Time to induct first class in writers hall of fame

Breaking news: There's no such thing as a Writers Hall of Fame.

I'm flummoxed because there are halls of fame for nearly everything: Rock and roll, every sport, even many states.

There are even weird ones: A robot hall of fame in Pittsburgh, a burlesque hall of fame and a pinball hall of fame in Las Vegas (of course), a barber hall of fame in Ohio, a stickball hall of fame in New York, a mascot hall of fame in Indiana.

And I write every year about the toy hall of fame in Rochester, New York.

But there's no national or global hall of fame for writers (there are state writer halls of fame in Missouri, Georgia, Kentucky and more). There should be and I'm starting it.

Partly because it's a good idea. Partly because I want people to see my name when they search for "writer hall of fame."

Since it's my idea and my hall of fame, I will use my criteria: Inductees are people whose writing I enjoy and who made a big difference in the writing world.

According to me.

What follows is my introductory class of 10 writers in no particular order. They will be honored by having their names listed on a Post-It note in my office cubicle, near my keyboard. Where I write sometimes.

John Steinbeck. The greatest American writer, his novels hold up nearly a century after he began writing.

Steve Rushin. The Sports Illustrated writer uses the language more cleverly than anyone in history. Daily Republic Sports Editor Paul Farmer and I are both members of the Steve Rushin admiration society, so he's in.

J.K. Rowling. She weaved the entire "Harry Potter" series together without making a significant mistake in those crazy, winding plots. To write seven books in a series and have them all be great is unprecedented.

William Shakespeare. The John Grisham of the 16th and 17th century, he wrote for the masses.

John Grisham. The William Shakespeare of the 20th and 21st century, he consistently writes interesting novels.

Charles Dickens. His books remain readable, even though he's been dead nearly 150 years. I sneakily admire him for the fact that he wrote to make a living, not just as art.

The Apostle Paul. Wrote much of the New Testament, so you can consider him the best-selling author of the past two millennia.

Woodward and Bernstein. I am a journalist. Of course I love them.

Dr. Seuss. Despite the confusing plots of his books, his marvelous use of language is magical.

Tony Wade. My favorite Daily Republic columnist, based on his weekly column ("The Other Side"), which has educated and enlightened for years. Wait. That's Kelvin? OK. Now it makes sense. Kelvin Wade, not Tony.

Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@hotmail.com.