ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Thursday, three authors were inducted into the Upper Peninsula Literary Hall of Fame.
The Escanaba Public Library hosted a ceremony to honor inductees Tom Bissell, Elinor Benedict, and Gloria Whelan. Bissell attended to read some of his own writing, while guest presenters read works from Benedict and Whelan.
Retired children’s librarian Jan Curtis says Whelan’s work has been a great resource for Michigan students, particularly in the Upper Peninsula.
“She writes children’s novels about Michigan,” said Curtis. “Quite often, there is a teacher who assigns, ‘You have to read a book about Michigan.’ There’s ten; there are thirty kids in the class. You give a girl one of these books about Michigan and they are hooked on historical fiction, especially the ones that take place on Mackinac Island because, of course, the kids have all been there. I really appreciate that Gloria has written about Michigan. It’s always good to see Michigan authors recognized, because we’ve got some good ones.”
Whelan, Bissel, and Benedict are the second class authors to be inducted into the Upper Peninsula Literary Hall of Fame.
