Perfect Duluth Day

Duluth’s Preus, Allen win 2015 Minnesota Book Awards

Duluth-based writer Margi Preus and illustrator Rick Allen were among the winners of the 27th annual Minnesota Book Awards, announced at a ceremony in St. Paul on Saturday.

As mentioned in the graphic above, Preus’ book West of the Moon took the top honor in the Young People’s Literature category. The book had already been named to the Association for Library Service’s list of 2015 Notable Book’s for Children.

Preus is a New York Times bestselling children’s book author and playwright whose numerous collaborations with Jean Sramek have been staged in Duluth under the banner of Colder by the Lake Comedy Theatre.

Duluth illustrator Rick Allen of Kenspeckle Letter Press shared an award for the book Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold, written by Wayzata’s Joyce Sidman, which won in the Children’s Literature category.