road a hundred limericks once and hid them in my bedroom and that made me think poetry may have some use i had to clean up the whole room to get to them i got a letter a couple of weeks ago from a sixth grader who wrote  be so the only thing you can do is to learn how to write a poem learn how to paint a painting learn how to make some music so you can bring your own madness to meet the madness there so the standard says it is because so much minnesota book awards i am just thrilled to be here when they asked me to emcee i said i would love to but under certain conditions and those conditions are number one that the st paul friends of the library waive all and future library book finds of mine i know it did cut into the budget a little also number t that the highland park branch expunged from my permanent record all evidence that i ever checked out fifty shades of gray but i'm just i am so happy to be here for the twenty united states i really i really do want us to get a little rowdy tonight you know i'm not asking for a drunken brawl you know this after all it's not a loft board meeting  but you know if a poet in the crowd wants to jump up on a table and recites allen ginsberg's how all feel free and you know parties they're always good for romance and intrigue so maybe we'll get some cross john or a cup ling tonight and you look so festive you look like partiers oh i've got a lot of these and and i encourage anyone who comes up on this stage because you've already made literary noises to make some party noise so i want some party poppers popped tonight and if you're still feeling a little shy don't really yet know how to party i am now initiating a drinking game and everytime you hear the word book i want you to take ok that should get the party but rolling so on with the show oh man i hope that's not high def tonight is special not only because of the work being celebrated but it's the culmination of the twenty fifth anniversary year of minnesota book awards  special awards previous minnesota book award winners are here to present the honors which include a hand blown glass award by st paul artists dick us ok the novel and short story category this category is sponsored by education minnesota the state's educators union representing seventy thousand professionals working together for excellence in education for all students education minnesota's members include teachers and educational support professionals in minnesota's public school districts faculty members at minnesota's community and technical colleges and the university of minnesota campuses in duluth and crookston plus retired educators and student teachers please join me in recognizing education minnesota and their governing board what would we do without our educators now our four finalists in the novel and short story range from debut authors to veteran award winners and include two collections of short stories and two novels joining us to present the award as the twenty twelve winner for the law of miracles and other stories gregory thank you and thank you all for coming tonight and i was young and trying to learn how to put one sentence after another supported myself or some i support myself by substitute teaching and i know i'm entry school i've only was this a job you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy i was a teacher you wouldn't wish on the children of your worst enemy but whatever the traumas of the day when story time came around i found i had magic in my hands the hyperactive kid in the godzilla sure the dazed dreamer the kid who like to accidentally fall off his chair over and over as soon as i opened up a story book they were mine that power of storytelling to cast its spell over us is shared by this year's finalists for whatever their difference of style and setting and they are different ranging from a southern plantation to north dakota reservation to russia and small town minnesota these four books of fiction each possesses the power to in chant to take us out of our godzilla shirts and remind us of the mystery and and sometimes the horror of what it means to be human here are this year's finalists please hold your applause on to all our announced the healing by jonathan odell published by nanae till random house it takes you over by nick healy published by new rivers press the round house by louise air jerk published by harper harper collins and  stories by stuff on eric clarke published by russian life books and the award goes to lease for the round started the party book the party book when she started this it totally changed my outlook and also i have a twelve year old daughter and this is a huge chance to call the buzz the feel the excitement everything and the sponsorship i want to think marvin windows first for not laying off any one during the recession you're sponsoring this award my father is and was a school teacher we're raised mother and father school teachers and it's a very special way to grow up for instance when my father was boarded at work during you know those committee meetings he would he would make up limericks and so i thought as i was sitting i thought not her female recites my favorite limerick he wrote one for every town in there once was a girl from max pass she had the most beautiful ass twas not what you think twas not round and pink but was gray and braid and eat grass dan thank you so so very much for supporting me during the writing of this book is my husband your fishing license renewal came in the mail today  is it is and and i really i think you you've been you've been heartened joy and i i just i don't think i even deserve how much how much you've done for me the writing of this book and likewise my daughter who is also here when i was writing this book sometimes things are very hard  for witter winners sorry you're all winners thank you the four writers and books that comprise the finalists for the minnesota category all examined lives and ways of living that help us plumb the depths of our state history and shared culture the minnesota category is sponsored by mayor sure and rock castle and award winning architecture and interior design firm known for both designing exceptional new spaces and through preservation adaptive reuse and renovation discovering innovative ways to reuse buildings like the open books in the firm as a national leader in library design having worked on more than ten point five million square feet of library