Dr. David Pichaske, author, publisher and a longtime English professor at Southwest Minnesota State University, has been nominated for the annual Kay B. Sexton Award, which honors a lifetime contribution to Minnesota’s literary community.

The winner of the award will be announced in late February. It is sponsored by Common Good Books of St. Paul and affiliated with the annual Minnesota Book Awards contest.

Pichaske has taught at SMSU since 1981, has authored, co-authored or co-edited at least 17 books, and is the publisher-editor of two acclaimed independent book-publishing houses, Spoon River Poetry Press and Ellis Press.

He is a three-time recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship. As a professor and publisher, he has been an avid promoter of rural regional literature, giving public talks on the importance of regional writing and teaching the works of such regional authors as Bill Holm, Paul Gruchow and Meridel LeSueur, among others.

Hoffman Named MARL Executive Director

The Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (MARL) program today announced the selection of Dan Hoffman, Rochester, as Executive Director. Hoffman, who previously served as a Farm Business Management instructor at Riverland Community College in Austin, Minn., will begin his new role in January, 2012. MARL is an 18-month leadership development program for adults who are already active in ag and rural communities and organizations.

Several events are planned at Southwest Minnesota State University to celebrate Black History Month during February.

An historical trivia game will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb 1 in the Student Center, upper level. The game features participants who dress up as historical figures and ask audience members, after giving clues, “Who Am I?”

Civil Rights activist Leslie McLemore will give a presentation, “Fannie Lou Hamer, Barack Obama and the Struggle for Civil Rights” at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8 in Charter Hall 201.

An authority on the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, McLemore was the vice-chair of the original delegation to the 1964 Democratic convention. Currently, he serves as the president of the city council in Jackson, Miss.