Author News and Events

 

                      presents 

Events

News

Blogs

Reviews

 

---

Fifth Annual Readers’ Choice Event

Friday, March 16, 7 p.m. at Open Book,
1011 Washington Ave S., Minneapolis

Join us for a special evening and meet some of the state’s best authors when we invite all finalists to give short presentations about their books. A reception with complimentary wine and refreshments follows the program, giving all in attendance an opportunity to meet the finalist authors. Finalist books will be available for purchase and autographing. This free event is sponsored by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com, and The Loft Literary Center.

CLICK.  VOTE.  SHARE.

All Minnesotans are invited to take part in the Readers’ Choice Award, sponsored by Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com. Now that the finalists have been chosen, it’s your turn to have a say! Anytime during March, readers can vote for one Minnesota Book Award finalist. The title with the most popular votes will be awarded the Readers’ Choice Award at the April 14, 2012 Gala. Beginning at midnight on March 1, look for the VOTE tab on the left-hand margin at facebook.com/mnbookawards.

 

Minnesota Book Award Winners and Finalists Take Center Stage

The Book Awards seeks to connect readers with Minnesota books, authors, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and more - through programs and outreach activities year-round. Reading guides for the winning books from the past five years and DVDs of interviews with the winning authors can be accessed online and in public libraries. This summer, bookmarks and posters featuring the 2012 winning authors and books will be distributed to libraries, public schools and bookstores statewide. Meanwhile, meet some of the best authors in the state at free events throughout the 100+ metro-area libraries represented by MELSA. A partial list of author events follows. If your library or bookstore would like us to list your Minnesota Book Award-related event, please send the details to ann@thefriends.org.

Wed., March 14, 7:30 p.m.
William Kent Krueger (Northwest Angle).
Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy., Brooklyn Center.

Tues., March 20, 6 p.m.
Lori Sturdevant and George S. Pillsbury (The Pillsburys of Minnesota).
Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.

Wed., March 21, 7 p.m.
Richard A. Thompson (Big Wheat).  
Mystery Book Club (everyone is welcome!)
Stillwater Public Library, 224 3rd St. N., Stillwater.

Sat., March 24, 2 p.m.
Brett Laidlaw (Trout Caviar: Recipes from a Northern Forager).  
Southdale Library, 7001 York Ave. S., Edina.

Wed., March 28, 7 p.m.
Danielle Sosin (The Long-Shining Waters).
Ridgedale Library, 12601 Ridgedale Dr., Minnetonka.

Sat., April 7, 2:00 p.m.
John Reimringer (Vestments).
Rum River Library, 4201 6th Ave., Anoka.

Thurs., April 19, 6:30 p.m.
Nancy Loewen (The Last Day of Kindergarten).
Family Storytime, Savage Public Library, 13090 Alabama Ave. S., Savage.

Thurs., May 17, 6:30 p.m.
Minnesota Poet Laureate, Joyce Sutphen (Naming the Stars).
South Saint Paul Public Library, 106 3rd Ave. N., South St. Paul.

Fore more information, please visit MELSA.org and click on DATEbook.

---

24th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Announces Finalists

January 28, 2012 – Saint Paul, Minn. -  The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is pleased to announce the finalists in all eight categories for the 24th Annual Minnesota Book Awards, sponsored by Marvin Windows and Doors.  

Chosen on Saturday, January 28, by 24 judges from around the state, the finalists for each category are:

Children’s Literature, sponsored by Books For Africa:


• BookSpeak! Poems About Books by Laura Purdie Salas and illustrated by Josée Bisaillon (Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company)
• Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships by Catherine Thimmesh (Houghton Mifflin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company)
• The Last Day of Kindergarten by Nancy Loewen and illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa (Marshall Cavendish Children)
• Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Beth Krommes (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company)

General Nonfiction, sponsored by Minnesota AFL-CIO:

• Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America by Shawn Lawrence Otto (Rodale)
• Punishing Race: A Continuing American Dilemma by Michael Tonry (Oxford University Press)
• Trout Caviar: Recipes from a Northern Forager by Brett Laidlaw (Minnesota Historical Society Press)
• Vikings in the Attic: In Search of Nordic America by Eric Dregni (University of Minnesota Press)

Genre Fiction, sponsored by Marvin Windows and Doors:


• Big Wheat by Richard A. Thompson (Poisoned Pen Press)
• The Bone House by Brian Freeman (Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Press)
• Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley (Harper/HarperCollins Publishers)
• Northwest Angle by William Kent Krueger (Atria Books/Simon & Schuster,Inc.)

Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, sponsored by Leonard, Street and Deinard:


• For Love of Lakes by Darby Nelson (Michigan State University Press)
• The Last Deployment: How a Gay, Hammer-Swinging Twentysomething Survived a Year in Iraq by Bronson Lemer (The University of Wisconsin Press)
• Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep & Enough Wool to Save the Planet by Catherine Friend (Da Capo Press/Perseus Books Group)
• A Song at Twilight: Of Alzheimer’s and Love by Nancy Paddock (Blueroad Press)

Minnesota, sponsored by Xcel Energy:


• Anishinaabe Syndicated: A View from the Rez by Jim Northrup (Minnesota Historical Society Press)
• The Pillsburys of Minnesota by Lori Sturdevant with George S. Pillsbury (Nodin Press)
• Pioneer Modernists: Minnesota’s First Generation of Women Artists by Julie L’Enfant (Afton Press)
• Sisterhood of War: Minnesota Women in Vietnam by Kim Heikkila (Minnesota Historical Society Press)

Novel & Short Story, sponsored by Anchor Trust:


• In Caddis Wood by Mary François Rockcastle (Graywolf Press)
• The Law of Miracles and Other Stories by Gregory Blake Smith (University of Massachusetts Press)
• The Long-Shining Waters by Danielle Sosin (Milkweed Editions)
• Merit Badges by Kevin Fenton (New Issues/Western Michigan University)

Poetry, sponsored by Wellington Management, Inc.:


• Bodies of Light by Athena Kildegaard (Red Dragonfly Press)
• Buddha, Proof by Su Smallen (Broadcraft Press)
• Invisible Strings by Jim Moore (Graywolf Press)
• Whorled by Ed Bok Lee (Coffee House Press)

Young People’s Literature, sponsored by Sit Investment Associates:


• The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman (Scholastic Press/Scholastic Inc.)
• The Books of Elsewhere: Spellbound by Jacqueline West (Dial Books for Young Readers/Penguin Group USA Inc.)
• The Tanglewood Terror by Kurtis Scaletta (Alfred A. Knopf/Random House Children’s Books)
• With or Without You by Brian Farrey (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division)

Award winners will be announced at the 24th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Gala on Saturday, April 14, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in downtown Saint Paul.  The opening reception begins at 7 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 8 p.m.  Tickets are $45 and are available here or by calling 651-222-3242.  

Three special awards for contributions to Minnesota’s literary and artistic community will be given on April 14, as well. Minneapolis-based Cave Paper and its founders, Bridget O’Malley and Amanda Degener, will receive the fifth annual Book Artist Award, sponsored by Lerner Publishing Group and presented with the Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA). Cave Paper collaborates with presses around the world, providing beautifully textured - and in many cases, custom - paper for a variety of printing projects. O'Malley and Degener's groundbreaking work in the hand papermaking field has led to invitations to teach and lecture in Japan, Sweden, Australia, Korea, Italy and China, and the pair continues to invent variations on fiber preparation, sheet forming, pressing, and drying.  A reception featuring their work will be held on Friday, February 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at MCBA, in the Open Book Literary Arts Center.  

The Kay Sexton Award, sponsored by Common Good Books, honors a lifetime contribution to the literary community, and the 2012 winner will be announced in late February. An announcement of the winner of the inaugural biennial Hognander Minnesota History Award, sponsored by the Hognander Family Foundation, will be made in early April. This new award recognizes and celebrates the most outstanding scholarly work by an author on a topic of Minnesota history.

During the month of March, all Minnesotans are invited to take part in voting for the Readers’ Choice Award. Readers will find the voting link at www.thefriends.org to choose one of the Minnesota Book Award finalists from all eight categories. The finalist with the most votes will be awarded the Readers’ Choice Award at the Gala. The award is sponsored by the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com.

For additional information on the 24th Annual Minnesota Book Awards or the Gala, explore this website or call 651-366-6497. The Minnesota Book Awards is presented by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, in partnership with the Saint Paul Public Library and the City of Saint Paul. Generous support for the Book Awards has been provided by the Boss Foundation; Harlan Boss Foundation for the Arts; Huss Foundation; Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation; and The McKnight Foundation. Outreach partners and supporting organizations include: The Loft Literary Center; Metropolitan Library Services Agency (MELSA); Minnesota Center for Book Arts; Minnesota Department of Education—State Library Services; Minnesota Educational Media Organization; Minnesota Library Foundation; and Saint Paul Almanac. Media sponsors include MPR; the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com; Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN); and TPT–Minnesota Channel. 

