Kay Sexton Award, 2020, for significant contributions and leadership in Minnesota's literary community.

Finalist, 2017 Upper Midwest Booksellers Association:, A Marriage Book: 50 Years of Poems from a Marriage. (Milkweed Editions, 2017)

Finalist, 2017 Minnesota Book Awards, A Marriage Book: 50 Years of Poems from a Marriage. (Milkweed Editions, 2017)

Finalist, 2014 Minnesota Book Awards, Memoir: Seeking the Cave: A Pilgrimage to Cold Mountain (Milkweed Editions, 2014)

The 2008 Milkweed Editions Award for Distinguished Contribution to Literary Culture
view Milkweed Speech - October 11, 2008

Journalism Awards:

Silver Medal, 2007 City and Regional Magazine Association (CRMA) Awards, Civic Journalism Category, for the 4 part series; "What Matters to Us: Public Education."
MSPmag.com

Silver Honor, 2006 Magazine Publisher's Excellence Award, Best Feature Article, "The Original Geek Squad," published in MINNESOTA MONTHLY.

2nd place, 1997 Minnesota Page One Award for Excellence in Journalism,
Star Tribune

First place, 1995 Minnesota Page One Award for Excellence in Journalism,
Star Tribune, for "Prairie Island"

First place, 1993 Minnesota Page One Award for Excellence in Journalism,
Star Tribune, for "Save Main Street"

First place, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1996, Neighborhood and Community Press
Association, Best Ongoing Column

First place 1981 Neighborhood and Community Press Association, Best Feature
Article

Screenwriting Awards:

First Place, Fine Arts — American Film Festival, 1984, scriptwriter, for broadcast program "Prairie School Architecture", a presentation of TPT and UMN, carried also on the Independent Channel on cable, and PBS stations nationwide.
View online: via YouTube 4insightTV channel
View on TPT Passport: via PBS link (AIR DATE 5/5/83)