Last month judges narrowed down over 250 nominated books to just 32 finalists for the MN Book Awards. Finalist’s works are organized into eight categories, including: Children’s Literature, General Nonfiction, Genre Fiction, Memoir & Creative Nonfiction, Minnesota, Novel & Short Story, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature. You can visit The Friends’ of St. Paul Public Library website for a complete list of finalists. These books will soon be reviewed by another group of judges, and a winner will be selected from each category.
There will also be a Reader’s Choice Award. The Reader’s Choice winner is selected by Minnesota readers, so this is your chance to get involved! Attend the Reader’s Choice Event at 7:00 PM on Friday, March 12 at the Open Book Literary Arts Center (1011 Washington Ave. S. in Minneapolis) for a chance to meet finalist authors, learn about their books, and enjoy a wine reception. To learn more about the event, visit the Reader’s Choice Event site. You may also vote for your favorite finalist here.
Get further involved by joining the 32 Books in 32 Days blog. Starting March 16th, the blog will devote one day to highlight each of the 32 finalist books. As a subscriber to the blog, you’ll receive regular updates whenever new content is added.
The Reader’s Choice winner will be announced along with the other winners at the Book Awards Gala on Saturday, April 17th. The 22nd Annual Minnesota Book Awards Gala will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Paul. The reception begins at 6:30pm and includes celebrity speakers, champagne, books, and live music. Please visit the Friends’ website www.thefriends.org for more information.