Celebrate the written word and our northern region
Lake Superior Writers, in proud partnership with The Depot Foundation, will present an afternoon celebrating the literary arts and authors of our northern region.
The Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards celebration will be from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21 in the Great Hall of The St. Louis County Depot with authors signing books, regional bookstores, a presentation by a local author and the official announcement of this year’s 2026 NEMBA awards.
The event is FREE thanks to grant support from The Depot Foundation and kind donations.
More than 30 books were nominated this year in the categories of Children’s Literature/Middle Grade; Non-fiction/Memoir; Fiction and Poetry. There will be a First Place and Second Place winner announced in each category.
The keynote speaker for the afternoon will be Duluthian Alex Messenger, an author, adventurer, photographer and volunteer search-and-rescue operator. At 17, he was mauled by a grizzly bear while on a canoe trip in Nunavut, the Canadian tundra – a life-influencing experience that became the foundation for his 2019 Wall Street Journal Bestselling book, The Twenty-Ninth Day. This year, he debuted his second book and first fictional novel, The Ice on the Lake, also released by Blackstone Publishing. The new novel is set on the ice of Lake Superior in Duluth . A communication specialist with the University of Minnesota Duluth, Alex was named one of the 20 under 40 by the Duluth News Tribune in 2025.
His photography has appeared in The New York Times, Men’s Journal, National Parks magazine, Outside, Backpacker, National Geographic publications, North magazine, the Minnesota Star Tribune, and the Duluth News Tribune, among others.
Throughout the afternoon, you can mingle and chat with writers and others interested in the literary arts. The event is funded by a generous grant from The Depot Foundation, as well as support and donations from the St. Louis County Depot, Friends of the Duluth Public Library, Bellisio’s Catering and on-going support from our sponsoring booksellers: The Bookstore at Fitger’s, Zenith Bookstore, Foxes and Fireflies Booksellers, Honest Dog Books and Apostle Islands Booksellers.
Bellisio’s, a sponsor of the event, will be catering sweet and savory snacks.
The NEMBA Awards are presented by Lake Superior Writers.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
