NEW YORK BOOK FESTIVAL HONORS “THE LAST SEWER BALL”
NEW YORK_ The sequel to a classic New York novel is the grand prize winner of the 2017 New York Book Festival, which honors books worth of further attention from the world’s publishing capital.
Steven Schindler’s “The Last Sewer Ball” (The Elevated Press) tells the tale of Vinny, who is on a quest to track down childhood best friend Whitey after decades apart. The goal is to renew a bond forged long ago. But secrets simmering since both were children threaten to explode.
Schindler’s masterful eye for New York details and his deft dialog make this a novel that true New Yorkers must read.
The author and the winners, runner-ups and honorable mentions will be honored at a private awards ceremony at the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan in July.
Other winners in the competition:
POETRY WINNER: Where Do I Sit - Dr. Neal Hall
RUNNER-UP: It's Good to be Here - Reed Sherbrooke
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- May I Have This Dance? - Mathieu Cailler
- Dates and Dreams - E.M. Schorb
- Life in Suspension - Helene Cardona
- The Plague Doctor in his Hull-Shaped Hat - Stephen Massimilla
- Thoughts of a Butterfly - Sherita Jackson
WILD CARD
WINNER: Life 101: A Guide to Your Personal Evolution - Linda Voogd/Dawn Romero
RUNNER-UP: I Speak: Surreal Photos and Interviews with Guitars… - Anthony Glise
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Spirits of the Heart - Claire Gem
- Big & Fabulous – Randi Sherman
- Slate Roof Bible Third Edition - Joseph Jenkins
- Donovan's Charge - Glenn Cox/E.Merwin
- 33 Amazing Women - Bridget Finnegan
GENERAL FICTION
WINNER: The Last Sewer Ball - Steven Schindler
RUNNER-UP: Ashes - Steven Manchester
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Kubrick’s Game – Derek Taylor Kent
- The Audacity of Goats – J.F. Riordan
- The Boston Castrato – Colin Sargent
- When Life Turns Upside Down – Brannah Bibbs
- Without a Voice – Chris Pepple
- The Vermeer Conspiracy – Eytan Halaban
- One-Two – Igor Eliseev
- Aunt Sookie & Me – Michael Scott Garvin
- Scandalous Hoe Fiction - Ashley M. Hardy
- Father Flanagan Laments – Denny Goetz
- Daggers of Treason – Niraj Srivastava
- Dark Dark Surf - TC ZMak
- Invincible Summers – Robin Gaines
- Where the Tracks Go - Mark Mijuskovic
- Judging Angels – Timothy Capps
- A Difference in the Blood – Scott Sandsberry
- So Complicated - Rumki Chowdhury
- Pink Slips – Beth Aldrich
- Deadly Decisions – Nancy Mangano
- Concrete Wings – Beverly Gandara
- Shadows of Shame– Bruce Ashkenas
- Cries of the Eagle _ Michael Nathanson
- L'inventore della dimenticanza - Pierluigi Panza
- Staying Wet: A Southern Tale Told One Sip.. - Jacqueline Schnitzer
- The Highmore Circle – Cricket Reynolds
- Avengarde – Zachary Barnes
- Quantum Lace – Leigh Bella St. John
- Shadow of Death – Jean Sorrell
- Going Home - Michael Morrow
- Mary Bernadette: Secrets of a Dallas Moon – John F. Bronzo
- Barbra Streisand: On the Couch - Alma H. Bond
- The Org - Biography of a Violent Man - Lonnie J. Curwen
- The Last Commission - Eytan Halaban
- The Mean - John Arthur Long
- Tune Up: The Secrets of Mylin - Book 1 - Joe Klingler
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
WINNER: Saving Kate’s Flowers - Cindy Sommer
RUNNER-UP: The Family Tree – Laurie Copmann
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- S is For Safari - Jeryl Abelman/Miriam Kronish
- Luke and Linda Learn What a Bank Can Do - John Tuzee
- The Seasons of a Giant - Pamela Hartley
- Mr. Wacka Backa Boo - Carol Cox Carlisle
- Texas Farm Girl Aquaculture Farming - Rebecca Crownover
- Hamilton's High Flying Adventure - Christina Klink
- Hayley's Fantastic Fruits - Mohana Gil
- Courageous Gilbert the Groundhog - Regina E. McCarthy
- White Ops: Eigenoids - Episode 3 - Kristine Palmer
- Willow - Anne-Marie Grieder Jacobs
- Cub's Wish - Angie Flores
- Feronia - The Little Girl Who Learned to Fly Free - Nola Hennessy
- The Patron, the Docent and the Webelo - Jessica McCune
- Ice Cream USA - Thal Dixon
- The Perfect People - Cathi D'Avignon
- Songs of Cicada - Don Carr
- The Plant Pledge - Kate Murray
- Barney the Lopsided Mule - Liz Hughey
