By Laurie Hertzel

She's Dr. Benitez, now.

Sandra Benitez, "one of Minnesota's lucky authors," as she says, has been awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters by Concordia University of St. Paul. Benitez, author of "A Place Where the Sea Remembers," "Bag Lady" and three other books, was honored for her literary work and life experience. She is, frankly, delighted, to receive what she calls "this great honor."

"On Commencement Day, I walked with full regalia, cap, gown and hood," she said. "Receiving this honor has completed my academic circle: I have a B.A. and an M.A. I am 68 years old and believed that my 'I'm going to get a doctorate someday' time was over."

Also ...

• "The Night I Freed John Brown," published last year by Philomel Books, has won the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. Author John Michael Cummings is a former Minneapolis resident and asks, in his e-mail, to be remembered to Loring Park.

• Explorer and writer Dan Buettner of St. Paul will speak at this month's Lunch for Libraries, the annual fundraiser for the Minnesota Library Foundation. Tickets are $40 for the June 17 event, which begins at 11:30 a.m. at Macalester College in St. Paul. Emcee will be actress Linda Kelsey. For tickets, contact Judy Todd at judy@melsa.org.

• Nigerian playwright and novelist Tess Onwueme, distinguished professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, has received the African Literature Association's Fonlon-Nichols award, given annually to an African writer for excellence in creative writing and for contributions to the struggles for human rights.

• Christopher Meeks, author of the novel "The Brightest Moon of the Century," has been long-listed for the Frank O'Connor Award for his short story collection "Months and Seasons." The short list will be decided this month, with the winner announced in September.

• Mary Janice Davidson of Minneapolis has a new book out. "Undead and Welcome," published by Berkley, is the eighth in a series of novels about Betsy Taylor, vampire queen. Davidson's books regularly appear on the New York Times bestseller list.

• Common Good Books has published a collection of poems by the store's owner, who also just happens to be Garrison Keillor. "77 Love Sonnets," out this month, is available at the bookstore and from amazon.com.

• "Power and Stride: The Nancy Burggraf Story," by Merrie Sue Holtan, has been published by Pogo Press. Burggraf, of Roseau, Minn., is the first woman nominated to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.