space for clients across the country please join me in recognizing mayor sure and rock cat and here to present the award is the minnesota book award winner for twenty twelve for pioneering modernists minnesota's first generation of women artists julie long  minnesota is my adoptive home and one of the most impressive things about the state apart from the weather of course is its appreciation for its history the minnesota historical society and county societ the state are marvelous starting places for writers for search this year many new books have been written about minnesota's diverse culture past and present the four finalists in the minnesota category are every man did his duty pictures and stories of the man of the first minnesota wayne de jorgensen published by sora books lost in loose landmarks industries buildings homes and the neighborhoods in which they stood by tony deer cans and marianne seen norton published by zenith city press ex communication the minnesota book of skills your guide to smoking white fish sauna etiquette take extract and more published by minnesota historical society press and minnesota mco cheat the land of the dakota by when westerman and bruce white published by minnesota historical society press the award goes to minnesota is our homeland and dakota is spoken here and we will always remember that the email said we only had one minute it's it's hard to write a speech when you know you might not have to give it a miss so if this is a this is a surprise and an honor and i think it's an honor for the dakota people for the grandmothers and grandfathers the people who were sent into exile in eight hundred sixty three and and i want to remember their grandmothers and grandfathers and i want to remember beans grandmother william being who passed away only a few days ago but being family one might say they invented our project william being and a worked with us and we we had a long and productive time working together sitting around round tables like that one and arguing about things and to me it was a great education in the history of the dakota people in this place that was their homeland and so i think truly came to understand and appreciate play i could listen to your stories for all night so let's just get rid of that one minute time limit and make it an hour ok everybody's got an hour each has your storytellers our third category award is for young people's literature comprised of three writers new to the book awards and a returning finalist this category is sponsored by cit investment associates a full product global asset manager with expertise in domestic and international equities and fixed income products let's recognize cit investment associates and here to present the award in young people's literature is last year's winner for with or without chu bryan when i'm not tapping my fingers on the keyboard or banging my head against a laptop monitor as a writer i acquire books for flux a young adult fiction imprint right here in the twin cities and in my professional capacity as an editor as someone who works in the publishing field i feel highly qualified to objective lee say that minnesota plays home to some of the most talented writers working today from novels to memoirs to poetry are state hoards an embarrassment of riches but in my capacity as a writer a position that fills me with unlimited bias i find it hard to name a group of writers more generous more welcoming and more supportive than the minnesotans who write for young people they say that writing is a solitary endeavo well somebody forgot to tell that to the young people's writers got a question about crafts trying to work through it tricky plot twist need to know the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow these writers have got your back and i know for a fact that the four finalists in this category in addition to being extraordinary writers are also outstanding examples of that kinship the finalists are goblin secrets by william alexander published by margaret came in calgary books simon and schuster inc nothing special by jeff her book published by sourcebooks fire source books inc shadow on the mountain by margie prochoice published by amulet books abrams jeff her book nothing special writing the series that nothing special is part of he came downstairs and he said do you smell something dad and i went yeah what he said and we we we funny part of the not funny part is that he at the same moment he started to smell funny in just his left armpit at that time only only his left armpit went went through puberty overnight he also stopped reading he was a he was a fierce reader of fantasy and at the time he grew that much and started smelling funky he stopped reading and it scared me because i teach college and when i said boys don't read they show up at college and they can't write a paper they can't think and i thought oh my god what am i going to do we have to re books yes so i wrote i wrote the book for him and for his friends who stopped reading and i am so happy that  have recognized the these books for readers who don't want to read exactly so thank you so much thanks to the st paul friends of the st paul public library thanks to my wife tonight that if it weren't for the loft if it weren't for hamelin university if it weren't for minnesota state man cato i would not be a writer i am a minnesotan thank you so much  now i'm paranoid about my under award we're here celebrating tonight not just the great writers who call minnesota home but we're going to on earth someone who was not only a writer but a person who helped foster emerging and established artists championing the work of many here and many more across the country the case sexton award sponsored by common good books is a special award be stowed on an individual or organization for outstanding contributions to minnesota's literary community the award is named for kay sexton a career bookseller and dedicated arts advocate introducing the honoree with a special video tribute is james p then fest acclaimed poet and writer author of the essays the urban cowboy and the poetry collections earth in anger and a cartload of scrolls among others  thanks for the acclaimed laura i couldn't be more pleased to join in this tribute to my good friend robert a dean please turn your attention of the screens for a brief look at his exceptional life when i think about the case sexton award an award that honors