Cheryl Minnema

Cheryl Minnema (Waabaanakwadookwe) is a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Cheryl grew up on the Mille Lacs Reservation and was raised by her mother, Millie Benjamin (Zhaawanigiizhigookwe), and grandmother, Lucy Kegg Clark (Omadwebigaashiikwe). Graduating from Nay Ah Shing Tribal School, she went on to receive her Associate of Arts Degree from Central Lakes Community College, Bachelor's of Elective Studies from St. Cloud State University, and MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults...See more

Cheryl Minnema (Waabaanakwadookwe) is a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Cheryl grew up on the Mille Lacs Reservation and was raised by her mother, Millie Benjamin (Zhaawanigiizhigookwe), and grandmother, Lucy Kegg Clark (Omadwebigaashiikwe). Graduating from Nay Ah Shing Tribal School, she went on to receive her Associate of Arts Degree from Central Lakes Community College, Bachelor's of Elective Studies from St. Cloud State University, and MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. Cheryl's first picture book, Hungry Johnny, was a 2012 SHABO Award Winner from The Loft Literary Center, and her second book, Johnny's Pheasant, was the 2020 Charlotte Zolotow Award winner from the Cooperative Children's Book Center. See less