The Grand Gilman

Another year, another Grand Master Award winner from the Mystery Writers of America. Earlier today, the MWA announced that Dorothy Gilman, the 86-year-old American author of the long-running Mrs. Pollifax spy novel series, has been chosen as the group’s 2010 Grand Master. She follows in the footsteps of last year’s prize recipients, James Lee Burke and Sue Grafton.

“MWA’s Grand Master Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing,” explains a news release about Gilman’s commendation, “and was established to acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as significant output of consistently high-quality material. Gilman, a New Jersey native, has written and contributed to over 30 books that feature uncommon and unique characters. Her writing has continually kept readers coming back for 60 years.” A full list of Grand Master Award winners from years past can be found here.

In addition to its Gilman news, the MWA reports that it will present two Raven Awards next year: one to Zev Buffman, a Broadway producer who’s also behind Kentucky’s International Mystery Writers Festival, and the other to Mary Alice Gorman and Richard Goldman, who operate the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. The Raven is given “for outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing.”

Finally, Barbara Peters and Robert Rosenwald of Poisoned Pen Press will receive the MWA’s 2010 Ellery Queen Award, presented “to editors or publishers who have distinguished themselves by their generous and wide-ranging support of the genre.” Among their other credits, Peters and Rosenwald sponsored last fall’s Poisoned Pen Press Webcon, the first completely online conference for crime-fiction writers and fans.

These commendations will be dispensed during the 64th annual Edgar Awards Banquet, which is to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on Thursday, April 29, 2010.