4th International Mystery Writers' Festival Coming in 2012

Monday, June 11th through Sunday, June 17th, 2012 - Don't miss it!

* Submission deadline is October 31, 2011

* New Stage plays and screenplays accepted

Announcing 6 festival finalists January 31, 2012

Buffman Receives National Mystery Award

Zev Buffman, president and CEO of the RiverPark Center, is being recognized for his efforts to revive mystery productions.

The Mystery Writers of America board of directors announced Wednesday that Buffman is the recipient of a 2010 Raven Award, which is "for outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing."

Buffman received the award three years after the launch of the International Mystery Writers Festival.

"For me, it is a wake-up call that the mystery festival works and it has been accepted by our peers in a big way," Buffman said Wednesday morning.

He will receive the award at the Edgar Awards Banquet on April 29 in New York City. The MWA's Edgar Awards honors the best in mystery books, television, motion pictures and plays.

Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, Pa., is also receiving a Raven this year. Past Raven recipients include actors Angela Lansbury and Vincent Price and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Roosevelt received the award posthumously in 1959, which his widow, Eleanor, accepted. He, along with Clinton, received the Raven as readers of the year.

Lee Goldberg, an author, television writer, producer and member of the MWA board, nominated Buffman for the award. Goldberg attended the 2008 and 2009 mystery festivals.

"I think it's great that Zev is getting the acknowledgment he deserves," Goldberg said. "I'm hoping this will help him raise money for next year's festival."

Goldberg added that he hoped the award would help the state realize that the mystery festival is an "event of national importance in the mystery world."

Fundraising is ongoing for the 2010 mystery festival, which is scheduled for August.

Several well-known authors and performers have attended the past three mystery festivals, including Academy-Award winning actor Gene Hackman and best-selling authors Mary Higgins Clark and Sue Grafton.

Clark attended the 2008 festival where she was the recipient of that year's Angie Award for First Lady of Mystery. She said "no one deserves the honor more" than Buffman.

"Zev is a legend in the theater," Clark said.

Mystery festival shows are also now being produced in other venues. The four Agatha Christie radio plays presented at the festival in 2009 will make their West Coast premiere at Theatre Northwest in Tacoma, Wash., next spring.

Three plays from the 2007 mystery festival were selected as the only nominees for 2008 Edgar Award for Best Play. "Panic" won the award.

"At that moment, I can tell you the mystery world took notice," Goldberg said. "(Buffman) really got a lot of people to pay attention to this."

Buffman said recognition, such as the Raven Award, gives the mystery festival a seal of approval.
"Your product assumes tremendous credibility," he said.

([e.g.,Wilberding.Beth Owensboro, KY])

Attend one of the Globally Top Rated June Festivals!

Both the Global Traveler Magazine and the Southeast Tourism Society have named the International Mystery Writers' Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky as a Top June Festival! Don't miss it!

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The Lineup

Come and meet some of the best in the mystery industry!

And the next great mystery is ...

Mystery lovers worldwide are celebrating the International Mystery Writers' Festival. The Festival presents unique opportunities to discover plays, screenplays, and short stories professionally performed, published, or produced for the first time.

Discovering New Mysteries celebrates the best of new mystery works through an annual competition offering more than $20,000 in prize money. Audience members cast ballots during the festival and select the winners for The Angie Award categories. "The Angies" are named for the legendary Angela Lansbury, Kentucky's First Lady of Mystery 2007.

Join thousands of other mystery lovers in Owensboro, Kentucky. You won't want to miss a moment! Be sure to register for our newsletter in order to receive the latest news about the International Mystery Writers' Festival and visit our webpage often for updates!