Minnesota Book Awards

The annual celebration of Minnesota books and publishing has new sponsors (the entire city of St. Paul seems to have gotten behind this thing), new digs, and plenty of fresh faces this year. But in a state with so much literary activity going on it’s hard to screw up something so basically virtuous. We could quibble about some of the nominations (and oversights), and will likely squawk about a number of winners, but that’s the pure blood-sport fun of such galas, the nasty flipside to all the merrymaking and clinking of champagne glasses. There’ll apparently be (actually, there better be) plenty of the latter; cocktail and business attire are suggested, and tickets are forty bucks a pop. Crowne Plaza Hotel, 11 Kellogg Blvd. E., St. Paul; 651-222-3242.