The Creative Writing Programs at Hamline has had a great showing in the list of finalists for Minnesota Book Awards:

Children's Literature: Nancy Loewen, The Last Day of Kindergarten, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa (Marshall Cavendish Children)

Young People's Literature: Brian Farrey, With or Without You (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division)

Novel, Short Story: Mary Francois Rockcastle, In Caddis Wood (Graywolf Press)

Poetry: Jim Moore, Invisible Strings (Graywolf Press), and Su Smallen, Buddha, Proof (Broadcraft Press). It's also notable that Smallen's book of poetry was published by Broad Craft Press, which is a small press created by Master in Fine Arts alums Meghan Maloney-Vinz, Kate Shuktnecht, Meg Masterson, and Julia Jenson.