Each day leading up to the April 16 announcement of the Minnesota Book Awards, and in collaboration with community editors from the award-winning Saint Paul Almanac, we highlight one of the thirty-two finalists. Today we feature 2016 Minnesota finalist:
Minnesota State of Wonders, photos by Brian Peterson, stories by Kerri Westenberg
Published by Mark Hirsch Publishing
Category Sponsor: Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Synopsis by Colleen Casey, Community Editor from Saint Paul Almanac:
Minnesota State of Wonders grew out of a series of articles in the Travel section of the Star Tribune entitled “State of Wonders.” Star Tribune travel editor Kerri Westenberg and staff photographer Brian Peterson sought to explore every corner of Minnesota and the dimensions of all four seasons in our state. In doing so, they captured Minnesota and its unique landscapes and seasonal shifts in a book that beguiles. From colorful, bedazzling prairie chicken dances in spring, to the icy white Arrowhead region in winter, their work shows us a Minnesota that few Minnesotans really get to see. More than a “coffee-table book,” Minnesota State of Wonders wows us with sheer beauty and renders not just the landscapes of a state, but states of being.
Author Bios:
Born in Duluth, photographer Brian Peterson’s career has allowed him to pursue the stories and images he cares most about in his home state of Minnesota and around the world. Since 1987 he’s garnered a fine reputation for his work with the Minneapolis Star Tribune. His photographs have also graced the pages of the New York Times, and National Geographic and Sports Illustrated magazines. Honored nine times as Minnesota Press Photographer of the Year, Brian has been recognized nationally and internationally for his documentary photojournalism. He has also been recognized for his sports photography by the national baseball and football Halls of Fame and the National Press Photographers Association. Peterson’s first book, “Voices for the Land,” was published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press and won three Minnesota Book Awards. Follow Peterson’s multimedia blog.
Kerri Westenberg grew up in Farmington, Minnesota. She has worked as editor of the Star Tribune’s weekly Travel section since 2004. She began her career at National Geographic and later was an editor at Cooking Light and Bon Appetit. Her writing has appeared in National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, Real Simple and other national publications. She has won numerous awards for her travel writing and, under her direction, the Star Tribune Travel section has been recognized as one of the top three in its circulation category for the past three years by the Society of American Travel Writers. In 2013, that organization named Kerri one of three Travel Journalists of the Year. Follow her on Twitter.
Minnesota State of Wonders on Facebook
Reviews:
“Peterson counts Ely’s Jim Brandenburg’s images for National Geographic among those that have had a significant influence on him. ‘What I’ve learned from Jim is that the only way to do it is to spend time and immerse yourself in it,’ Peterson said. ‘It’s a singular pursuit.’ At no time in the shooting was that more evident than the morning Peterson photographed a spider web beneath a dock on Lake Winona. The image is a remarkable close-up in which the strands of the web appear to be gossamer cables connecting globes of water droplets. Encapsulated within each droplet is the refracted lakeshore. The photo could almost pass for an illustration of a molecule in some chemistry textbook.” — Bemidji Pioneer
“This is Minnesota, the land up-north, in all it’s frozen glory.” — Sauna Times
In southeast Minnesota, an autumn display of quiet beauty
“Peterson spent much of last year blazing fresh trails as he ventured to all four corners of Minnesota — one region per season. More than 30,000 miles and hundreds of photographs later, Peterson’s appreciation for the North Star State is at an all-time high. In the spirit of the season, we’re sharing a selection of Peterson’s fall photographs featuring southeast Minnesota.” — Ann Arbor Miller, MPR News, October 2015
Watch:
Outsiders typically see Minnesota as cold, with plenty of snow and elongated O’s, but true Minnesotans know the beauty hidden behind that foreign façade.
The evening features a Preface Reception with complimentary passed wine and cash bar, author meet-and-greet, book sales and signing; the Awards Ceremony with live music, celebrity presenters, artisan cheese plates and breads, complimentary wine and lemonade, with emcee Stephanie Curtis of MPR; and the Epilogue After-Party with complimentary champagne, sumptuous desserts, and additional live music. Tickets now on sale, or click here for more information.
Today’s winner: Ward Tongen. (We’ll be in touch via email, and arrange getting the book to you!)
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