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About the Minnesota Book Awards
The Minnesota Book Awards was created over two decades ago by The
Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as part of a larger "Festival of the Book." In the intervening
years, the Book Awards was led by other host organizations, but
throughout, the groups and individuals heading up the Awards strove
to showcase the tremendous literary talent and output of our state.
Having again assumed leadership of the Awards in 2006, The Friends
is pleased to continue this long tradition of honoring Minnesota books
and authors.
Books created by writers, illustrators or book artists who are Minnesotans are eligible for Minnesota Book Awards. The Awards are given each year for books published in the previous year. For instance, the winners in 2008 were books published in 2007. The Book Awards process begins with nominations, which are received from authors, publishers and others from throughout the state. From the nominated works, Award finalists are chosen by panels of preliminary round judges. Award winners are then selected by different, final round, judging panels. Over the years of the Book Awards program, the categories of Award winners and the number of finalists has varied from year to year.
A book unread is a tragedy. In addition to celebrating writers and books, the Book Awards program connects Minnesota readers to Minnesota books. Thanks to strong library and bookseller partners, and through active promotion efforts, the Awards program works to have more people of all ages read, and especially to read and support our own authors, publishers and book creators. Read local!
21st Annual Minnesota Book Awards Gala, April 25, 2009
Enjoy this slideshow with 241 images by photographer Scott Streble, www.scottstreble.com ©2009 The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. All rights reserved.
The 21st Annual Minnesota Book Awards culminated in a sold-out Gala on Saturday, April 25th, 2009. Held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Saint Paul, the gala was attended by 700 Minnesota authors, local movers and shakers, and book lovers galore. The festivities featured emcee Tom Crann, host of MPR's "All Things Considered," and live music by the Willie August Project. The air was humming with excitement and laughter; the champagne was flowing; the desserts were plentiful, rich and decadent; the hand-blown glass awards created by renowned artist Dick Huss sparkled as one surprise followed another... what a night!
Before the awards program, finalist authors autographed copies of their books and visited with local book lovers during the reception. A feeling of anticipation hung in the air, everyone waiting for 8 p.m. and the start of the show.
Minnesota Book Awards Director Alayne Hopkins opened the show by thanking the Book Awards’ sponsors, and “critically acclaimed” local comedian Joseph Scrimshaw made a humorous case for why he should win a Minnesota Book Award (a "Bookie") in every category. Instead, he was awarded two “Hamiltons” to pay for parking.
The Friends’ Board Chair and former Saint Paul Mayor George Latimer opened the event and introduced the night’s emcee, MPR host of “All Things Considered” Tom Crann. Before the awards were underway, everyone in the room paused to pay tribute to the legendary Bill Holm, who passed away in February of 2009.
Winners were announced in eight categories plus the Readers’ Choice Award, and Paulette Myers-Rich and Patrick Coleman were honored for the Minnesota Book Artist Awards and the Kay Sexton Award, respectively.
In a first for the Minnesota Book Awards, one author took home two awards – Kao Kalia Yang, author of The Latehomecomer, won the Memoir and Creative Nonfiction Award and the Readers’ Choice Award. The 21st Awards program was also the first in which two sisters won – Louise Erdrich won the Novel & Short Story Award for The Plague of Doves, and Heid E. Erdrich won the Poetry Award for National Monuments.
To announce the creation of the Minnesota Writers’ Hall of Fame, local actors gave readings from three of the first inductees. Melinda Kordich gave an energetic reading from Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy’s Wedding, James Craven had everyone spellbound as he read from August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and Gary Keast read delightfully from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Many thanks to all who supported the 21st Annual Minnesota Book Awards, those who attended, and the incredible range of writers who continue to make the Book Awards such a vital program. The night proved to be unforgettable, both for the winners and for the attendees. Be sure to join us for the 22nd annual Minnesota Book Awards, Saturday, April 17th, 2010.
The 20th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Gala - A Recap
The 20th annual Minnesota Book Awards Gala wasn’t just well attended – it was filled to capacity. Seven hundred people gathered on April 12, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel to celebrate the best books published in 2007 by Minnesota authors.
