Publisher's Note

Ann Regan during her retirement party at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. (John Autey / St. Paul Pioneer Press)

On March 25, the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library announced that Minnesota Historical Society Press’s longtime editor Ann Regan has been named the recipient of the 2025 Kay Sexton Award for her significant contributions to and leadership in Minnesota’s literary community. This prestigious award is presented annually to an individual or organization in recognition of dedication and outstanding work in fostering books, reading, and literary activity in Minnesota. Ann will be honored at the 37th Annual Minnesota Book Awards on April 22 at the Ordway Center in St. Paul.

The Friends said, "Regan retired in 2024 as the editor in chief at the Minnesota Historical Society Press, the oldest publisher in the state and the largest historical society press in the country, where she worked for 45 years. She acquired and edited books in Native American studies, ethnic studies, memoir, true crime, and politics."

“The Kay Sexton Award recognizes what we at the Minnesota Historical Society have known for more than 40 years about Ann Regan,” said MNHS Director and CEO Kent Whitworth. “Ann is much more than a gifted editor; she builds deep relationships with her authors and her colleagues, and her work will inspire Minnesota readers for generations. She is well-deserving of this honor from the Minnesota publishing industry."

Throughout her career, Ann acquired approximately 350 books and was directly involved with the editing of nearly 300 of those.  "Publishing is a team sport,” Ann said. “I’ve had wonderful colleagues at the Minnesota Historical Society Press. I’m thrilled to share this honor with them." The admiration is mutual—many congratulations, Ann!

New Releases

Pushing the River: An Epic Battle, a Lost History, a Near Death, and Other True Canoeing Stories 

Frank Bures
“If you love paddling in Minnesota, in a canoe or kayak, with people or solo, this is the book for you. If you enjoy a good north woods yarn about the inexplicable (call it a ghost story), this is the book for you. And if you like a solid survival story, you’ll find more than a couple of compelling ones in Pushing the River. I loved this book, which should reside on every cabin bookshelf from southern Minnesota to the Hudson Bay (and plenty of houses in between).” —Cary J. Griffith, author of Lost in the Wild and Gunflint Falling

Book launch, Frank Bures in conversation with Cary J. Griffith, on April 9, 7:00 PM, Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis

Perpich: A Minnesota Original

Ben Schierer with Lori Sturdevant
Rudy Perpich was one of a kind. As Minnesota’s longest-serving governor, he built bridges where others saw impassible divides: between rural and urban life, labor and business interests, local politics and international trade. This book explores the life and legacy of one of the state’s most consequential political figures, following Perpich from his youth on the Iron Range to his political forays on the school board and in the statehouse, and his decade-spanning stints in the governor’s mansion. It examines the qualities and quirks that allowed him to develop policies that crossed geographic and partisan boundaries. 

Book launch on May 21, 7:00 PM, Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis

Events

Twin Cities Metro

4/9/2025, 7:00 PM, Frank Bures, Pushing the River: An Epic Battle, a Lost History, a Near Death, and Other True Canoeing Stories, in conversation with Cary J. Griffith, Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis

4/17/2025, 7:00 PM, Patrick Strait, Home Club: Up-and-Comers and Comebacks at Acme Comedy Company, with Louis Lee and Bryan Miller, Mill City Museum, Minneapolis

4/30/2025, 7:00 PM, Patty Wetterling and Joy Baker, Dear Jacob: A Mother's Journey of Hope, Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis

Greater Minnesota

4/23/2025, 1:00 PM, Patty Wetterling and Joy Baker, Dear Jacob: A Mother's Journey of Hope, Windom Public Library, Windom

5/8/2025, 7:00-8:30 PM, Frank Bures, Pushing the River: An Epic Battle, a Lost History, a Near Death, and Other True Canoeing Stories, Content Bookstore, Northfield

5/10/2025, 1:00 PM, Greg Gaut, The War at Home: Minnesota during the Great War, 1914-1920, Fair Trade Books, Red Wing

