Bongwater was based on a book by an award-winning writer.
Bongwater (film) . Based on the 1995 book of the same name by Michael Hornburg , the film is set in Portland , Oregon , and follows an aspiring artist and marijuana dealer and his relationship with a tempestuous woman he meets through a client . Louis Jenkins . The author 's book , Nice Fish , was winner of the Minnesota Book Award in 1995 . His book Just Above Water won the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award in 1997 . Michael Charles Nelson ( born June 11 , 1949 ) is an American political scientist , noted for his work on the Presidency , Southern Politics , and elections . Nelson is an award winning writer and editor , winning prestigious awards such as the American Political Science Association ( APSA ) Richard E. Neustadt Award for the Outstanding book on the Presidency and Executive Politics published during the previous year for his book Resilient America : Electing Nixon in 1968 , Channeling Dissent , and Dividing Government ( University Press of Kansas ) , and the V.O. Key Award for Outstanding Book on Southern Politics for How the South Joined the Gambling Nation : The Politics of State Policy Innovation ( 2009 ) .