“Inspiring,” “celebratory”, “fun”, and “outright amazing” were some of the words used by attendees to describe the evening’s festivities. Guests included librarians, booksellers, publishers, authors, leaders of literary organizations, sponsors, business leaders and passionate readers. All present contributed to a highly successful, high-energy event.
Finalists were on hand for conversation and book signings during the reception, and the area was abuzz as guests and finalists anticipated the start of the 8 p.m. awards ceremony.
The program opened with a humorous skit written by acclaimed local actor, director and playwright, Joseph Scrimshaw, which included all 32 finalist book titles in a riff á la Abbott and Costello’s Who’s On First, in one fractured conversation.
The year’s Genre Fiction winner, William Kent Krueger, said of the evening, “I’ve never been to the Academy Awards, but the gala helped me to imagine what that Hollywood celebration must have been like in its golden years. The excitement of the finalists, the good wishes of those there to support us, the bubble of the crowd, and the dazzle of the decorations and lights, made me feel as if we were all at the center of something momentous. Of course, the highlight for me was hearing my name called out to receive my award, but I swear that even if I hadn’t won, that Saturday evening would still be golden in my memory. I felt an energy larger than myself and even larger than the 700 people gathered – it was the energy generated by people all over the state who so clearly value the written word.”
Eight category awards and three special awards were presented during the ceremony. The Kay Sexton Award, sponsored by Barnes & Noble Booksellers, was presented to Don Leeper, founder of BookMobile, a company offering a full-range of services for publishers.
The first annual Book Artist Award, co-sponsored by the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, was awarded to Jody Williams in recognition of both her incredible, sustained body of work and her teaching. While Williams has a passion for little books, her contributions to the book arts community are huge.
This year’s Readers’ Choice Award, sponsored by the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com, went to Jill Kalz, for Children’s Literature finalist Farmer Cap. More than 7,000 Minnesota readers voted online during the month of March, easily doubling the number of voters who participated the year before – the first time such an award was presented.
A moving tribute was given by Mary Ann 
Grossmann, book editor for the Pioneer Press, to two Minnesota legends who passed away earlier in the year: Carol Bly and Jon Hassler.
Irish poet Pat Boran, winner of the
2008 Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry, added to the evening’s entertainment with selections of his wonderful poetry and a few jokes.
All in all, it was a wonderful celebration of the best in Minnesota literature, and that's saying a lot in a state with such a strong legacy of great writing.
Minnesota Book Awards Come Back to The Friends
Sept. 21, 2006, ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Humanities Commission is pleased to announce the new sponsor of the annual Minnesota Book Awards. Effective immediately, a Capital City consortium of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, the Saint Paul Public Library, and the office of the Mayor of Saint Paul will begin coordinating the annual awards program that recognizes, honors, and celebrates the best in Minnesota literature. The Friends will take the lead in coordinating the Awards for the Capital group.
“The Saint Paul Friends has been actively involved in the Book Awards since its inception,” said Stanley Romanstein, president and CEO, Minnesota Humanities Commission. “The organization is uniquely positioned to do great things with this annual celebration,” he said.
“The Humanities Commission has been a great home to the Book Awards, bringing strong organization, legitimacy, and statewide recognition to the Awards,” said Peter Pearson, president of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. “As the founding organization of the Book Awards, we are pleased to bring them back home and are committed to building on the legacy of the Minnesota Humanities Commission.
“We also look forward to partnering with other organizations, including the Minnesota Library Association (MLA) and the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA) to ensure that the celebration of the Book Awards continues to reach people across Minnesota,” Pearson said.
The Humanities Commission announced last month that it would no longer sponsor the awards, in an effort to focus its programming while meeting budgetary obligations. In the weeks following the announcement, Humanities Commission staff met with representatives from several agencies that expressed interest in conducting the awards.
“The Capital City consortium led by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is the best home for the Awards,” Romanstein said. “While we’re sorry to part with the Book Awards, we’re looking forward to working with The Friends to make the transition as smooth as possible,” said Romanstein.
The Minnesota Book Awards is a project of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library,
in consortium with the Saint Paul Public Library and the City of Saint Paul. Outreach partners
and supporting organizations include: MELSA, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minnesota
Department of Education—State Library Services, and Minnesota Educational Media Organization.