There should be no shortage of nominees when the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library and the Minnesota Book Awards reveal a new Minnesota Writers Hall of Fame.

But I guess it's a sign of the times that it will be an online, virtual Hall of Fame.

A $5,000 grant from the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission will get it started.

Organizers say they'll seek input from librarians, booksellers, writers and scholars in choosing the inductees. They're looking at 10 to start things off then they're thinking five a year after that. Because they're coming to this a bit late in the state's history -- 150 years late, perhaps -- they expect many posthumous inductees.

But eventually they'll work through F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Charles Schulz and Maud Hart Lovelace, and within the next few decades maybe get to Vince Flynn and John Camp (Sanford). Or is this going to be just a literary and academic writing award, skipping the more popular genre fiction?

Look for updates on the Friends website. Meanwhile, readers, who should be inducted and why? Send your nominees to our Comments section below.