Join Margi, and Abigail and Bella from 2 Kid Interviews, as they talk about writing, rejection, mystery, historical fiction and fantasy genres, book bans and much more!
Lily is a 2023 NEMBA Award Winner
Lily (and Margi!) are so excited to be the 2023 NEMBA Award winner for Children’s Literature!
The NEMBA Awards are presented by Lake Superior Writers, a nonprofit fostering a vibrant literary arts community in northeastern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin. Lake Superior Writers work to build strong writing communities, provide an audience for literature, and further the artistic development of writers through workshops, readings, and publications.
October 8: Women Writers on Water Crisis and Rescue
The Memory Fields of Water
Women Writers on Water Crisis and Rescue
October 8th 2:00
East Side Freedom Librar, 1105 Greenbrier Street, Saint Paul
Join Margi for a conversation and collaboration of arts and action. Women writers will share their work on the many aspects of water—celebration, crisis, rescue, legacy, exploration, and place of healing.
Speakers include: Catherine Reid Day, Claire Wahanholm, Cole W. Williams, Diane Brady-Leighton, Diane Jarvenpa, Dralandra Larkins, Freya Manfred, Grace Guenthner, Ellen Rogers, Erin Sharkey, Heid Erdrich, Kathryn Kysar, Leslie Thomas, Lora Robinson, Margaret Hasse, Margi Preus, Noelle Wang, Pat Barron, Rebecca Ramsden, Sharon Chmielarz, Sheila O’Keefe, Su Hwang, Zoë Bird
The Oshkii Giizhik Singers from the Fond du Lac/Duluth area will open and close the program.
Sponsored by The East side Freedom Library
The East Side Freedom Library (ESFL) has its home in the former Arlington Hills library, one of St. Paul’s historic Carnegie library buildings at 1105 Greenbrier Street, located in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood.
The ESFL’s mission is to inspire solidarity, advocate for justice and work toward equity for all. The library houses non-circulating research collections that appeal to interested general learners as well as scholars, with innovative databases and finding aids that make using the collections fun and vital.
Shadow on the Mountain reviewed on Shepard.com
Sandy Brehl, reviewer, is the author of the ODIN’S PROMISE trilogy about the Resistance movement in Norway during the German occupation in World War II.
“This novel (historical fiction but inspired by real people and events) was released just a month before my novel. I read it immediately and was enthralled by the intensity and density of issues. Two best friends, Norwegian teen boys, choose opposite paths after the Nazi invasion of their homeland. One reveled in the potential glory and power of joining a German Youth club while the other pursued resistance and resilience in protesting the propaganda and power of the military occupation. The escalation of emotions and dangers, actual conflicts, high-stakes tension, and eventual climactic decisions are riveting. This has everything: emotional depth, action, suspicion, suspense, and complex characters in challenging situations. Add the Author Note with details about the truth behind the tale and you’ve got a guaranteed winner of a book.”
Be sure to check out Sandy’s complete list of The best books about young characters with courage, resilience, and resistance in WWII.
Shepherd.com was created by bibliophile and entrepreneur Ben Fox, who believes that books build better humans. The mission behind his website is to help everyone find the book they didn't know they were looking for. As of June 2023, he’s asked 9,0000+ authors to share five of their favorite books around a topic, theme, or mood and why they love each book. This infuses each book with a bit of magic and meaning.
Battle of the Books: Kids summer reading competition
The battle is on. The book battle, that is.
The Battle of the Books is a nationwide program that encourages kids to read and gives them the opportunity to battle others with their newfound book knowledge. This summer, the battle was on in Brainerd, Minn.
“What a great bunch of readers in Brainerd!” said Margi, “Some may have scored better on the Windswept questions than I did. Thanks to all for the warm welcome!”
Sponsored by Friends of the Brainerd Public Library, many books (including Windswept!) were written by Minnesota authors or taking place in Minnesota — of various genres with different themes. There are stories of fantasy, realistic fiction and historical fiction, dealing with themes like love, loss, forgiveness, diversity, acceptance, tolerance and war.
Participants will read four books — one every three weeks — in the summer. After finishing each book, there will be a book club event of sorts for students to discuss the books with both adult volunteers and other students. The following week, they’ll get to meet the author, who will appear either in person or via Zoom.
The final battle will take place in September. Kids will be split into groups of four and go head-to-head with their peers, answering questions about the books they read.
