halls of fame appear below. I have nominated police procedural pioneer Ed McBain/Evan Hunter and important early mystery author Anna Katharine Green for the New York State Writers Hall of Fame and, for New Jersey's hall of fame, Ho-ho-kus's Metta Fuller Victor (author of The Dead Letter [1866], the first American detective novel).

State Halls of Fame Devoted to Writers

East Tennessee. It appears the next nominations process will open in June 2013.

Georgia. Current nominees include Mignon Ballard and Virginia Lanier.

Minnesota. Nominated writers must have links to Minnesota, either through birth or residence in the state while producing a body of work. A good candidate for nomination would be Haycraft-Queen lister Mabel Seeley.

Missouri. 2012 Quill Award inductee is Ridley Pearson.

Nevada.

New York. In addition to my nominations of Hunter and Green (mentioned above), another appropriate nominee would be Brewster's Rex Stout—something that the Wolfe Pack should back.

North Carolina. Elizabeth Daniels Squire was inducted in 2006 and Manly Wade Wellman in 1996.

Oklahoma. Jean Hager was inducted in 1992, Carolyn Hart in 1993, and William Bernhardt in 1997.

South Carolina. Does not appear to have a nominations process open to the public. Mickey Spillane was inducted in 2012.

Texas. Established by the Friends of the Fort Worth Public Library to recognize authors who have contributed to the literary heritage of Texas. Bill Crider was inducted in 2010.

Wisconsin Writers Wall of Fame. Sponsored by the Friends of the Milwaukee Public Library. August Derleth was inducted in 1997.

Other
Alabama Men's Hall of Fame.

Alabama Women's Hall of Fame.

Alaska Women's Hall of Fame. Deadline for nominations: November 1, 2012.

Arizona Women's Hall of Fame.

Hear excerpts from July 10th Nancy Drew panel.

Nancy Drew panelists at the Amer
Women Writers Nat Museum. Back row:
Elizabeth Foxwell, Ann Hudak.
Front row: Kathy Harig, Leona Fisher

I've posted some audio clips from my July 10th panel "Derring-Do and Nancy Drew Us In" at the American Women Writers National Museum:

• Leona Fisher (Georgetown University) on Mildred Wirt Benson and her often difficult relationship with the Stratemeyer Syndicate.

• Ann Hudak (curator, Nancy Drew & Friends exhibition, U-MD) reads a hilarious quote regarding the "dangers" of the Stratemeyer Syndicate.

• Kathy Harig (Mystery Loves Company, Oxford, MD) on Chassie West's involvement with the series.

• The panelists discuss the reactions of librarians and the public to the Nancy Drew series.

Today's Nancy Drew panel, door prizes, and Mildred Wirt Benson.

Today's noon panel that I'm moderating at the American Women Writers National Museum in Washington, DC, is particularly

appropriate. It's on "Derring-Do and Nancy Drew Us In" (on the history and enduring appeal of this girl sleuth, with George-town's Leona Fisher; Mystery Loves Company's Kathy Harig; and University of Maryland-College Park's Ann Hudak, curator of the "Nancy Drew and Friends" exhibition) and takes place on the birthday of Mildred Wirt Benson (1905–2002), who wrote the first seven Nancy Drew books as well as numerous other girls' series books. Kathy Harig promises some Nancy Drew door prizes for some lucky attendees.

My events page is here.

The mystery library of artist Donald Judd.

The Message in the Sand
Dunes, by Frances K.
Judd. University of
Maryland Libraries
Special Collections

The very cool interactive library of New York- and Texas-based artist Donald Judd (1928–94) allows the online researcher to click on shelves to see their contents as well as perform more typical searches by author, title, and subject. Mystery-related items include several novels by Raymond Chandler, The Complete Edgar Allan Poe, The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, and The Message in the Sand Dunes (1938, one of the Kay Tracey mysteries) by Frances K. Judd (a pseudonym of Mildred Wirt Benson, best known for writing several of the Nancy Drew mysteries).

Happy birthday, Mildred Wirt Benson.

Mildred Wirt Benson, the staggeringly productive author of the first seven and other Nancy Drew books, several Dana Girls novels, the Penny Parker mysteries, and many other books, was born today in 1905. She died in 2002.

Benson was the first female graduate of the University of Iowa's School of Journalism, held a private pilot's license, and was a columnist for the Toledo Blade. She noted in a 1973 article for Books at Iowa that in her most industrious year, she "turned out thirteen full-length volumes under various pen names, writing the entire list of new books for one publisher." She also said, "...it seems to me that Nancy [Drew] was popular, and remains so, primarily because she personifies the dream image which exists within most teen-agers."

Many of the original Nancy Drew books with the original cover art are available from Applewood Books.