2020 Minnesota Book Artist Award Winners
The collaborative team that created My Mighty Journey: A Waterfall’s Story
Writer: John Coy
Artist: Gaylord Schanilec
Image development, composition, printing, and binding team: Sorcha Douglas, Barbara Eijadi, Paris Fobbe, Ellen Janda, Hans Koch, Greta Lapcinski, Monica Edwards Larson, Rayan Macalin, Kerri Mulcare, Paul Nylander, and Emily Pressprich, as well as papermaker Amanda Degener.
My Mighty Journey is the story of the only major waterfall on the Mississippi River, and the changes it has witnessed over twelve thousand years.
Enhancing this story are stunning letterpress images created with materials collected along the riverbank: wood and bark, limestone and bricks. The illustrations show the progression of the waterfall—eventually known as St. Anthony Falls—as it moved fifteen miles upriver. My Mighty Journey helps viewers realize that most of us are newcomers here.
The committee commented on how the weight and impressive scale of the work fits with the subject. “It couldn’t have been any other way,” stated one juror.
About the Minnesota Book Awards
Created in 1988, The Minnesota Book Awards is a statewide, year-round outreach program of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library in partnership with the Saint Paul Public Library and City of Saint Paul. For more information about the Minnesota Book Artist Award, visit the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library’s website or call 651-366-6497.