Macalester’s Professor Sarah Ghazal Ali and Former Professor Sally Franson Finalists for Minnesota Book Awards

by Sarah Tachau ’27

As testament to the literary genius of Macalester English department professors, Minnesota Book Award judges selected the work of poetry Theophanies by Professor Sarah Ghazal Ali and the novel Big in Sweden by former Professor Sally Franson as 2025 finalists. Both works were selected by a panel of 30 judges from across the state and stand as one of four finalists in each genre.

Theophanies, published by Alice James Books, looks to the Quran and the Bible as lenses through which Professor Ali intricately examines the women’s role in family and faith. A finalist spot in the Minnesota Book Award is only one among many awards this debut collection has received. Theophanies was also a winner of the 2025 Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award for Poetry, a finalist for the 2025 California Book Award, and a finalist for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, among others.

Professor Sarah Ghazal Ali is the department’s newest poetry professor, specializing in form, Asian and Asian-American poetics, and the revision process. This year was her first full term in the department, and she is wrapping up the spring semester teaching the poetry capstone, as well as ENGL 280- Crafts of Writing: Poetry: The Engine of Obsession.

Big in Sweden, published by Mariner Books, follows an American woman’s journey to discover her Swedish routes– by means of a Swedish reality tv show. Chosen as a finalist for the Genre Fiction category of the Minnesota Book Awards, former Professor Franson has received abundant praise for her work by everyone from Meg Ryan to the Washington Post. Her previous novel, A Lady’s Guide to Selling Out was also a Minnesota Book Awards finalist, capturing readers with the same wit and vibrant characterization.

Sally Franson taught creative writing courses at Macalester for approximately three years, starting in 2019. Since leaving the department, Franson’s careers have spanned from a Swedish reality TV star to a full-time author. She writes locally and specializes in genre fiction, rich dialogue, and lively humor.

The Words would like to congratulate both Professor Ali and former Professor Franson for their well-deserved achievements!