UNP is proud to announce that Quotidiana by Patrick Madden was a finalist for the 2011 PEN Center USA Literary Awards in the Creative Nonfiction category. PEN Center USA’s annual awards program recognizes literary excellence in eleven different categories.

Quotidiana is a collection of essays in which Madden muses on the origins of human language, the curative properties of laughter, and the joys and woes of fatherhood, among other topics. Madden received widespread praise for his writing style:

Madden/Quotidiana: 2011 PEN Center USA Literary Awards, finalist, Creative Nonfiction category.

"Words form constellations; they glitter on the pages. . . . There is a religiosity here, though not the usual kind. It's a glow on the horizon, a low light, something to think our way toward," Susan Salter Reynolds wrote in the Los Angeles Times.

Quotidiana was also the winner of the 2011 Association for Mormon Letters award in Personal Essay and winner of the 2011 Independent Publisher Book Gold Award in the Essay/Creative Nonfiction category.

Congrats to Patrick and all the winners!

For the complete list of finalists and winners, click here.