During an awards ceremony at BookExpo America today, ForeWord Magazine named the University of Nebraska Press its 2008 Independent Publisher of the Year.

In a year marked by layoffs across the publishing industry and the shuttering of many major publishing imprints, ForeWord's editorial staff cited Nebraska's outstanding works of translation, regional fiction, poetry, and memoir. The University Press also earned praise for publishing highly accomplished travel, sports, story, and scholarly books.

"At ForeWord, we are always excited to receive a new catalog from them because we've discovered over the years that if they've chosen to publish a book, then it is surely a contribution to the world library," ForeWord's publisher, Victoria Sutherland, said in a speech.

The University of Nebraska Press has published works by former Poet Laureate of the United States Ted Kooser, Pushcart Prize-nominated Zachary Michael Jack, and O. Henry Award-winner Terese Svoboda. The Press was also awarded two 2008 ForeWord Book of the Year Awards.

This is the second year ForeWord has presented this annual honor. The ForeWord Magazine Independent Publisher of the Year Award was created to recognize independent presses that produce innovative, relevant, and original books for today's readers.