Contact:
Ann Nelson, Minnesota Book Awards Coordinator
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
651-366-6497, mnbookawards@thefriends.org 

---

Nominees Announced for Inaugural Hognander Minnesota History Award

Seven authors are in the running to win the first-ever Hognander Minnesota History Award, a biennial distinction the Minnesota Book Awards will bestow in recognition of outstanding scholarly work exploring some facet of the state’s rich history.

In addition to a clear Minnesota focus, eligibility requirements include a 2010 or 2011 publication date and scholarly bibliography.

Nominees are as follows:

The Assassination of Hole in the Day (Borealis Books) by Anton Treuer

Food Will Win the War: Minnesota Crops, Cooks, & Conservation during World War I (Minnesota Historical Society Press) by Rae Katherine Eighmey

North Country: The Making of Minnesota (University of Minnesota Press) by Mary Lethert Wingerd

The Pillsburys of Minnesota (Nodin Press) by Lori Sturdevant, with George S. Pillsbury

Pioneer Modernists: Minnesota’s First Generation of Women Artists (Afton Press) by Julie L’Enfant

Prairie Lightning: The Rise and fall of William Drew Washburn (Pogo Press) by Kerck Kelsey

Sisterhood of War: Minnesota Women in Vietnam (Minnesota Historical Society Press) by Kim Heikkila

The winner will be chosen by early April 2012 and honored at the Minnesota Book Awards Gala on Saturday, April 14 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel - Saint Paul Riverfront.

The Minnesota Book Awards is able to host this award through the generous support of the Hognander Family Foundation. Judging criteria include quality and originality of scholarship, accuracy and clarity, and the book’s contribution to the field of Minnesota history.

Back to top

---

Minnesota Book Awards Announces 2012 Book Artist Award Winner

December 19, SAINT PAUL, MN – The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is pleased to announce Cave Paper and its founders, Bridget O’Malley and Amanda Degener, as the winners of the 2012 Minnesota Book Artist Award sponsored by Lerner Publishing Group. This annual award, presented by the Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) and the Minnesota Book Awards, recognizes a Minnesota book artist or book artist collaborative group for excellence throughout a body of work, as well as significant contributions to Minnesota’s book arts community. The award was previously presented to Regula Russelle (2011), Wilber H. “Chip” Schilling (2010), Paulette Myers-Rich (2009), and Jody Williams (2008).

Working together at Cave Paper, O’Malley and Degener have been book artists for over 17 years. There are only a few contemporary artists in the world who have been making creative papers for as long and as consistently as Cave Paper. The two artists work in partnership daily, collaborating with many talented and famous book artists from coast to coast. Cave Paper is known for teaming with private presses worldwide, often providing and designing custom papers for deluxe limited editions. O’Malley and Degener’s attention to detail and high quality of the finished papers are central to Cave Paper’s mission and reputation.

“Our work blends the contemporary and traditional and reflects an understanding of a centuries-old craft within the context of an artist’s book,” says O’Malley. “We continue to invent variations in the steps of fiber preparation, sheet forming, pressing, drying, and hand dyeing.”

Cave Paper’s groundbreaking work in the hand papermaking field has led to invitations to teach and lecture in Japan, Sweden, Australia, Korea, Italy, Canada and China. The artists’ work can be found in many public collections including the Walker Art Center, Library of Congress, and St. John’s University. O’Malley has taught papermaking at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design since 2005, was an artist in residence at MCBA from 1994 to 1996, and lectures and teaches workshops in papermaking, bookbinding and printing at MCBA and many other schools. Degener was active at MCBA during its founding years, was the organization’s first artist in residence, and later, its artistic director. O’Malley and Degener are committed to teaching and mentoring, and Cave Paper has hosted over 80 interns.

An exhibit celebrating Cave Paper’s work runs January 20 through March 25, 2012 in the second floor literary commons of the Open Book building, 1011 Washington Avenue South in Minneapolis.  A reception showcasing the exhibit and honoring O’Malley and Degener takes place Friday, February 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at MCBA, with a brief program and presentation at 6:30 p.m.  The reception is free and open to the public, and features live music, hors d’oeuvres, and wine.  Exhibits of O’Malley and Degener’s work will also be featured at other venues throughout the state this year, including Saint Paul’s Central Library beginning in late March and running through April.

