Author News and Events
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MotionPoems: A 10-Film Salute to the Minnesota Book Awards
Monday, April 29, 7 p.m.
Grandview Cinema
1830 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library and Motionpoems present a 10-Film Salute to the Minnesota Book Awards.
Join us for ten films of poetry by Minnesota Book Awards finalists and
winners, including Robert Bly, Eireann Lorsung, Robert Hedin, Tim Nolan,
Dobby Gibson, Madelon Sprengnether, and Todd Boss.
Co-founded in 2008 by animator/producer Angella Kassube and poet Todd Boss, Motionpoems is a nonprofit production company that broadens the audience for poetry by turning great contemporary poems into short films. They introduce America's best video artists to America's best living writers, and step aside. Then they make the resulting films available for free to subscribers and screen them at film festivals, cinemas, libraries, museums, schools, and bookstores. This program is free and open to the public. Angella and Todd tell the Motionpoems story.
Please visit www.motionpoems.com for more information about the films.
25th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Gala
Saturday, April 13 • 7 p.m.
The Hilton Minneapolis
1001 Marquette Ave. S, Minneapolis 55403
Mark your calendars for April 13. The Minnesota Book Awards Gala has a new venue – the Hilton Minneapolis – with a larger event space to make it possible for more book lovers to attend. An author meet-and-greet and book signing precedes the awards ceremony and the epilogue after-party will include complimentary champagne, desserts, and live music. Tickets now on sale.
Meet the Finalists
Friday, March 15 • 7 p.m.
Open Book • Second Floor Commons
1011 Washington Ave. S, Minneapolis 55415
The Minnesota Book Awards partners with the Loft Literary Center to present the 2013 finalists. All were invited, and more than 20 of the authors will participate and share their work at the Meet the Finalists event. All eight book categories will be represented in a lively program featuring brief presentations by some of our state's best authors. This free event includes a reception with wine and refreshments following the program. Finalist books will be for sale by Magers & Quinn Booksellers, and you will have the opportunity to meet the authors and get your books signed. Sponsored by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library and The Loft.
Bookish Bites: A Jamaican Feast in the Land of Amber Waters
POSTPONED, WILL BE RESCHEDULED AT A LATER DATE
The Lynn on Bryant
5003 Bryant Ave. S, Minneapolis 55419
Join us for a special dinner in celebration of MNBA’s 25th anniversary at the Lynn on Bryant. The menu, created by Marlon James (The Book of Night Women, 2010 winner), will feature Jamaican cuisine paired with Minnesota craft beer selected by brew-guru Doug Hoverson (The Land of Amber Waters, 2008 winner). $75 per person. Call (651) 222-3242 for reservations, very limited seating. Click here for details. (1.1 MB pdf)
Mary Lethert Wingerd, Hognander Lecture
Saturday, March 2 • 2 p.m.
Minnesota History Center • 3M Auditorium
345 W Kellogg Blvd., Saint Paul 55102
Mary Lethert Wingerd, winner of the 2012 Hognander Minnesota History Award and 2011 Minnesota Book Award for her book North Country: the Making of Minnesota, presents “Minnesota in the Civil War: History and Memory” at the Minnesota History Center. Free and open to the public.
Plots and Pints: A Literary Pub Quiz
Thursday, February 21 • 7 p.m.
O’Gara’s Bar & Grill
164 North Snelling Ave., Saint Paul 55104
Celebrate
Minnesota’s rich literary history by participating in our Pub Quiz at
O’Gara’s Bar & Grill. Teams of up to four members will answer trivia
questions in seven rounds, with ten questions per round. Categories
include: geography, crime, music, Minnesota Book Awards, 1988 (MNBA’s
founding year), politics, and a visual round.The $200 fee for each team
includes a round of beverages and light snacks. Prizes will be awarded
to first, second, and third place teams. Proceeds benefit the year-round
activities of the Minnesota Book Awards. Registration begins at 6:30
p.m.
- The $200 fee for each team includes a round of beers and appetizers.
- Prizes will be awarded to first, second, and third place teams.
- Not trivial? Don't fret; prizes will also be awarded for the best team names.
