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Talking Volumes

Talking Volumes is an annual event series featuring notable authors in conversation about their new books. Presented by MPR News and The Minnesota Star Tribune. 

The story of marriage equality is more complicated — and costly — than you remember
Sasha Issenberg, author of “The Engagement,” a history of marriage equality, says he doesn't see the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges being overturned anytime soon.
A Minneapolis writer invents new words to help us process our collective malaise
As we close the book on another strange year, we look to a new book for help understanding difficult emotions: “The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.” Minnesota author John Koenig joined host Cathy Wurzer to discuss the power of words and examine some of his creations.
Ask a Bookseller: Loved the movie? Try reading 'Dune'
Isaac Frankel of Peregrine Book Company in Prescott, Ariz., has fond memories of picking his father's copy of Frank Herbert's sci-fi novel "Dune" off the shelf and reading it for the first time. Now, he says he's seen a huge interest in the “Dune” series since the new film version came out this fall.
For queer Seoulites in 'Love in the Big City,' pride and shame intertwine
Sang Young Park's novel can be read as an anthropological approach to Seoulite queer lives in the 21st century: Its four linked stories capture the experience of being both visible and unacknowledged.
How your brain copes with grief, and why it takes time to heal
Grieving is a form of learning, says a scientist who studies the brain's response to loss. When someone you love dies, you have to learn new rules for navigating the world and your brain has to adapt.