(Jefferson City, Mo.) -- Michelle Collins Anderson is the winner of the Missouri Library Association's (MLA) Literary Award for 2025. The award was announced Thursday, October 9, 2025, at the MLA Annual Conference in Chesterfield, MO.

"I am thrilled beyond words. As a Missouri girl, born and raised, this award is the pinnacle. I never expected that my novel about a long-ago happening in my hometown of West Plains, Missouri would ever be published—let alone embraced with such warmth and enthusiasm. I've had the privilege this past year and a half of meeting so many librarians in little towns and large metropolitan areas across the state. Every single one has shown me how devoted they are to the people of their communities," said Anderson.

The Flower Sisters (Kensington Publishing Group, April 2024) is a historical novel drawing on the little-known true story of one tragic night at an Ozarks dance hall in 1928. Over thirty people perished in an unsolved explosion. Anderson's debut explores the aftermath fifty years later as Daisy Flowers delves into the history of the fiery blast. Anderson grew up in West Plains, Missouri and holds a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and an MFA in Fiction from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina. She currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

The MLA Literary Award is bestowed annually. It recognizes and promotes readership of works by living Missouri authors and/or authors with strong ties to Missouri. Special attention is given to works in which the state of Missouri is significant.

The Missouri Library Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization operating to promote library service, the profession of librarianship, and cooperation among all types of libraries and organizations concerned with library service in the State of Missouri.