ASHLAND — Thomas Maltman, a novelist and faculty member in the Ashland University Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, recently added to his impressive resume by winning a 2026 Minnesota Book Award.
His fourth novel, “Ashes to Ashes,” took top honors in the novel and short story category.
In addition to teaching at Ashland during this summer’s MFA summer residency from July 13-24, Maltman will be doing a public reading and book signing on Wednesday, July 22, at 7 p.m.
“It’s truly an incredible opportunity for students in the Ashland MFA to have faculty like Maltman, not only an award-winning novelist, but also a kind and gifted teacher,” said Nadya Williams, Ph.D., interim director of the MFA in Creative Writing program.
“Ashes to Ashes,” published by Soho Press in July 2025, is set in a prairie town in Minnesota during the pandemic and follows Basil, a teenager who vows to make his family whole again in the wake of multiple tragedies. The perceptive, empathetic story blends myth, history and religion with a nuanced look at contemporary rural life.
Maltman’s first novel, “The Night Birds,” won an Alex Award, a Spur Award and the Friends of American Writers Literary Award, and was chosen by the American Library Association as an “Outstanding Book for the College Bound.” His second novel, “Little Wolves,” was selected for the All Iowa Reads program in 2014 and was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award.
Maltman also is in his 18th year as a creative writing instructor at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota.
For more information, visit AU’s MFA in Creative Writing webpage or contact Nadya Williams, Ph.D., interim director of the program, at nwilli30@ashland.edu.