dedication and outstanding work in fostering books and reading and literary activity in minnesota his contributions immediately come to mind because here is a man who's founded in foster one of the most significant literary treasures of our state the anderson center in red wing minnesota a place where writers at every stage of their career are given the gifts of time and space in order to devote their full attention to their work in addition to the anderson center roberts given generously to other writers in this state both as the editor of the great river review and the comprehensive poetry untile the g where one voice and is another be again sir robert has made real his commitment to advancing and celebrating the work of minnesota writers past and present and making sure their voices are honored in his time in the anderson center robert has created a place for writers to think and read and dream create former presidents from across the state writers merging and established writers writers of poetry in picture books all of them will tell you that the anderson center has made a difference in their lives one of the things that of providing people the space in the world to do that and there's just a real generosity of spirit that comes with him being excited about other people i really admire the way robert biggs along with what's possible to listen to him talk about his views and for that you understand center and then to watch him state when i think of robert i always think of him watching the grounds of the anderson center a kind of benevolent gracious spirit an image of a good well and there i am watching him from my window taking a sharp break at the turtle pond or listen to him laugh with the work crew or get back to tending the next big thing that must be done robert's always at work and so am i and i get back to my writing grateful for the land and the house that made such a moment possible and great fun especially for the generosity of robert who that very afternoon will undoubtedly be in his office arranging the book festival in september or at any another writers poetry or waiting for the plumber to tell him why our dishwasher wants start all of that while i'm left upstairs and perfect peace to write my story which is exactly the dream that robert had in mind so robert a dean on behalf of common good books the minnesota book awards and the entire minnesota literary artists community as my honor to present to you the k se and especially to the friends of the same paul i were it may be hard to believe given this evening's wonderful festivities that a little more than a half century ago minnesota was regarded by many as a literary backwater most of the writers at that time fled the state for what they felt to be greener literary pastures elsewhere some went to new york others to chicago san francisco and unfortunately few if any ever return and yet as we all know today the literary culture in minnesota is alive and well the envy of every state in the  midwest and without question one of the most vibrant dynamic book communities in the entire nation and this of course is due to the hard work and overall commitment of our state's many extraordinary writers publishers bookstores libraries readers and literary organizations and making animists funding agency has all of come together to create a thriving literary community bound it seems to me by one common thread the end and i will conviction that writers enrich the composition of life in this state and that through their writings we are offered insights into who we are where we have come from of our common values and aspirations over the years serving as consultant for various arts boards and literary groups around the country i would often hear someone propose an idea to push their organization forward and without fail this would be followed by a pause and then someone would pipe up break th and simply say well before we do anything let's first see how they do it in minnesota thank you very very you make be proud to be a midden so and common good books i just have to read this little story i heard kerrison keeler lecture about a year ago and he was talking about a young man who was severely facially pierced he had so many piercings on his face kerrison said he looked like he had fallen headfirst into a tackle box  book book this category is sponsored by wellington management incorporated a real estate investment development and property management company that takes a long term view of their investments and relationships those investments total four million square feet throughout the seven county metro area so please join me in thanking wellington management and presenting the award for poetry is to time book award winner for you won't remember this and selected poems nine hundred sixty five to nine hundred ninety five michael dennis i'm very honored to be here to support my fellow poets and there are many beloved writers here and i'm sure we're all mindful of the writers who cannot be here or who have moved on who who constitute the invisible community that we feel sustained by and also to thank all the sponsors for the great work they've done i was a lot to sixty seconds to talk about poetry and i thought instead i would simply say you people i love the best jump into work headfirst without dallying in the shadows and swim off with short strokes almost out of sight they seem to become natives of that element the black sleek heads of seals bouncing like half submerged bowls i love people who harness themselves to a heavy cart who pull like water buffalo with massive patients who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward who do what has to be done again and again i want to be with people who submerge in the task who go into the fields to harvest and work in a row and pass the bags along who are not part of generals and feel desert as but move in a common rhythm when the food must come in or the fire be put out the work of the world is common as mud botched it's nears the hands trumbull's to dust but the thing worth doing well done has a shape that satisfies clean and this year's finalists in poetry are the first day of spring in northern minnesota by jim johnson published by red dragon fly press odessa by patricia kirkpatrick published by milkweed editions pitch by todd boss published by w w norton and company and sold pier by door kiesel book published by university of pittsburgh press and