Winners in nine categories were announced Wednesday night at the 2026 Minnesota Book Awards ceremony at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul with emcees Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and May Lee Yang. The 38th annual Book Awards are sponsored by Education Minnesota, facilitated by Friends of the St. Paul Public Library.
Here are the winners (an asterisk denotes a Minnesota publisher; category sponsors are in parentheses):
Children’s Literature (Beret Publishing)
“All the Stars in the Sky” by Art Coulson; illustrated by Winona Nelson (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster): Art Coulson is an author of many books and short stories for children, including “The Creator’s Game.” He splits his time between his home in Minneapolis and his cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.
Winona Nelson is a fine artist and illustrator of comics and children’s books, including “If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving.” Her fine art, often featuring Ojibwe stories and history, has been featured in galleries across the country.
General Nonfiction
“Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie ” by David Hage and Josephine Marcotty (Random House/Penguin Random House): The North American prairie is an ecological marvel, home to some of the nation’s most iconic creatures — bison, elk, wolves, pronghorn, prairie dogs and bald eagles. This portrait of its transformation into some of the world’s most productive farmland reveals humanity’s relationship with prairie land.
Josephine Marcotty is an award-winning environmental journalist who has spent her life in the Midwest. She was a reporter for the Star Tribune, where she covered complex, science-based topics.
Genre Fiction (Macalester College)
Allen Eskens (Courtesy of the author)
“The Quiet Librarian” by Allen Eskens (Mulholland Books/Little, Brown and Company/Hachette Book Group): Allen Eskens is the recipient of the Barry Award, Minnesota Book Award, Rosebud Award (Left Coast Crime), and Silver Falchion Award and has been a finalist for the Edgar Award, Thriller Award, and Anthony Award.
Memoir & Creative Nonfiction
“Beard: A Memoir of a Marriage” by Kelly Foster Lundquist (Eerdmans/Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.): Kelly Foster Lundquist is a 2013 Milton postgraduate fellow at Image Journal and Kenyon Review workshop alum, and she has an MFA in creative writing from Seattle Pacific University. Originally from Mississippi, she teaches writing at North Hennepin Community College.
Middle Grade Literature (Education Minnesota)
Alison McGhee (Courtesy of the author)
“Weird Sad and Silent” by Alison McGhee (Rocky Pond Books/Penguin Random House): Alison McGhee is the award-winning author of several picture books and novels for adult and young readers and is a four-time Minnesota Book Award winner.
Emilie Buchwald Award for Minnesota Nonfiction (Annette and John Whaley)
“Enmity and Empathy: Japanese Americans in Minnesota During World War II” by Ka F. Wong (Minnesota Historical Society Press)*: Ka F. Wong is professor of Asian Studies at St. Olaf College. He is producer, director and writer of the film ”Beyond the Barbed Wire: Japanese Americans in Minnesota.” Wong lives near Northfield.
Novel & Short Story (Minnesota Humanities Center)
Thomas Maltman (Courtesy of the author)
“Ashes to Ashes” by Thomas Maltman (Soho Press/Penguin Random House): Thomas Maltman is the author of four novels, including “The Night Birds,” which won an Alex Award, a Spur Award, and the Friends of American Writers Literary Award. “Little Wolves,” his second novel, was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award. He teaches at Normandale Community College.
Poetry (Wellington Management, Inc.)
Douglas Kearney (Bao Phi)
“I Imagine I Been Science Fiction Always” by Douglas Kearney (Wave Books): Douglas Kearney has published nine books ranging from poetry to essays to libretti. His work has been awarded the Griffin Poetry Prize, CLMP Awards in Poetry and Nonfiction, The Pegasus Award for Poetry Criticism, and the Minnesota Book Award. He teaches creative writing at the University of Minnesota.
Young Adult Literature (Red Balloon Bookshop)
Jason Walz (Courtesy of the author)
“The Flip Side” by Jason Walz (Rocky Pond Books/Penguin Random House): Jason Walz worked for many years as a special education teacher, and is the creator of several previous graphic novels, including the Last Pick trilogy and the Eisner Award-nominated Homesick.
Hognander Minnesota History Award
“It Took Courage: Eliza Winston’s Quest for Freedom ” by Christopher P. Lehman (Minnesota Historical Society Press)*
Kay Sexton Award (for dedication to the local literary community)
Sun Yung Shin (Courtesy of the author)
신 선 영 Sun Yung Shin (previously announced): Sun Yung Shin is an award-winning poet, writer, editor, children’s book author and cultural worker. She was born in Seoul, raised in the Chicago area, and lives in Minneapolis. Shin is the author of five poetry collections, books for children, and the forthcoming creative nonfiction book ”Heart Eater: A Memoir of immigration, Language, and Belonging.” She is the editor of the anthologies “A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota” and ”What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories on Food and Family,” and is co-editor of the groundbreaking collection ”Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption.”