O’Malley and Degener will receive special recognition and an award at the 24th annual Minnesota Book Awards Gala on Saturday, April 14, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – Saint Paul Riverfront.  Awards will also be presented that evening to the winners of the eight book categories (Children’s Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Minnesota, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature) and the winners of the biennial Hognander Minnesota History Award, Readers’ Choice Award sponsored by the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com, and the Kay Sexton Award sponsored by Common Good Books.  Gala tickets will go on sale in late January.

The Minnesota Book Awards, presented by Marvin Windows and Doors, is a statewide, year-round outreach program of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library in partnership with the Saint Paul Public Library and City of Saint Paul.  Please visit www.thefriends.org or call 651/366-6497 for more information about the Minnesota Book Awards.  Visit www.mnbookarts.org or call 612-215-2527 for more information about Minnesota Center for Book Arts.

Back to top

---

Remembering What Was Lost

By CHUCK LEDDY - Special to the Star Tribune August 28, 2011

Diane Wilson explores the damage done to families since the Dakota War, and how they have healed by embracing their culture.

In "Spirit Car," which won the 2006 Minnesota Book Award for memoir, Diane Wilson explored her Native American ancestors who survived the Dakota War of 1862. She traced how her family had been devastated by generations of cultural extermination, leaving behind a multi-generational "soul wound." How to move forward against the trauma of her family's history? Wilson began a long process of remembering what was lost, while seeking to understand her family, her Dakota history and the Dakota way of life.

In "Beloved Child," Wilson moves powerfully into wider focus, exploring the "soul wounds" suffered by members of the Dakota tribe. The psychological and physical wreckage she describes, traceable to longstanding U.S. policies intended to eliminate the Dakota and their culture, have ravaged these mostly-Minnesota families with alcoholism, substance abuse, violence, incarceration, absurdly high suicide rates and a subconscious self-hatred. What Wilson does is both profoundly radical and deeply moving: she brings readers inside the lives of several contemporary Dakota who have changed their lives by holistically embracing their Native American culture. These Dakota have found that the way to heal is not to forget the past and "move forward," but to remember and return to their traditions.

Wilson and the Dakota she profiles are swimming against the stream of western history. "By rediscovering our relationship with the earth, with ceremony, [and] storytelling," writes Wilson, "we reestablish an indigenous worldview." Harley and Sue Eagle, for example, home-school their children, rejecting the "dominant" view of American history that asserts that Columbus "discovered" America and that whites were pre-ordained to conquer and "civilize" Native Americans.

As Sue Eagle explains, "we began to realize how much of the public school system perpetuates the lies, perpetuates the patterns of oppression."

Another Dakota, Gaby Tateyuskanskan, embraces nonviolent protest as a vehicle to change the way Native Americans are treated. "It's easy to be angry; it's easy to lash out," notes Gaby, "It's so much harder to ... [compassionately] teach somebody or influence somebody to change what they're doing." Dakota like Gaby and Sue Eagle, and others that Wilson describes, pursue healing by seeking to understand their own family's past and the trauma suffered by the Dakota. Wilson explains that they aren't attacking the dominant western culture, but they're consciously embracing the Dakota way, which is to get close to the land, to use oral traditions, to acknowledge the self-loathing that has been hard-wired into their brains, and to choose another, more compassionate way to define themselves.

Wilson has written a heartfelt love story filled with pain and trauma, but also redemption. She writes simply and beautifully, getting close to her subjects by listening intently and with palpable curiosity. "We find ways to transcend the trauma so that we no longer identify as victims," writes Wilson. "We become free to work toward justice for our communities." "Beloved Child" is inspirational and deeply empowering.

Chuck Leddy is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. He also reviews for the Boston Globe.

Back to top

---

Minnesota's new poet laureate ponders next move

By Laurie Hertzel, Star Tribune, August 26, 2011

She may have no staff and no budget, but Joyce Sutphen is determined to spread the beauty of poetry.

When Joyce Sutphen found out she was about to be named Minnesota's second poet laureate, succeeding the venerable Robert Bly, her first, second and third thoughts were "Why me?" But those who know her, or know her sharply observed, award-winning poetry, had no such questions. Twitter and Facebook lit up with the news. "A wonderful choice! There is no one like Joyce!" wrote one commenter. "Brava!" wrote another.

