Literary calendar for week of April 14
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ROGER BARR: Discusses “A Murder on the Hill: The Secret Life and Mysterious Death of Ruth Munson,” true crime nonfiction about the unsolved murder of a St. Paul woman during the Depression and the history of the Ramsey Hill district. 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, Magers & Quinn, 3039 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.
ERIC DREGNI: Celebrates paperback release of “Never Trust a Thin Cook and Other Lessons From Italy’s Culinary Capital,” in which he reaffirms the sister-city connection between St. Paul and Modena, Italy. A professor of English, journalism and Italian at Concordia University in St. Paul and dean of the Italian Concordia Language Village, he is the author of 20 books. Free. 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18, Concordia St. Paul library, 1282 Concordia Ave.
KELLY E. HILL: Presents “A Home for Friendless Women” in conversation with Elizabeth Weiss. 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.
CRISTINA HENRIQUEZ: Author best known for her classic “The Book of Unknown Americans” discusses her latest, “The Great Divide,” which centers on the decade-long construction of the Panama Canal and the unsung workers who made the engineering feat possible. Virtual event. 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, presented by MELSA’s Club Book series. Streaming live. Go to facebook.com/ClubBook.
NAM LE: Presents “36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem,” in conversation with Bao Phi, winner of the 2024 Minnesota Book Awards Kay Sexton award for outstanding contributions to the literary community. Virtual event. 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, presented by Magers & Quinn. Go to magersandquinn.com.
MINNESOTA MYSTERY NIGHT: Monthly reading series welcomes former music teacher-turned-mystery writer Chris Norbury in conversation with his favorite jazz vocalist, Connie Evingson. Norbury, who lives in Owatonna, is an award-winning author of mysteries featuring jazz musician Matt Lanier as well as a recently released coming-of-age adventure novel “Little Mountain, Big Trouble.” Evingson’s music catalog ranges from jazz and Broadway standards to Peggy Lee and Norman Gimbel. She is known locally as a member of the group Moore By Four. 7 p.m. Monday, April 15, Axel’s Restaurant, 1318 Sibley Memorial Highway, Mendota. The reading is free. Dinner begins in the restaurant at 5:30 p.m. Reservations at 651-686-4840.
MYSTERY/CRIME BOOK FAIR: More than 30 Minnesota mystery/crime writers are slated to appear at the book fair presented by St. Michael Regional Library Friends of the Library in partnership with Twin Cities Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Free. 10 a.m. panel discussion, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. book fair. Saturday, April 20, St. Michael City Hall, 11800 Town Center Dr., St. Michael.
COLLEEN MUSKE: Hosts an Earth and Arbor Day storytime featuring her debut picture book “Linden,” the tale of a tree and the community that loves it, with a read-aloud and drawing demonstration. 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 20, Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave., St. Paul.
READINGS BY WRITERS: Kao Kalia Yang of St. Paul reads from and discusses her new adult book, “Where Rivers Part: A Story of My Mother’s Life,” and a children’s book, “The Rock in My Throat.” Born in a refugee camp in Thailand, Yang is the author of award-winning books including “The Song Poet.” Hosted by Tim Nolan. For more biographical information go to: KaoKaliaYang.com. Free. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, University Club, 420 Summit Ave., St. Paul.
KILEY REID: Author of the social satire “Such a Fun Age” introduces her new novel, “Come & Get It,” described by Publishers Weekly as a “blistering send-up of academia.” Virtual event. 7 p.m. Thursday April 18, presented in MELSA’s Club Book series. Streaming live. Go to facebook.com/ClubBook.
What else is going on
Cork O’Connor is coming to television. St. Paul author William Kent Krueger will be working with Jim Kohlberg, founder of Story Mining & Supply Co., and Luke Parker Bowles to adapt Krueger’s bestselling 19-book series about a northern Minnesota lawman to the screen. Kohlberg and Parker Bowles are executive producers of Starz’s forthcoming “Outlander” prequel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “From the minute I cracked open Kent’s first book, in much the same was as I did with ‘Outlander,’ it was very clear that this series needed to be made,” Kohlberg is quoted as saying. Krueger says, “I’ve been waiting 25 years for the right people to translate my Cork O’Connor mystery series to the screen.” (If Parker Bowles’ name seems familiar it’s because he is a nephew of Britain’s Queen Camilla. Her first husband, whom she divorced, was Andrew Parker Bowles.)
St. Paul author Naomi Kritzer is a finalist for seven awards to be presented in the coming months. Her short story “Better Living Through Algorithms” is a finalist for the Hugo and Nebula awards, two of the most prestigious awards in science fiction writing. “The Year Without Sunshine,” set in south Minneapolis, is also a finalist for both awards in the Novelette competition. Her young adult science fiction novel “Liberty’s Daughter” is the Lodestar Award finalist (the Young Adult fiction award given with the Hugos), the Norton Award (the Nebula Award for best Young Adult novel), and for the Minnesota Book Award. (The Nebula Awards are presented by the Science Fiction Writers Association, the Hugo Awards are part of WorldCon, World Science Fiction convention. Minnesota Book Awards, facilitated by Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, will be announced May 7 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul.) Among Kritzer’s previous honors is a Minnesota Book Award for her popular young adult novel “Catfishing on CatNet.”
Spring has just arrived, but we always look to the future when it comes to books. Brian Freeman offers a stand-alone thriller, “Break Every Rule,” with a Sept. 10 pub date. His new thriller in the Jason Bourne series is “The Bourne Shadow,” arriving July 16. Marcie Rendon, author of the popular Cash Blackbear series, publishes a stand-alone novel, “Where They Last Saw Her,” Sept. 3. It’s the story of a Native American woman who learns of the disappearance of one of her own and seeks justice for all women on the reservation.
Next year is the 100th anniversary of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and Friends of the St. Paul Public Library are gathering a team/committee to explore how the library will celebrate this classic novel by a native of St. Paul. Due out in January is “The Cambridge Centennial Edition of The Great Gatsby” from Cambridge University Press, if you want to get an early start on all things Gatsby/Fitzgerald.