National

4/13/2025, 3:00 PM, Molly Beth Griffin and Claudia McGehee, Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City, IA

4/22/2025, 6:30 PM, Frank Bures, Pushing the River: An Epic Battle, a Lost History, a Near Death, and Other True Canoeing Stories, with Judd Steinback, Pearl Street Books, La Crosse, WI

In the Media

Molly Beth Griffin and illustrator Claudia McGehee, Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing, starred review in School Library Journal

Claudia McGehee, illustrator, Rings of Heartwood: Poems on Growing, "This Iowa City-based illustrator finds inspiration for her art and books in nature," Iowa Public Radio

Noteworthy

Three MNHS Press authors have been selected as finalists for the 2025 Minnesota Book Awards, including Jokeda "JoJo" Bell for Red Stained: The Life of Hilda Simms, Christopher P. Lehman for It Took Courage: Eliza Winston's Quest for Freedom, and Cathy Coats for To Banish Forever: A Secret Society, the Ho-Chunk, and Ethnic Cleansing in Minnesota. We look forward to this year's ceremony on April 22 at the Ordway Center in St. Paul. 

New in MNopedia

Uusi Kotimaa

The Finnish-language newspaper Uusi Kotimaa (New Homeland) reached readers for more than fifty years, from the 1880s until 1934. For all but five of those years, its headquarters was the town of New York Mills, Minnesota—one of the largest Finnish American immigrant communities in the state. The paper changed its politics multiple times, evolving from a conservative editorial stance in its first decades to an explicitly communist one. By the heyday of the Farmer–Labor Party in the 1920s, it was one of the leading Finnish-language newspapers in the United States.

Pardon Power in Nineteenth-Century Minnesota

Until 1897, Minnesota’s governors enjoyed unrestricted power to pardon, or commute the sentence of, anyone convicted of a crime in state courts. The first such pardon was given in 1854, the last in November 1896. In that span fourteen governors, from Willis Gorman to David M. Clough, issued more than 1400 acts of clemency (the blanket term for pardons and commutations). They covered crimes ranging from petty theft to murder, and canceled (or reduced) penalties as minor as a one-dollar fine, and as dire as death by hanging.

Forthcoming Releases

Enmity and Empathy: Japanese Americans in Minnesota during World War II 

Ka F. Wong
Drawing on personal interviews, archival sources, and historical literature, scholar and professor Ka F. Wong explores the courageous struggles of trailblazers who left the incarceration camps in the West and rebuilt their lives in the North Star State, overcoming hostility and hardship along the way.

“Allies are always important, especially in the face of war and racism. This book looks into dark days and demons, sharing the stories of victims and naming the heroes on both sides. Ka Wong offers us a significant contribution to an important and greatly underrepresented piece of US history.” —Linda Watanabe McFerrin, author of POST-Apocalyptic Valentine

Book launch, Ka F. Wong in conversation with Sally Sudo and Karen Tanaka Lucas, May 31, 1:30 PM, Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul

Rewind: Lessons from Fifty Years of Activism

T Williams with David Lawrence Grant
An accomplished activist’s valuable stories and insights on navigating crises, building networks, and maintaining a commitment to community—from the foment of the 1960s to today—underscore the urgency of conversations about race.

“T Williams brilliantly reveals the story of his life and accomplishments in this compelling autobiography. If you’re curious about the evolution of racial and social justice in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, if you’re curious about the organizations that moved us forward, there is no better read. Williams was at the heart of much that transpired, and he takes us inside the building of organizations and the work with corporate and political leaders. . . . This personal and intimate story is a historical masterpiece.” —Alexs D. Pate, author of Amistad

Book launch on June 15, 1:00 PM, Sumner Library, Minneapolis

Did you know MNHS has a podcast?

Bestselling Backlist

Red Stained by Jokeda "JoJo" Bell	To Banish Forever by Cathy Coats	It Took Courage by Christopher P. Lehman