- Arrive early for dinner at O'Gara's if you wish. Registration opens at 6:30. Trivia begins at 7:00.
- Proceeds benefit the ongoing activities of the Minnesota Book Awards.
Because The Friends of the St. Paul Public Library is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, $160 of the $200 entry fee is tax-deductible as allowable by law.
2013 Finalists Announced
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is pleased to announce the finalists in all eight categories for the 25th Annual Minnesota Book Awards, sponsored by Marvin Windows and Doors. Chosen on Saturday, January 26, by 24 judges from around the state – writers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and others from the literary community – the finalists for each category are... click for more info.
Fireside Reading Series Presents Wendy Webb
Wednesday, February 13 • 7 p.m.
Hamline Midway Library
1558 West Minnehaha Ave., Saint Paul 55104
Join 2010 Minnesota Book Award winner Wendy Webb (The Tale of Halcyon Crane) by the fire for a reading from her haunting new novel, The Fate of Mercy Alban.
Free and open to the public, the series runs Wednesdays and will
feature the following notable and award-winning writers: January 9 –
Peter Geye; January 16 – Three Twin Cities Poets: James Cihlar, Sun Yung
Shin & Joanne Esser; January 23 – Chris Niskanen; January 30 –
Ellen Hart & Mary Logue; February 6 – Hans Weyandt; February 13 –
Wendy Webb. Visit our Calendar for more details.
Minnesota Book Artist Reception
Friday, February 8 • 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Open Book, 1011 Washington Ave. S, Minneapolis 55415
Join us for a reception celebrating the work of Jana Pullman, winner of the 2013 Book Artist Award, an annual honor presented by Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) and the Minnesota Book Awards. Exhibit runs January 18 – February 24, 2013. Reception and exhibit are free and open to the public.
Starting From Nothing by Jody Williams
Author Mary Lethert Wingerd Featured on "This American Life" - 11/23
The Minnesota Book Award Winning Author of North Country: The Making of Minnesota will speak about the Dakota War.
National radio program "This American Life" will devote an entire episode to the 1862 Dakota War on Saturday, November 23. Wingerd informed the Book Awards office that she would be featured on the program.
The program description reads: "Growing up in Mankato, Minnesota, John Biewen says, nobody ever talked about the most important historical event ever to happen there: in 1862, it was the site of the largest mass execution in U.S. history. Thirty-eight Dakota Indians were hanged after a war with white settlers. John went back to Minnesota to figure out what really happened 150 years ago, and why Minnesotans didn’t talk about it much after"
Find your local broadcast time here. Click here for information about the podcast.
Cave Paper Exhibit
November – December
Stillwater Public Library • Gallery Upper Level
224 3rd St. N Stillwater 55082
Cave
Paper, Bridget O’Malley and Amanda Degener, winners of the 2012
Minnesota Book Artist Award, will feature work in an exhibit at the
Stillwater Public Library. The elegant papers handmade from raw
materials will be on display through December. Visit cavepaper.com for
more information and the opening reception date.
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 can be found here, or for more information, visit MELSA.org and click on DATEbook.
“Prized Writers” on TPT
“Making Histories”
“Making Histories” features two accomplished Minnesota Book Award winners: Dave Kenney (Honor Bright: A Century of Scouting in Northern Star Council and Northern Lights: The Stories of Minnesota’s Past) and Mary Lethert Wingerd (North Country: The Making of Minnesota). The authors discuss their approach to research and writing, and the importance of preserving stories about Minnesota’s past.
“Young at Heart”
This installment of the the Book Awards’ writers in conversation series highlights young adult literature standouts Will Weaver (Defect and A Gravestone Made of Wheat) and Pete Hautman (Blank Confession and Godless). Among other topics, they discuss their inspirations and techniques in writing for young people.
"Threads of Memory"
This 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.
"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 2008 with Willow Room, Green Door.
"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.
"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 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.
Look for rebroadcasts of earlier episodes featuring Book Award winners. The “Prized Writers” series is created by tpt MN Channel and the Minnesota Book Awards to inspire readers and writers. Copies are available on DVD in all Minnesota public libraries, for students, teachers, writers, readers and book clubs.
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.
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.
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.
