Winners of the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards announced
Nov 11, 2025 09:27AM ● By Content Editor
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - November 11, 2025
This past weekend, Lake Superior Writers announced the winners of the 2025 Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards (NEMBA). The awards, which have been recognizing regional authors since 1988, honor books published in the previous calendar year (all 2025 nominees were published in 2024). The winners and honorable mentions across four categories were honored at a public event on Sunday, November 9.
The awards acknowledge exceptional works that represent the history, culture, heritage, and lifestyle of the northeastern Minnesota region, defined by nine specific counties (Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Pine, and Saint Louis), according to the Lake Superior Writers website.
Here are the 2025 winners and honorable mentions:
Nonfiction/Memoir
Winner: Carl Gawboy for Fur Trade Nation: An Ojibwe’s Graphic History
Honorable Mention: Cary J. Griffith for Gunflint Falling: Blowdown in the Boundary Waters
Poetry
Winner: Patrick Stevens for Natural Wonders
Honorable Mention: Bart Sutter for Cotton Grass: New and Selected Poems of the North
Fiction
Winner: Candace Simar for Sister Lumberjack
Honorable Mention: Kristina Shuey for The Day the World Burned
Youth Literature
Winner: Erin Soderberg Downing for Just Keep Walking
Honorable Mention: Katharine Johnson for Belzi’s Blizzard
The judges offered specific praise for some of the winning titles and honorable mentions, which were shared in a press release from the Lake Superior Writers.
-For the Nonfiction/Memoir winner, Fur Trade Nation, by Carl Gawboy, judges described it as a graphic history that explores the fur trade from an Ojibwe perspective, noting that the author "uses humor in explaining Ojibwe traditions and the obstacles the indigenous people faced." They concluded that it "was a very enjoyable book to read and learn from and was our unanimous choice for the award."
-In the Poetry category, Patrick Stevens’ Natural Wonders was commended for being "lyrically evocative and deeply appreciative." The judges specifically mentioned being "drawn into the honesty and candor in Stevens’ poetry, written a profound gratitude for the magical gift of our human existence as part of the magic of the natural world."
-The winning book for Youth Literature, Just Keep Walking by Erin Soderberg Downing, was praised for its strong regional focus. Judges commented that the story "speaks strongly of our region" and that "The familiarity of the terrain was evident – we’ve all seen that fog rolling in on the North Shore and know those low-lying areas where the mosquitoes are terrible."
-Moving to Honorable Mentions, in the Nonfiction/Memoir category, Cary J. Griffith's book Gunflint Falling: Blowdown in the Boundary Waters was described by judges as a "well-researched narrative" detailing the events surrounding the 1999 Boundary Waters blowdown, and was called "an unexpected page turner!"
-The Honorable Mention for the Poetry category was Bart Sutter for Cotton Grass: New and Selected Poems of the North. Sutter's collection, which includes both "very early work as well as recent and new pieces," was praised by the judges. They summarized the volume as a "portrait of a poet and Minnesotan that is as masterful as it is engaging."
-For the Fiction Honorable Mention award, Kristina Shuey for The Day the World Burned wowed judges by providing "an intimate portrayal of the Great Hinckley Fire." The book follows the immigrant lives of Anna and Karl from Hinckley's early sawmill days to be ultimately "tested by the fire itself and its ensuing effects," calling it "an unforgettable story of one of Minnesota’s most tragic historical events."
-The Honorable Mention for Youth Literature went to Katharine Johnson for Belzi’s Blizzard. The story, which centers on a girl embracing the traditions of her Finnish grandmother while dealing with the "hard subject of separations in families," was recognized for its sensitive approach. The judges highlighted that the book was "written with care and delicacy" and that the introduction of a mother’s journal "opened up dialogue and the broader story."
The winning book in each category received a $200 cash prize, along with a glass plaque and 100 book seals for both the winner and the honorable mention.
The NEMBA awards are guided by a commitment to fairness and local representation, according to information available on the Lake Superior Writers website.
The nomination process is open to anyone, including the author, provided the book meets specific criteria. The subject matter "MUST substantially represent northeastern Minnesota in the areas of history, culture, heritage, and lifestyle," according to the Lake Superior Writers. Nominated books must be published in bound paper format, written in English, and have an original release date in the year preceding the awards. The website notes that e-books, exhibition catalogs, and reprints are "NOT eligible."
The awards currently assign prizes in six categories: Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry, Children's Literature (ages 0-7), Middle Grade/Young Adult (ages 8-18), and Memoir. The NEMBA committee makes the final decision on category placement for all entries. As a rule, a minimum of three nominated titles is required in a category to designate both a winner and an honorable mention.
To learn more about the Lake Superior Writers and NEMBAs, visit lakesuperiorwriters.org/.
Here is the full list of nominees for the 2025 NEMBA:
Nonfiction/Memoir
Douglas Edmonson for Norm Oakvik: The Inconspicuous Coach
Carl Gawboy for Fur Trade Nation: An Ojibwe’s Graphic History
Cary J. Griffith for Gunflint Falling: Blowdown in the Boundary Waters
Darrell J. Pedersen for Who Will Carry the Fire? More Reflections from a North Woods Lake
Fiction
Shane Drift for Sad Evil
Rowan Eira for Winter Getaway
Aurora Lothbrok for The Mermaid of Lake Superior
R. T. Lund for The Ghost, a Lake Superior Mystery
Kristina Shuey for The Day the World Burned
Candace Simar for Sister Lumberjack
Cathy LaForge Tonkin for Echoes of an Eta
Poetry
Rebecca Foust for You Are Leaving the American Sector: Love Poems
Sandra Hisakuni for The Northland Beckons: An Illustrated Haiku Journey
Patrick Stevens for Natural Wonders
Bart Sutter for Cotton Grass: New and Selected Poems of the North
Peggy Trojan for Ma
Youth Literature
Erin Soderberg Downing for Just Keep Walking
Staci Lola Drouillard for A Family Tree
James L. Freeman for The Classy Lumberjack Bar and Lounge: Stories of Life and Fantasy in Northern Minnesota
Minda Gomez for Treasure of the North: A Bilingual Minnesota Adventure
Katharine Johnson for Belzi’s Blizzard
