Writer and U-M professor Laura Kasischke already has an impressive resume, but now she's got one more credit to add to her ever-growing list of accomplishments: the 2013 Michigan Author Award.

A press release contains complete details.

The Michigan Library Association (MLA) will present Laura Kasischke with the 2013 Michigan Author Award during the MLA 2013 Annual Conference in Lansing on October 18, 2013.

Kasischke has published eight novels, two of which - "The Life Before Her Eyes" and "Suspicious River" - were made into feature films. She has also authored eight books of poetry and received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry in 2012. She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as several Pushcart Prizes and numerous poetry awards.

A panel of judges representing MLA members and the Michigan Center for the Book determined the recipient on overall literary merit. To be eligible, authors must be a current resident of Michigan, a long-time resident of Michigan, recently relocated or an author whose works are identified with Michigan because of subject and/or setting. Kasischke grew up in Grand Rapids, currently resides in Chelsea and is an Allan Seager Collegiate Professor of English Language & Literature at the University of Michigan. Throughout her diverse body of work, Kasischke ties her characters to the state of Michigan.

"On behalf of the Michigan Author Award work group, it is my honor to present this year's award to Laura Kasischke,” said Chair Jillian Essenmacher of the Salem-South Lyon District Library. “She is an incredibly talented writer with an impressive and diverse body of work. We are pleased to recognize her as an author who has made a substantial contribution to Michigan's literary heritage."

The Michigan Library Association (MLA) is Michigan's oldest and largest library association spanning more than a century. MLA's membership is comprised of more than 1,500 individual and institutional members from public, academic, private and special libraries. Guided by the belief that free and open access to information is the cornerstone of a free society, the Michigan Library Association advocates for libraries and the free access of information on behalf of the state's residents.

Jenn McKee is an entertainment reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.