The 2025 Minnesota Book Awards ceremony, presented by the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, took place on Tuesday evening at the Ordway Center. Attendees enjoyed book signings, the chance to meet finalists, and mingling with fellow readers before the evening’s big announcement of winners.
This year’s most notable achievement was by Kao Kalia Yang, who made history by winning three awards out of four nominations—a record for the Minnesota Book Awards. The Hmong American author published four books and an eBook in the past year, and her works were celebrated across three categories. Yang’s Where Rivers Part, a memoir about her mother’s survival in Laos and experiences in the U.S., won in the Memoir category. Her autobiographical children’s book Rock in My Throat claimed the award in Children’s Literature, while The Diamond Explorer, her debut middle-grade novel, triumphed in its category.
In other categories, Locker Room Talk: Women in Private Spaces, edited by Margret Aldrich and Michelle Filkins, took the prize in the newly established biannual anthology category. The book compiles intimate and candid conversations among women, offering a unique perspective on private spaces from family gatherings to barroom dialogues.
The General Nonfiction award went to The New Science of Social Change: A Modern Handbook for Activists by Lisa Mueller, a practical and accessible guide to activism, written by a political science professor at Macalester College.
Marcie Rendon’s Where They Last Saw Her, a gripping mystery about Native women’s friendship and commitment to community in the face of adversity, won in Genre Fiction. The Minneapolis Reckoning: Race, Violence, and the Politics of Policing in America by Michelle S. Phelps claimed the Emilie Buchwald Award for Minnesota Nonfiction, offering a comprehensive examination of the Black Lives Matter protests and the 2020 movement sparked by George Floyd’s death.
Mubanga Kalimamukwento received the Novel & Short Story award for Obligations to the Wounded, a collection that draws on Zambian literary traditions to explore the challenges faced by girls and women in Zambia and abroad.
In Poetry, Bluff by Danez Smith won for its thought-provoking exploration of dichotomies within political engagement, protests, and personal reflection, with a standout piece focused on the Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul.
Anton Treuer’s Where Wolves Don’t Die, a coming-of-age thriller set in rural Canada, won in the Young Adult Literature category, drawing from Treuer’s experiences working with young people in his community.
In addition to the book awards, the Kay Sexton Award, given for longstanding dedication to fostering Minnesota’s literary community, was presented to Ann Regan. Regan, who retired in 2024 after 45 years at the Minnesota Historical Society Press, was recognized for her contributions to the state’s literary landscape.
The Minnesota Book Awards continue to celebrate and promote literary talent in the state, highlighting diverse voices and significant works that resonate with readers across Minnesota and beyond.
