Press release

Local
poet Mary McCray named finalist in National Indie Excellence Awards

Santa Fe, NM,
May 27, 2013 — Last week, local Santa
Fe poet Mary McCray was named one of the four
finalists in the poetry category of the 2013 National Indie Excellence Awards
(NIEA) with her 2012 book of poems, Why
Photographers Commit Suicide.

According to NIEA, “Not only has the number
of entrants increased, but the excellence has risen to a whole new level.
Advances in technology and the increase in sophistication of self-publishers
has produced a bumper crop of books that stand proudly next those published by
mainstream houses. This has created a challenge of unexpected magnitude for the
contest judges. The National Indie Excellence Awards criteria for recognition
are stringent and include overall excellence. This award celebrates the highest
achievements in self-publishing, a sector of the industry that has grown
exponentially in recent years.”

• To view a full list of winners and finalists, visit http://www.indieexcellence.com
• To find out more about Mary McCray, visit http://www.marymccray.com

About
the Book

 Why
Photographers Commit Suicide explores the American idea of Manifest
Destiny, particularly as it relates to the next frontier—space exploration.
Mary McCray examines psychological and spiritual frontiers enmeshed in our very
human longing for space and unearths our feelings about what it means to move
ahead and stake out new territory, what it means to be home. 

David H. Levy, astronomer and author of The Quest for Comets and David Levy’s Guide to the Night Sky says, “Remember when, in Carl Sagan’s Contact, the main character said ‘They
should have sent a poet?’ Now we have. From the great Tharsis volcano on Mars
to Olympus Mons, these poems are a celebration of what is best about humanity’s
exploration of the planets. We are moving out among the stars, and Mary McCray
is leading us there.” 

According to Tom Crawford, author of The Names of Birds, Wu Wei, and The Temple on Monday, “This
new collection by Mary McCray should earn her a wide readership with its outer
space leaps of invention. Her ribald sense of humor. Grit. Originality.”

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