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We’re so happy to announce that four UMP titles have won or been named a finalist at the PROSE Awards and the Foreword INDIES! These titles, ranging from biography to local history, exemplify the masterful work of our authors and our dedication to supporting students, researchers, and creators in succeeding through our publishing programs. 

PROSE Awards

The Association of American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE Awards) have recognized the very best in professional and scholarly publishing by celebrating the authors, editors, and publishers whose landmark works have made significant advancements in their respective fields of study each year. 

For 2026, the PROSE Awards named When Charlie Met Joan: The Tragedy of the Chaplin Trials and the Failings of American Law by Diane Kiesel the Winner of the Biography and Autobiography Category. This study explores the lasting impacts of Charlie Chaplin’s real-life courtroom drama, the power of celebrity, Cold War politics, and the media frenzy surrounding high-profile court proceedings. View the full list of PROSE winners on their website.

Foreword INDIES

Foreword Reviews is dedicated to discovering, reviewing, and elevating books from independent and university presses and are proud to recognize the range of talent represented in this year’s Foreword INDIES. View the full list of 2025 Foreword INDIES finalists on their website.

Three UMP books were selected as finalists for the 2025 Foreword INDIES:

• Your Historical Loveliness Knows No Bounds by Wendy Xu as a Finalist in Essays. Your Historical Loveliness Knows No Bounds presents a series of “thinking-throughs” of formally innovative and politically oriented poets pushing the boundaries of what poetry can hold.
• Teamsters Metropolis by Ryan Patrick Murphy as a Finalist in History. Teamsters Metropolis explores the largest American union of the mid-twentieth century and how an unruly union culture helped workers establish comfortable, suburban living.
• Before Before: A Story of Discovery and Loss in Sierra Leone by Betsy Small as a Finalist in Political and Social Sciences. Before Before: A Story of Discovery and Loss in Sierra Leone offers a rare portrait of everyday people, with a focus on the lives of women and girls, before the burial war of 1991 tore Sierra Leone apart.