the poetry award goes to not only publishes an allman aquifer here but gives people of all ages and genders and ethnicities the chance to both edit and see their work be published i'm also sitting at the milkwe editions table and i have been nothing but honored by their professionalism and kindness and dedication to the written world i was recently on a panel in boston with some very fancy i also want to think of course when kristen venom and richard earache who have the idea to support a poetry prize doesn't happen very often it's nice when it does there are many people to be thanked in my book and i'll make you a deal if you'll buy the book i won't name  buy a book of poetry because your boyfriend in your neighbor in your kids are going to be so impressed if you come home with a book of poetry they're really going to think i moved to minnesota forty years ago when i graduated from college the university of iowa because this is where i understood the writers were people like michael dunn a soprano robert bly carole bligh patricia hampel jim moore louis jenkins and they were here and then i went to way to san francisco for ten years and when i came back it seemed like for five years i answered why did you move to minnesota from san francisco and i was sitting at a meeting with a foundation president one day and he of course asked that question too and i told him why i moved to say to st paul and he said well where the six can't vouch for his numbers but at the time he said where the sixteen largest population in america and where the eighth largest book buying public so i think that sums it up this is where the writers are and this is where the readers are thank you very much congratulations patricia i love when a poet is also a good business person the next award is for children's literature and this award is sponsored by books for africa the world's largest a very auspicious year b f a has shipped over twenty eight million books to forty nine african countries including two point two million books valued at thirty million dollars this year alone or last year this year forty million let's give a warm round of applause to books for africa and its director pat among them the honorees and children's literature category have had many many many finalists nominations and five previous wins presenting the award is debra frazier in one nine hundred ninety nine winner for out of  somewhere someday a careful graduate student will ponder this question why does the state of minnesota produce a disproportionate amount of the finest children's books published in the united states year after year this academic will ask is it because of the large array of organizations that support writers from classes to speakers to breakfast publishers to bookstores to graham's or is it because of its fine library system or is it the outstanding educators who carry our books for young people forward or if they have  here they might propose that it is the long stretch of dark cold days stretching endlessly into april perfect conditions for sitting at one's desk or writing or illustrat but i hope this academic will also propose this answer maybe it is their peers maybe they inspire each other and with every book made by the astonishing ray of talent here the bar is raised for all of the authors and illustrators in this state if our nominees were dropped into separate states in our far flung union each one would win that state's top or but because they were nominated in the state that produces more fine children spurt books per capita than any other only one will carry the official minnesota book award what i want to remind the nominees is that the real award is that their efforts are building libraries of such quality far beyond minnesota's borders tonight will fade from our memories but meanwhile it will be all the books on this list this year that are carried and backpacks read at bedtime and cycled through libraries for years to come until the pages are worn and the covers are tattered that tattered cover will be the true award for all your efforts this year you nominees for the children's picture book are a leaf can be by laura purdy selous illustrated by violeta published by mail book press learner publishing group it's a tiger by david la rochelle illustrated by jeremy tankard and published by chronicle books tell me about your day today by memphis arcs illustrated by lauren stringer and published by beach line books simon and schuster and waking dragons by jane yolen illustrated by derek anderson published by simon and schuster books for young readers simon and schuster and the award goes to i so agree with deborah i feel so very very fortunate to live in a state with such a strong children's literature community filled with such talented authors and illustrators as lauren stringer silas derek anderson and deborah fraser and so many other people i feel also very very fortunate that my editor chose jeremy tankard to illustrate my book a picture book without pictures is pretty dull indeed and jeremy took my simple three hundred fifty words and turned them into a beautiful book thank you jeremy and i feel very fortunate to have our next award of the evening is the general nonfiction category sponsored by minnesota a f l c i o thank you let's take federation of labor representing over three hundred thousand members in over one thousand local unions throughout minnesota with a mission to improve the lives of working families please join me in recognizing minnesota  we have four distinguished authors who are new to this awards category presenting the award is the two thousand and twelve general nonfiction winner for a fool me twice fighting the us on science in america but i actually injured it researching my next gen nonfiction book the joys and sorrows of hunting with dick cheney writers of nonfiction of general nonfiction do that sort of thing it takes dedication and commitment it takes getting out there and talking to people that you might not otherwise talk to and it takes sorting through a myriad of seemingly unrelated and confusing facts to find there was special nuggets of story to string together into a pearl necklace of narrative to share with all the rest of us and show us the beauty of the stories that exist all around us every day so the winners or the nominees tonight in this terrific category are debating the end of history the marketplace utopia and the fragmentation of intellectual