When last we wrote about Minneapolis poet Amy McCann, a little more than a year ago, she was busily accepting a McKnight award for poetry. And now we have fresh honors: Her manuscript, "Yes Thorn" has been chosen as the winner of Tupelo Press' 2013 First/Second Book Award.

The judge for the competition was Paisley Rekdal, who praised McCann's book for using language in "new and exciting ways." McCann will be awarded $3,000 and publication.

Her work has appeared in Kenyon Review, Gettysburg Review, and West Branch. She teaches at Northwestern College and has worked at Milkweed Editions.

Finalists for the competition include Juliet Patterson of Minneapolis, for her collection, "Threnody."