Matt Rasmussen can add another award to his collection.
The International Falls native won the Minnesota Book Award for his debut poetry book, “Black Aperture,” at the Minnesota Book Awards Gala Saturday in St. Paul.
A Twin Cities news source said, Rasmussen, the son of Allen and Gail Rasmussen of the Falls, was one of four finalists for this year’s award in poetry.
According to The Friends of the St. Paul Public Library website, a summary of why “Black Aperture” earned the award says, “In his moving debut collection...Rasmussen faces the tragedy of his brother’s suicide, refusing to focus on the expected pathos, blurring the edge between grief and humor. Rasmussen is a founding coeditor of Birds LLC, a small independent poetry press, and teaches at Gustavus Adolphus College.”
“Black Aperture” earned Rasmussen the 2012 Walt Whitman Award and he was also a finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry in the fall of 2013.
The Walt Whitman Award is a first book prize awarded to a first collection by an American poet who has never before published a book of poetry.
The National Book Award is one of the nation’s most prestigious literary prizes and has a stellar record of identifying and rewarding quality writing. The National Book Foundation’s mission is to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of good writing in America.