life by david w noble published by university of minnesota press forward the first american unsupported expedition to the north pole by john houston and tyler fish published by octane press holding our world together ajibola a women in the survival of community by brenda j child published by viking penguin group and finally rez life in indian's journey through reservation life by david troyer published by atlantic monthly press grove and atlantic in thanks dear gather people i am david troy or as you can see living in teaching california has had a few unintended side effects i am strangely taller more handsome and better dressed than before in short over the past two years i have come to resemble josh ostergaard a member of team greywolf press here in minneapolis this resemblance can be only a good thing i am deeply honor to you've seen fit to award reza life the minnesota book award for nonfiction reza life was my first awkward step into nonfiction and we sold the thing back in two thousand and five i had no idea how hard the writing of it would prove to be they say right way you know but perhaps that should be amended to where you think you know and by the time you're done the only thing you'll know is that you didn't know anything when you began but an even better directive might be right when you love that is in the end what i did i tried to write a book that we should cross the whole of the continent but i kept coming back to the people and places of minnesota and wisconsin to what is the homeland so i'm greatly touched and humbled by this award it means the world to me thank you have a great night david choi are p s i will be out of cell phone and e mail range till late on sunday so silence on my end is not for lack of enthusiasm thank you myself am going into the world of nonfiction and i'll be writing the copy for the george bush illustrated shower painting b really good maybe i'll see here next year ok now we are pleased to honor a minnesota book artist for her excellence and contributions to minnesota book arts community with the book artist award sponsored by lerner publishing group and presented with minnesota center for book arts early in its history m c b a was housed at lerner publishing popping and the sponsorship of the book artist award continues our long tradition and interest in book arts on the part of lerner publishing group here to make tonight's presentation our bridget o'malley and amanda day dinner of cave paper winner of the book of war artist award ok one for i've been in awe of janice artistry for for all these years and i would say with with great pride that in her case you definitely can judge a book by its cover jana shares her vast knowledge without hesitation to all book artists she walks around the minnesota center for book arts and she sort of checks out whenever one checks out what everybody's making but more importantly she really cares about artists and following their work her role as an educator she is extremely supportive and she has so many skills and binding and letterpress printing that she does collaboratively collaboratively and she is really good hand paper maker too and i think just looking at the screen and seeing her work will show you what an incredible crafts person joanna pullman is so let's look at her work a central figure in our community a true renaissance woman skilled in paper making finding printing in graphic design moreover she has a willingness to generously share her knowledge and craft with all she has great patience with new learners and a wealth of knowledge that she brings to other master artist jenna give so much to the book hurts community not only as an instructor but also as a friend and mentor to count exceptional craft skills combined with a deep understanding of the for as an expressive vehicle to create findings that personify the art in book art jan his work responds to a book content and then through all things and we're so lucky to have her in minnesota and i want to thank the friends of the same public library and letter publishing group for recognizing the artist and the wonderful work that happens here  you first met me when i was a paper maker something that probably no one really thought people did for a living and still she thought there might be some potential with this one  d she's seeing me grow and move throughout the field and expand and spend there to champion and occasionally push me a lot harder no get out there and try and  also want to think the minnesota center for book it's really reason i came to minnesota back in one thousand nine hundred seven because i knew there would be a community here i knew there would be support in the book arts and i am pleased to also because of that experience also be able to know quite a few writers in this state and to see what a wonderful community we do have so i'd like to thank those people the many instructors and the many colleagues and the many writers who've inspired me because when i work on the one of these findings the first thing i do is i have to read the book i want to know what the writer's intent was so i can support that so it's my love of books it continues to push me for it so i thank you very much there are so many interesting people in this room i can't believe it you did say book eight times in your speech so yeah yeah now we're getting to the memoir and creative nonfiction award this year we have three debut memoirs and a posthumous work from a multiple of ward winner the category is sponsored by leonard street  law firm that can trace its minnesota roots spec to nineteen twenty two here's what they have to say as the firm proudly celebrates its ninety first year of helping clients achieve their legal and business goals we are very pleased this evening to help sponsor the creative achievements of minnesota's talented authors we congratulate all the nominees and are reminded tonight of how fortunate we are to live and work in a state in rich with imagination intelligence and industry wealth said let's recognize leonard street and  and tonight's presenter is nancy paddock last year's winner for a song at twilight of all timers and love nancy well it's wonderful and scary to stand up here and talk to you all and so i'm going to have to read what i have to say here memoir and creative nonfiction are grouped into one award category and they're good  this because they both use literary styles and techniques to create a