Sutphen, 62, grew up on a farm in St. Joseph and now lives in Chaska and teaches at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. She has written four books of poetry. Her first, "Straight Out of View," won the Barnard New Women Poets Prize in 1995, and "Naming the Stars" won a Minnesota Book Award in 2004.

The poet laureate appointment -- an honorary, unpaid position, with no budget but with high expectations -- came on Tuesday. In an interview the next morning, she talked about what she hopes to accomplish during her tenure, and why poetry is important in these difficult times.

Q: What was your reaction when you heard?

A: Why me? There are so many incredible poets who have done so many more things and who are so amazing and organize things and have published more and are more eloquent, and what? What the heck? But then I think, well, it's a world of contrasts. You have the incredibly accomplished Robert Bly, and then you have me. I also think I'm pretty Minnesotan, too. That could have been it.

Q: The job comes with no pay, no budget, no staff. Where do you begin?

A: I'm going to ask so many friends -- Connie [Wanek] and Tim Nolan and everybody, Patricia Kirkpatrick, so many people who I know and love. [Poet] Phebe Hanson called this morning. I think I'll just go on a phase where I listen to everybody. I was trying to think of what poems to read yesterday ... and I read one from my last book, called "How to Listen." It was like, "Oh yeah, that's what I'm supposed to be doing now. I'm supposed to be listening." I really do want to hear from everybody.

Q: Do you have any ideas of what you'd like to accomplish as laureate?

A: You know that poetry is not something most Americans read. And if I could do something to make it possible for more Minnesotans to read poems, or read a poem -- if, somehow, at the end of the year there would be more Minnesotans who would think, "I want to read a poem today" or "I want to write a poem today," that would be fantastic.

Q: People are struggling with the economy, some can't find work, many worry about the future. Where does poetry fit in crisis times like this?

A: It completely fits. It fits in even more in this world. When there are funding cuts for art and music and poetry and drama and dance, people just go ahead and do these things anyway -- because it's absolutely necessary. People who love these things know how vital they are. I mean, humanly. And they won't stop, no matter what.

You know that quote by William Carlos Williams, "You don't get the news from poetry, but people die every day for the lack of what is found there." I think that, more than ever, it's important.

Back to top

---

Author turns page on emotional story

Austin Daily Herald, April 29, 2011 - By the time Kao Kalia Yang was done with her “conversation,” half the room had wiped away tears Thursday night.

The award-winning writer, this year’s Austin Page Turners Featured Author, had left people speechless and emotional as she described her childhood, her family and her everyday inspirations. READ MORE...

---

Minnesota authors DiCamillo and McGhee honored for beginning reader book

By Mary Ann Grossmann, St. Paul Pioneer Press - 01/10/2011

Minnesotan writers Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee have won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for their first collaboration, “Bink & Gollie.” The award, for the most distinguished beginning reader book, was among Youth Media Awards announced Monday by the American Library Association.

ALA also announced winners of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, the most prestigious awards in American children’s publishing.

The 2011 Newbery winner for outstanding contribution to children’s literature went to “Moon over Manifest” by Clare Vanderpool of Wichita, Kan. The Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book for children was awarded to “A Sick Day for Amos McGee,” illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by her husband, Philip C. Stead, who live in Ann Arbor, Mich., and New York City.

Three other Minnesota authors were honored.

Joyce Sidman’s “Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night” was among four Newbery Honor award-winners. Sidman previously won Caldecott Honor awards for “Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors” and “Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems.” Another Newbery Honor went to “Heart of a Samurai” by Margi Preus of Duluth.

Macalester College visiting instructor Peter Bognanni’s novel “The House of Tomorrow” is among 10 winners of Alex awards for best adult books that appeal to teen audiences.

Local publishers were also honored: “Love Drug” by James Klise, published by Flux, an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide, won a Stonewall Honor award for exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered experience; Blythe Woolston’s “The Freak Observer,” published by Minneapolis-based Carolrhoda Books, won the William C. Morris award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens.

“Bink & Gollie” authors DiCamillo and McGhee are no strangers to awards. DiCamillo won the Newbery Medal for “The Tale of Despereaux” and “Because of Winn-Dixie” was a Newbery Honor book. McGhee has won four Minnesota Book Awards as well as national honors.

“I am so totally thrilled for Alison and Tony (illustrator Tony Fucile) and myself,” DiCamillo said on Monday, “but mostly for Bink and Gollie.”

When “Bink & Gollie” came out last fall, the authors said that writing together was a laughter-filled experience. Working in McGhee’s home, they wrote a story about a tall girl (like McGhee) and a short one with wild hair (based on DiCamillo), who are best friends.

