MNHS Press has published two finalists for the 2026 Minnesota Book Awards.
Congratulations to authors Ka F. Wong and Greg Gaut, whose books, Enmity and Empathy and The War at Home, respectively, were named finalists for the 2026 Minnesota Book Awards in the Minnesota Nonfiction category. Winners will be announced on May 6 at the 38th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul. Organized by the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, the awards are "a year-long program that connects readers and writers throughout Minnesota with the stories of our neighbors," which culminates in an annual celebration where "booklovers from all over the state gather together for one incredible evening to honor stories of Minnesotans that connect us all."
This month we are excited to publish Dish and Tell by Sarah Peterson, which combines family recipes, community lore, and retro decor into a stylish and heartwarming cookbook. Join us on February 21, at 2:00 PM, for a celebration of the book's release at the Minnesota History Center, in the Heffelfinger Room. Light refreshments will be served and copies will be available for purchase and signing. The event is free; registration is requested.
Sarah Peterson
paperback, $24.95
Dish and Tell highlights treasured dishes from Sarah Peterson’s family recipe box—and collects stories from other passionate home cooks who opened their kitchens to share their own tried-and-true recipes. Peterson takes readers along as she visits, cooks, and bakes with friends old and new to present a smorgasbord of family favorites. Discover for yourself why these vintage recipes deserve a spot at the table.
“How often do we struggle to replicate beloved family dishes, only to discover that the secret to Grandma’s baked beans is lost forever? Sarah Peterson’s Dish and Tell celebrates and documents the unsung heroes of the Midwestern table so the home cook knows every dash of mustard, splash of orange juice, and yes, packet of Jell-O needed to revive those moments of sweet sensory pleasure.” —Mary K. Tennis, author of Smoke on the Waterfront: The Northern Waters Smokehaus Cookbook
Pub date: February 17, 2026; Book Launch: February 21, 2026, 2:00 PM, Heffelfinger Room, Minnesota History Center, St. Paul
2/21/2026, 2:00 PM, Sarah Peterson, Dish & Tell, Minnesota History Center, St. Paul
2/26/2026, 7:00 PM, Lori Sturdevant, Martin Sabo, University Club, St. Paul
3/11/2026, 4:00 PM, Drew M. Ross, Becoming the Twin Cities, Edina Senior Center, Friends of the Edina Library, Edina
2/25/2026, 4:30 PM, Ka F. Wong, Enmity and Empathy, Carleton College, Northfield
Sarah Peterson, Dish and Tell, "The WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar," WCCO Radio
Carolyn Olson, Pearl's Garden, "Duluth Book Releases in 2026," Perfect Duluth Day
The new Our Home collection has arrived! Part of MNHS's ongoing series featuring a different Native artist each year, this year’s collaboration highlights Cole Redhorse Taylor.
Cole is a multidisciplinary visual artist who is Mdewakanton Dakota and enrolled with the Prairie Island Indian Community in southeastern Minnesota. Working across traditional Dakota art forms—such as beadwork, quillwork, and textiles—as well as drawing, painting, collage, and illustration, his practice bridges ancestral knowledge with a contemporary perspective rooted in relationships to land, waterways, and the cosmos.
The limited-edition collection includes clothing, mugs, bags, stickers, and more—each inspired by traditional Dakota designs.
Explore the new Our Home collection and bring meaningful Indigenous art into your life!
A new book club program at the Minnesota History Center invites readers to share reflections on a curated list of books by Minnesota authors. The first meetings of Booked on Thursdays commence with discussion of A Darker Wilderness: Black Nature Writing from Soil to Stars on February 26 and March 26. The second title in the series is MNHS Press's What We Hunger For: Refugee and Immigrant Stories about Food and Family, with meetings on April 30 and May 21. Mark your calendar, click on the links for more information, and join the conversation. Stay tuned for announcements of additional titles and meetings in upcoming editions of this newsletter.
The Minnesota Lynx professional basketball franchise has competed in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) since the 1999 season. The Lynx are the second professional women’s basketball team to represent Minnesota, the first being the Minnesota Fillies of the now defunct Women's Professional Basketball League, active from 1978 to 1981. The Lynx compete in the WNBA’s Western Conference and have won four WNBA titles: 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017.
The Virginia and Rainy Lake Company (V&RL) incorporated in 1905 and consisted of three subsidiaries: the Virginia Lumber Company; the Duluth, Virginia, and Rainy Lake Railway; and the Minnesota Land and Construction Company. In 1908, investment from lumber magnates Frederick E. Weyerhaeuser and Edward Hines transformed the V&RL into the world’s largest white pine lumber company overnight. In 1929, however, twenty-one years of mounting costs and decreasing yields forced the company to close.
Carolyn Olson
As young Pearl tends to her urban garden in the tradition of her mother and grandmother, her dedication and generosity inspire family members to share in the work and reap the rewards.
"Dynamic folk art and dialogue-filled text tells a story of summer garden success in this bright-eyed book from Olson. . . . Crisp black outlining, stylized figures portrayed with brown skin tones, and a mosaic-like garden of flattened forms combine to produce a portrait of community vibrancy that showcases how gardens can yield both food and fraternity." —Publishers Weekly
Pub date: March 3, 2026. Book launch: March 14, 2026, 2:00 PM, Duluth Public Library, Duluth
Story by Tanaǧidaŋ To Wiŋ Tara Perron
Illustrations by Holly Young
Through words and images, this tender story from educator and healer Tanaǧidaŋ To Wiŋ Tara Perron, illustrated with evocative ledger-style artwork by Holly Young, highlights the treasures of an abundant prairie landscape. In this Dakota story, a grandmother passes down traditional knowledge to her grandaughter during a walk through an abundant prairie landscape.
Pub date: March 31, 2026. Book launch: April 18, 10:30 AM, Minnesota History Center, St. Paul
Can't Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like Our Mama!story by Rose McGee, illustrations by Christopheraaron Deanes
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African Americans in Minnesotaby David Vassar Taylor
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A Choice of Weaponsby Gordon Parks
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