Northeastern Minnesota Book Award (NEMBA)
The Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards (NEMBA) recognize books that represent northeastern Minnesota in the areas of history, culture, heritage, or lifestyle. The award is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Duluth Public Library and by the UMD Library, in collaboration with Lake Superior Writers, with additional support from Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Northern Lights Books & Gifts, and UMD Stores. For purposes of the Awards, northeastern Minnesota includes the following counties: Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Pine and St. Louis.
Reading teams select a winner and one honorable mention in each of six categories: 1) Fiction, 2) Poetry, 3) General Nonfiction, 4) Children's Literature, 5) Memoir and Creative Nonfiction. The winning author in each category receives a cash prize of $300. The winning author and the honorable mention in each category receive a beveled glass award.
This year's gala event began with a writing workshop on Saturday, May 15, 2010 and continued with a public celebration on Sunday, May 16. The workshop, conducted by Beatrice Ojakangas, was coordinated by the Lake Superior Writers group. The Sunday festivities began with a book fair and dessert reception in the Kirby Ballroom from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and continued with the awards presentation at 3:30. The awards presentation was emceed by Duluth's first poet laureate, Barton Sutter, and included featured speaker Beatrice Ojakangas. This event was free and open to the public.
For more information, visit the NEMBA website or call 218-726-7889.
Fiction
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Winner: Safe from the Sea |
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Honorable Mention: The Burying Place by Brian Freeman (Fic Freeman) |
| Poetry | |
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Winner: On Speaking Terms by Connie Wanek (811.54 W184o) |
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Honorable Mention: Under the Influence of Lilacs by Deborah Gordon Cooper (811.54 C784u) |
| General Nonfiction | |
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Winner: Paddle North: Canoeing the Boundary Waters-Quetico Wilderness by Greg Breining, photography by Layne Kennedy (797.122 K384p) |
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Honorable Mention: The Assassination of Hole in the Day by Anton Treuer (970.2 H691t) |
| Children's Literature | |
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Winner: Minnesota's Hidden Alphabet photography by Joe Rossi; text by David LaRochelle (j917.76 Rossi) |
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Honorable Mention: Big Belching Bog by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Betsy Bowen (j574.52632 Root) |
| Memoir & Creative Nonfiction | |
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Winner: Brown Sugar Syrup and Jack Pine Sand by Dennis Herschbach (921 H437AAb) |
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Honorable Mention: TALES FROM THE CREEL by Rudy Senarighi |
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For more information, call Brenda Bonnema at 218-726-6843 or visit the NEMBA website.
Previous
NEMBA Winners:
2009 - Fiction: Minnesota
Cold by Cynthia Kraack
(Fic Kraack)
- Poetry:
The
Dark Honey: New & Used Poems by Ellie Schoenfeld (811.54
Sch63da)
- General Nonfiction:
Minong
- The Good Place: Ojibwe and Isle Royale by Timothy Cochrane
(977.4997 C643m)
- Children's
Literature: Wintering
by William Durbin (Juv Fic Durbin)
- Memoir &
Creative Nonfiction: Knife
Island: Circling a Year in a Herring Skiff by Stephen Dahl
(639.21 D137k)
2008 - Fiction: A
Finntown of the Soul by Patricia Eilola (Fic Eilola)
- Poetry:
Trail
Guide to the Northland Experience in Prints and Poetry by
Northern Printmakers Alliance and Lake Superior Writers (811.54
T681)
- General Nonfiction:
Hard
Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota
by Barbara W. Sommer (634.9 So55h)
- Children's
Literature: Someone
Walks By: The Wonders of Winter Wildlife by Polly Carlson-Voiles
( j Carlson-Voiles)
- Art, Photography:
Driftwood:
Stories Picked Up along the Shore by Howard Sivertson (977.49
Si94d)
- Memoir &
Creative Nonfiction: Overburden:
Modern Life on the Iron Range by Aaron Brown (921 B8122o)
2007 - Fiction: Thunder
Bay: A Cork O'Connor Mystery by William Kent Krueger
- Memoir &
Creative Nonfiction: Morgan
Park: U.S. Steel and the Forging of a Company Town by
Arnold R. Alanen
- Art, Photography:
Celebrating
Birch: The Lore, Art, and Craft of an Ancient Tree by North
House Folk School
- Children's
Literature: Agate:
What Good is a Moose? by Joy Morgan Dey
2006 - Fiction: The
North Shore by Gunnard Landers (Fic M Landers)
- Nonfiction,
Memoir: Waking:
A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence by Matthew Sanford (921
Sa5783AAw)
- Children's
Literature: Fearless
John: The Legend of John Beargrease by Kelly Emerling Rauzi,
illustrated by Mila Horak ((j798.8 Rauzi)
2005 - Fiction, Poetry, Drama:
Zoe's
Good-bye by Mary Schlangen ( j Schlangen)
- Nonfiction,
Art, Scholarship: Salmela:
Architect by Thomas Fisher, with photographs by Peter Bastianelli-Kerze
(720.92 Sa35f)
2004 - Fiction, Poetry, Drama:
Ojibwe
Tales: Stories of the Ojibwe People by Art Przybilla (398.2
P958o)
- Nonfiction,
Art, Scholarship: Minnesota's
Iron Country: Rich Ore, Rich Lives by Marvin Lamppa (977.634
L198m)
2003 - Fiction, Poetry, Drama:
Uncommon
Light: A Collection of Poems by Jeanine Lamoureus Emmons,
Gladys Koski Holmes, Kathleen McQuillan, Stephanie Stevens, Sheila
Packa (811.54 Un112)
- Nonfiction,
Art, Scholarship: V
Is for Viking: A Minnesota Alphabet by Kathy-jo Wargin (j917.76
Wargin)
2002 - Fiction, Poetry, Drama:
Borealis:
Poems by Jeff Humphries, illustrated by Betsy Bowen (811.6
H889b)
- Nonfiction,
Art, Scholarship: The
Art of the Canoe with Joe Seliga by Jerry Stelmok, illustrated
by Deborah Sussex (921 Se479a)
2001 - Schooners, Skiffs & Steamships:Stories along Lake Superior's Water Trails by Howard Sivertson (977.49 Si94s)
2000 - John Blair and the Great Hinckley Fire by Josephine Nobisso ( j Nobisso)
1999 - 50 Circuit Hikes by Howard Fenton (917.763 F367f)
1998 - Cold Comfort: Life at the Top of the Map by Barton Sutter (917.7635 Su86c)
1997 - Just Above Water: Prose Poems by Louis Jenkins (811.54 J417j)
1996 - Silent Words by Joan Drury (Fic M Drury)
1995 - The Duluth Portfolio by Craig and Nadine Blacklock (917.7635 B565d)
1994 - The Illustrated Voyageur by Howard Sivertson (971.3 Si94i)
1993 - Walking the Rez Road by Jim Northrup (818.54 N818w)
1992 - The Grand Portage Story by Carolyn Gilman (977.639 G42g)
1991 - North Writers: A Strong Woods Collection edited by John Henricksson (508 N811)
1990 - Gunflint: Reflections on the Trail by Justine Kerfoot (917.763 K454g)
1989 - The Winter Room by Gary Paulsen (YA Fic Paulsen)
1988 - Quiet Magic by Sam Cook (500.9 C771q)
Click for a complete list of winners and honorable mentions and of previous years' nominees, from the NEMBA website