Amy Baum, events coordinator at St. Paul’s Red Balloon children’s bookstore, says they’ve sold 60 copies of “Bink & Gollie” and that’s “amazing” for a book for beginning readers. Baum says the book fits a growing trend: “We’re seeing more people ask for stories about friends and shying away from books with sassier characters. I think people are embracing the fact that two friends wrote the book and they are friends in the book.”

DiCamillo and McGhee met a decade ago, when they went to dinner with their mutual agent, who’s also McGhee’s sister. “I slipped Alison a couple of jokes and she got that I was pulling her leg,” DiCamillo said in a Pioneer Press inerview. “We were cracking wise for each other, and that’s part of the dynamic of this book.”

McGhee recalled that their partnership was born sometime in 2006 when she was looking for a new challenge. “I thought it would be fun to experiment with writing a book with someone, and Kate was the only person I could think of,” she said. “We always had so much fun together.” The women agreed that there’s a little of their own personalities in Bink and Gollie.

DiCamillo: “One of the great gifts of writing is that when you work with somebody else, you find parts of yourself you are not aware of. I found the Unsinkable Molly Brown part of me. Bink bounces. I love that. Now I think to myself that I need to summon my inner Bink.’

McGhee: “Gollie comes across as the older, more responsible one, and yet she chafes for freedom, craves adventure.”

DiCamillo: “We are similar in many respects as writers, glorying in language...We love words.”

Mary Ann Grossmann can be reached at 651-228-5574.

Back to top

Minnesotans rule book awards

It was, in the words of one Minneapolis publisher, a “stunningly good ALA for Minnesotans.” Five Minnesota authors -- including two debut novelists -- and two Minnesota publishers were honored at the American Library Association awards celebration Monday in San Diego. Prizes were presented in 23 categories, including children’s literature’s top awards: the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott Medal.

Two Minnesota books were named Newbery Honor Books, a runner-up prize. Joyce Sidman of Wayzata won a Newbery Honor for “Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night,” a lush picture book about owls, moles, skunks and bats. The book was illustrated by Duluth artist Rick Allen.

“It’s pretty unusual for poetry to be honored” by the Newbery panelists, said Sidman, whose poetic picture books have twice been named Caldecott Honor Books. “And it doesn’t happen very often that any picture books are honored.”

Margi Preus of Duluth won a Newbery Honor for her historical novel, “Heart of a Samurai,” based on the life of a marooned 19th century Japanese fisherman named Manjiro who was rescued by an American whaling ship. Preus is the author of several picture books, and this was her first novel. She was on vacation Monday, but posted on her Facebook page, “I’m kinda loopy right now! Yahoo, Duluth!”

Minneapolis writers Alison McGhee and Kate DiCamillo received the Theodor Seuss Geisel award for best book for beginning readers for “Bink and Gollie,” the hilarious and poignant adventures of two little girls. (One tall, one short, one thoughtful, one mouthy -- much like the authors.)

“The Minnesotans are ruling!” McGhee said Monday. “You know, probably the first book I remember having read to me is ‘The Cat in the Hat.’ I’m a huge Dr. Seuss fan, and so the fact that we won an award named for him, in his honor, makes it a double thrill. It was a very happy surprise.”

McGhee said the call came late Sunday night. “It was an unfamiliar number and I thought it was a marketer, but instead it was Julie Roach from the ALA and there was a roomful of people clapping and cheering in the background, so I figured it had to be good news.”

“The House of Tomorrow,” by St. Paul author Peter Bognanni, was one of 10 books to win an Alex Award as an adult novel that appeals to teens.

As the news broke over Twitter on Monday in waves, award by award, Andrew Karre, editorial director of Minneapolis’ Carolrhoda Books, tweeted about the Minnesotans’ “stunningly good” performance. Carolrhoda Lab’s “The Freak Observer,” by Montana writer Blythe Woolston, won the William C. Morris Award for debut novel for teens.

“Love Drugged,” by James Klise, published by Flux, a division of Llewellyn of Woodbury, was a Stonewall honor book. The Stonewall award recognizes young adult books of exceptional merit that relate to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered experience.

The Newbery Medal went to Clare Vanderpool for “Moon Over Manifest,” the coming-of-age story of a young girl in the 1930s. The Caldecott Medal went to “A Sick Day for Amos McGee,” written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by his wife, Erin E. Stead. Both are debut books.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for a lasting contribution to children’s literature went to Tomie dePaolo, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award, another lifetime achievement award, went to Terry Pratchett.