- Whoa! - Dr. Sherry Meinberg
HOW-TO
WINNER: 90 Lessons for Living Large in 90 Sq. Feet - Felice Cohen
RUNNER-UP: The Renegade Writer – William Griffiths
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Tame Your Money Elephants - Patrick Carroll
- Photographing the Adirondacks - Carl Heilman II
- 101 Top Tips for Digital Landscape Photography - Carl Heilman II
- Above All Else - Nancy D. Butler
- Your Holistically Hot Transformation - Marissa Vicario
- My Will Be Done! - Elaine Cauley
- Learn to Play Gee-Tar: The Good Old Time Country Way - Paul Austin
YOUNG ADULT
WINNER: How to Set the World on Fire - T.K. Riggins 
RUNNER-UP: The Whizbang Machine, Tunney's Curse – Danielle Vann
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- The Indian – Barry Kienzle
- Ms. Vampy’s Teen Tawk – Brooke Lewis
- The Secret Billionaire – Teymour Shahabi
- A Darker Magic This Way Comes - Carmen Niland
- The Emperor of Dragons - Logan Stark
- The Wave - Kirsten Spiteri
- Voiceless Whispers- Jane Frances Ruby
- South of Main Street - Robert Gately
- The Scrapbook - GR Calcagni
- The Paranauts – Logan Stark
GENERAL NON-FICTION
WINNER: Growing-up Twice - Aaron Kirk Douglas
RUNNER-UP: Bed, Breakfast and Beyond - JoAnn Dawson
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Code: 10-71 Victim to Victor - Madeline Morehouse
- Shielded Suffering – A.J. Nystrom
- My Cells Made Me Do It - Robin R. Hayes
- Out of My Great Sorrows: The Armenian Genocide… - Susan Arpajian Jolley
- Killing Heel Pain: Your Final Freedom from Plantar… - Dr. Karen Smith
- Murder Never Dies - George T. Sidiropolos
- Fidel Castro y el Directorio Revolucionario - Jose Alvarez
- Angelic Messenger - Shawn Lange
- Living in Italy - Stef Smulders
- Part of the Family – Jason Hensley
- Frightened Heart of Me - Tony Narducci
- Slate Roof Bible Third Edition - Joseph Jenkins
- Let the Dogs Howl - R. deVillers Seymour
- Post-Traumatic Stress - Not a Life Sentence - Nola Hennessy
- Spies Uncovered - David Ritchey
- Birds Really Can Fly - Elaine Cauley
- From the Rift Valley to the Dream of Freedom - John Kachamila
SPIRITUAL
WINNER: Happiness No Matter What! - Monica Belizan
RUNNER-UP: Living from the Mountaintop - Christian Sorensen
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- The Keys to Love – Hope Ives Mauran
- The Dynamics of Global Leadership – Scott Friedman
- Your Empowering Life-Healing Journey – Dara Rabel
- The Gospel According to Ruth – Kevin Foste
- God's Light Abridged Audiobook - Dr. Rick Scarnati
- Why Choose Hell When You Can Have Heaven on Earth? - Dr. Joseph Lathan
BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
WINNER: Donald Trump: The Man Who Would Be King - Darwin Porter/Danforth Prince
RUNNER-UP: Turbulent Times: The Remarkable Life of William H. Seward - Stephen G. Yanoff
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
COOKBOOKS
WINNER: Cooking with the Muse - Stephen Massimilla
RUNNER-UP: Eris’s Green Kitchen - Erisbelia Garriga
HONORABLE MENTION:
- World Party - Roberta Roberti
ROMANCE
WINNER: Looking Glass Friends – E.L. Neve
RUNNER-UP: One Chance, One Moment: Book One - The Mandy Story - Judith Ann Kohnen
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Forever Yours - Dr. James Twerell
- Second Chances - Lisa Jagmohan
SCIENCE FICTION
WINNER: Maya Rising - Melissa Roen
RUNNER-UP: The Founder’s Strain - David Brush
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Last Call for Caviar – Melissa Roen
- Vulture Bend – Don Stansberry
- The Forgotten Federation - A.J. Grea
- Tomorrow's End - Geoffrey Morris
- Vice Womb Age - M. Colin Alston
BUSINESS
WINNER: Success Without Stress - Teri Scheinzeit
RUNNER-UP: Rule # 1 Don't Be #2 You Get What You Work For….- Daniel Milstein
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Predictive Analytics – Eric Siegel
- My First Home – Shashank Shekhar
- The Journey to Wealth - James E. Demmert
UNPUBLISHED
WINNER: Sagahawk by the Sea - John F. Bronzo
PHOTOGRAPHY/ART
WINNER: The Adirondacks: Season by Season - Carl Heilman II
RUNNER-UP: West Virginia: Lasting Impressions - Rick Burgess
COMPILATIONS/ANTHOLOGIES
WINNER: Geniuses Among Us - David Ritchey