factually accurate and we hope narrative enhanced by qualities of the imagination and so i thought about that a as a definition i thought well how do you get a factually error you know accurate narrative and i thought journals i suppose many of you keep journals i've kept a journal ever since my mother gave me this little one that just goes to write three lines each day esposa last five years you know but anyway i have stacks of these things and and i sort of feel like it's toxic waste and and i'm going to have to figure out something to do with them besides leave them when the way so journals i think about a journal as a trusted impossibly tolerant friend that with does not judge you or interrupt you but listens with infinite patience while you complain soft problems recount dreams and even have some inspired discoveries or just off the tangle and burden of each day so you can start fresh the results can be the first drafts of literature once in a while and that might range from poetry to memoir and creative nonfiction and tonight we're celebrating and this is a great honor some of the year's treasures and several which honors but with that honor comes the difficulty of selecting just one and i think that's been a difficulty all night isn't that you know you just see all of these wonderful wonderful books the finalists for the minnesota book award in memoir and creative nonfiction are letters to a young madman by paul group call this is published by leavens publishing life on ice twenty five years of arctic exploration biota loni do three published by keene editions my mother is now earth by martha asked marc anthony roll all published by bar alice books minnesota historical society press and turn here sweet card organic farming works by a tina differently published by university of minnesota press thank you i've never had this experience before but most of what i wrote about in turn you see carr and i never had the experience before it happened and when i started writing it i was an organic farmer in a mother and a wife and i was a journalist as nancy said was really crucial to the writing but i had never published anything longer than a newspaper article and i was terrified so i did what any smart writer would do which so i went to the loft and i really wouldn't be here for wasn't for the loft there was incredible features there i'm often asked why i name turned her sweet corn turned here sweet corn and i was driving down the road down highway  i was out of the car before i even stopped rolling it was there the bright red flash of tomatoes and that scent of fresh basil everything minnesota sweet corn and a very very handsome who i also wouldn't be standing here tonight if it wasn't for you martin thank you so much for all you have been in my life and i have to say i don't think there's been a farmer in minnesota who's been better supported than i have by our customers byard for business and then also when we had a legal intervention with the  brothers over an eminent domain issue and a pipeline forty five hundred of our customers wrote letters to the judge but i have had help from so many people and i want to think tonight in particular beth dooley who's been a fairy godmother for me as a writer carey jennings and s to ray and roger who really were my support and my kids and allies and my grandkids and all you minnesota readers so thank you all tina your table also wins best enthusiasm award this really has been fun to hear everybody we're going to close out the evening with their shondra fiction award you can look around the room and see that it's studded with previous book award finalists and winners and perhaps for the first time someone who is competing against himself that's true in this category and tonight's category is sponsored by marvin windows and doors a premier manufacturer of made to order wood and clad wood windows and doors marvins tradition of delivering the finest craftsmanship in windows and doors began and more road minnesota where the privately held family owned and operated company is still headquartered today and now is in its fourth generation please recognize marvin windows and doors and their representative christine marvin and i have been up in your library and it is beautiful so did now join me in welcoming the author of big wheat last year's winner in this category richard a thompson thank you all over the years i have listened to and sometimes participated in many discussions about the distinction between john read fiction and serious literature and the conclusion is almost invariably that when the quality of writing reaches a certain level there is no distinction and you are just as ri published by down and out books ruth three five by michael fridge and published by greenlee books and finally the tutor's daughter by julie cos published by bethany house i'm really happy about this i really am and i appreciate it very much but i'd be a damn sight happier if you'd given it to me for devil in the diva which i wrote with my wife all of the writers who have been here tonight either on the stage or in the audience all the writers who are at home we all have one thing in common and that is we work alone we might have barry elaborate basement office beneath a flickering eighty or sixty watt light bulb ok it's fluorescent but it's still dark to beat an office but renee is to reason i've never been quite a nice husband during their seven years of running the book awards the friends has relied on a strong partnership with libraries around the state especially the st paul public library and here to close the evening is its director please welcome kip hadley tonight has been our wonderful annual love fest for our officers publishers illustrators and of course readers marianne grossman's wonderful article and tonight's program described the many people to whom we are grateful that this special event is thriving i can't help but call out however with big appreciation the friends of the st paul public library under whose care these last seven years the awards have really blossomed we would like to thank our statewide library partners the council of regional public library system administrators the minnesota state library agency melson of the metropolitan library service agency memo minnesota educational media organization and the minnesota library foundation please give special thanks to the minnesota book awards director elaine hopkins thank you