Laurie Hertzel is the Star Tribune books editor. She is at 612-673-7302

Back to top

Wayzata poet Joyce Sidman wins Newbery honor

January 10, 2011 by Euan Kerr - The Association for Library Service to Children today awarded a Newbery Honor to Wayzata poet Joyce Sidman for her book "Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night."

Sidman, says she wrote the poems as a way to explore a forest ecosystem, but also with memories of how as a child at summer camp in Maine how she had been scared of the dark. Sidman learned of the award just before the the ALSC press conference this morning. She says she's very excited. "It's unusual for a poetry book to be chosen," she said this afternoon from her home. "And I feel really great about that, that poetry has been acknowledged, So that's part of why I am happy because I don't think poetry is always given its due." Of the honor itself she says she'll learn more of why the Newbery judges chose her book during the award ceremony in June. Of course it will also bring great attention both to the book, and for her other collections of poems. "It means a lot of validation for me," Sidman said. "And it means a really warm glow for a little while, until I have to sit down and keep writing. It's not making me any better of a writer, but it's helping with the morale I guess."

You can get a sense of Sidman's work, and of the Rick Allen illustrations in the book trailer below.

 

Back to top

“Prized Writers” on TPT

Threads of Memory

The fourth episode of the Minnesota Book Awards' writers in conversation series features memoir authors, Diane Wilson (Spirit Car) and Cheri Register (Packinghouse Daughter) discussing the works that earned them each a Minnesota Book Award, and exploring the balance between truth and good storytelling. Produced with the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library.

View it online

The Poetic Lens

The third episode of the Minnesota Book Awards' writers in conversation series, The Poetic Lens features poets Deborah Keenan and Jim Moore discussing the unique approach of poets as they view and translate the world around them, and the work that earned each of them a Minnesota Book Award. Produced with the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Moore was a four-time winner, with Freedom of History (Poetry 1989), Lightning at Dinner (Poetry 2006), The Long Experience of Love (Poetry 1996), and What it's like here: (Fine Press 2007) with book artists Regula Russelle & CB Sherlock. Keenan won the Minnesota Book Award for Poetry in 2007 with Willow Room, Green Door.

View it online

Children's Tales

The second episode of the Minnesota Book Awards' writers in conversation series, Children's Tales features children's authors David LaRochelle and Alison McGhee discussing their perspectives on writing for children and the challenges that they share, as well as the books that earned them each a Minnesota Book Award.

View it online

Plotting Mysteries

Minnesota Book Award winners and mystery authors P. J. Tracy and William Kent Krueger are presented in conversation, discussing their approach to writing as a craft, and mystery writing as a special challenge. The mother-daughter team known as P. J. Tracy discuss their unique experiences, and talk with W. K. Krueger about writing in general and ... [more]the challenges that they share. This is one of a series of programs to inspire readers and young writers, created by the annual Minnesota Book Awards. Copies are available on DVD in all Minnesota public libraries, for students, teachers, readers and book clubs.

View it online

Click here for statewide channel listings.

Obama purchase boosts Minnesota Book Award-winning author, Lynne Jonell

by Laurie Hertzel, Star Tribune, March 26, 2010 - You might have seen the Page One photo in the New York Times, showing a smiling President Barack Obama browsing at Prairie Lights bookstore in Iowa City, Iowa. What you might not have seen is the President buying a couple of books for his daughters--including The Secret of Zoom, written by Plymouth author Lynne Jonell. Jonell posted a video on her Website, showing Obama holding up her book and talking about it. READ MORE…

ABC News’ Sunlen Miller reports: After his speech in Iowa City, President Obama made a short visit to Prairie Lights bookstore -- a small local business in the community. While perusing the bookshelves Mr. Obama had a little fun with the books of two Republican foes, both whose faces graced the covers. Laughing, the president held up "No Apology," by Mitt Romney, and "Courage and Consequence," by Karl Rove," in each hand.

"What do you think guys?" he asked the group of reporters with him of the hardback copies in each hand.

Ultimately the president did not purchase either book, choosing instead to buy a book for each of his daughters: “Journey to the River Sea,” by Eva Ibbotson, and “The Secret of Zoom,” by Lynne Jonell (left).

