Featuring Gary Paul Nabhan
2026 Book Lovers Ball
Milkweed Editions' Annual Fundraising Gala
Thursday, September 24, 2026
The Minneapolis Institute of Art
2400 3rd Ave South | Minneapolis, MN 55404
5:30 p.m. Reception
6:30 p.m. Dinner & program
8:30 p.m. Post-program social
Please join us Thursday, September 24, for the 2026 Book Lovers Ball, Milkweed Editions’ signature fundraising gala. Join guest speaker Gary Paul Nabhan and fellow book lovers at the Minneapolis Insitute of Art to celebrate and raise funds for transformative literature. Tickets will sell quickly—to secure yours, reserve them today!
Featuring
Gary Paul Nabhan, is a celebrated ethnobotanist and biocultural conservationist, and author of Water in the Desert: A Pilgrimage.
Join fellow book lovers for a social hour, pop-up bookstore, seated dinner, inspiring program, live auction, and post-program reception with the author—all in celebration and support of transformative books.
Images by Molly Miles of the 2024 Book Lovers Ball with Chris La Tray, author of Becoming Little Shell. Thank you to our sponsors and attendees!
Can’t make the event but still want to help?
Your donation supports Milkweed’s mission to identify, nurture, and publish transformative literature, and build an engaged community around it. Click the button below or contact Madi McLaughlin, madi_mclaughlin@milkweed.org, (612) 215-2559.
Environmentally conscious
Milkweed is committed to ecological stewardship. In addition to publishing books that explore our relationship with the more-than-human world, we strive to use the most sustainable production practices and to reduce the impact of our operations in the environment.
We are working closely with our partners to plan and execute a Book Lovers Ball that minimizes waste and reduces carbon emissions by encouraging carpooling, public transport, and EV use; eliminating single-use items; composting or recycling all event waste and collateral; using sustainable and reusable materials in all decor; and utilizing seasonal and locally grown food.
Hosted by the Milkweed Editions Board of Directors
Heather Anfang | Keith Bednarowski | Dan Cramer | Chad Dayton | Nima Desai
Jonathan Gaw | Sheila Glancy Letscher | Shelly Gill Murray | John Gordon | Cindy Kaiser Michael Kleber-Diggs | Chuck Knapp | Leah Lamon | Paulita LaPlante | Stephanie Matz Deepinder Mayell | Karine Moe | Megan O’Hara | Daniel Slager, Publisher & CEO
Stephen Spencer | Sarah Stoesz | Ian Taylor Jr. | Deanna Thompson | Betsy Van Hecke
Jacob Wolkowitz | Maryam Marne Zafar
Book Lovers Ball Archive
2025 — featuring Robin Wall Kimmerer
2024 — featuring Chris La Tray
2023 — featuring Elizabeth Rush
2022 — featuring Ada Limón, Michael Bazzett, Michael Kleber-Diggs, Chris Martin, JJJJJerome Ellis, Hannah Emerson, and Adam Wolfond
2021 — featuring Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Diane Wilson, and Victoria Chang
2020 (virtual) — featuring Robin Wall Kimmerer, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Margaret Renkl, Elizabeth Rush, and Su Hwang
2019 — featuring Margaret Renkl
2018 — featuring Michael Bazzet
2017 — featuring Amy & Dave Freeman
2016 — featuring Chris Dombrowski
2015 — featuring Michael Bazzett, Beth Dooley, Parneshia Jones, Miriam Karmel, Patricia Kirkpatrick, James Lenfestey, Brian Laidlaw, Shawn Otto, John Reimringer, Danielle Sosin, William Souder, Faith Sullivan, and Katrina Vandenberg
2014 — featuring Shawn Otto
2013 — featuring Robin Wall Kimmerer
2012 — featuring David Rhodes
2011 — featuring David Gessner
2010 — featuring Larry Watson, Jessica Anderson, and John Reimringer
2009 — tribute to Bill Holm, featuring David Rhodes and James Lenfestey
2008 — featuring Bill Holm and Karsten Heuer
2007 — featuring Deborah Keenan, Matthew Eck, Faith Sullivan, and Seth Kantner
2006 — featuring James Armstrong, Natasha Friend, David Petersen, and Bapsi Sidhwa
2005 — featuring Jay Walljasper, Pattiann Rogers, Seth Kantner, and Natasha Friend