Scene of the Crime

Star Tribune — Take a video tour of St. Paul with national best selling author John Sandford as he shows us some of the hot local crime locations from his thriller book series. Sandford's book, Wicked Prey was the nineteenth in his popular and award-winning "Prey" series.

 

back to the top

Blogs about Minnesota books and authors, and posts about the Minnesota Book Awards

You know what they say about opinions - and what they're like? Everyone has one, and we all think everyone else's stinks. But some of us just can't get enough news and opinion on topics of interest, or even passion. If you're one of us, here's a link to blogs about the Minnesota Book Awards. Are there others out there? Let us know and we'll try to include them.

10,000 Books Blog

Blog of the Minnesota Historical Society Press and Borealis Books, publishers of books on the history, art and culture of the Upper Midwest.

Award Tragic Blog

Reflections of a Self-Confessed Award Tragic. Reporting on the World of Literary Prizes. All genres. Winners. Shortlists. Longlists. Lists of Lists.

BookAwardsUS.com

Whether you are looking for Pulitzer Prize results, the Booker, Caldecott, Newbery, British, or National book award information, "Book Awards Online" is the right place to find the best of the best! Fiction, non-fiction, biography, history, crime, mystery, politics, science fiction, poetry and even romance are covered! BAO is a gateway to 250 Book Awards results and information. Included is a page about the Minnesota Book Awards, with a nice slideshow widget. READ MORE...

MinnPost's Book Club Club

MinnPost's Book Club Club (BCC) is a club made up of existing Minnesota book clubs — a community of engaged readers and writers. Book clubs of all sizes, themes and types that meet anywhere in the state are welcome to join. Membership is free. Minnesotans who like to talk about books in less-formal settings — at home or work, in coffee shops or online — can become BCC members by signing up for the free BCC email newsletter.

Minnesota Reads

A self-described “bunch of Minnesota book nerds who write about the books we’re reading. Right now there are about ten of us offering up reviews six days a week. Minnesota has a vibrant and thriving literary community filled with fabulous writers, but there are just too many great books out there to limit ourselves to one area of geography. However, we are dedicated to pimping Minnesotans or writers visiting Minnesota whenever possible.” Check out their "Six Questions We Always Ask..." feature. If you want to review books for MN Reads, just contact them.

 Welcome to Randomness - Allison McGhee's Blog

Alison McGhee is an associate professor of creative writing at Metropolitan State University, where she coordinates the creative writing program. She is also on the faculty of Hamline University's MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She is a four-time winner of the Minnesota Book Awards and a Pulitzer Prize nominee.

Back to the top

Reviews and Other Opinions

Thriller instinct

By Perrin Ireland, Boston Globe, January 31, 2010

A tale of a troubled couple marks a departure for Erdrich as her lyricism grows fast-paced. Louise Erdrich’s latest novel, “Shadow Tag,’’ is a departure from her previous work, and an exciting one. Erdrich is the author of 13 novels, three poetry books, a collection of short stories, five children’s books, and two works of nonfiction, for which she has received significant critical acclaim (National Book Critics Circle Award for her first novel, “Love Medicine,’’ National Book Award Finalist for “The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse,’’ Minnesota Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist for “Plague of Doves’’). READ MORE...

Dark Shadows

By Ellen Akins, Special to the Star Tribune, January 31, 2010

Subterfuge, deceit and game-playing are at the heart of this novel about a difficult marriage. And yet, even if it is a different sort of novel for this author, it is wonderfully, painfully readable and revealing in its own way, owing more to raw emotion than to deliberation. READ MORE...

Poems to savor, to resonate with, to help us make sense of our lives...

"I Wish I Had a Heart Like Yours, Walt Whitman" by Jude Nutter

By Ryan Vine, Special to the Star Tribune, January 31, 2010

Rarely do I come across a book of poems that reads as though it had to be written. When I do, I'm reminded why I read poems in the first place. We're after magic (aren't we?), and to be in the presence of some great alchemy: poets working in a language so vivid that when read aloud it seems both alien and our own, both the first time spoken and to come from somewhere within us. READ MORE...

BOOK REVIEW: ‘Shadow Tag’ by Louise Erdrich

By Brigitte Frase, LA Times, January 30, 2010

Erdrich's new novel, about the strains in an artistic family, is somewhat of a departure from her past explorations of life on an Ojibwe reservation. READ MORE...

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.

• Nominations & Guidelines
• Winners & Finalists
• Gala
• Support the Book Awards
• Author News & Events
• Resources
• Partners & Sponsors
• About the Book Awards
• MN Book Awards