Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

Sign Up for The Thread® Newsletter

Sign up for The Thread newsletter to get reading recommendations from Kerri Miller and other bookworms around the MPR newsroom. Sam Stroozas rounds up local events and Minnesota book news you may have missed.

Ask a Bookseller

Ask a Bookseller is a weekly series where host Emily Bright checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. Listen to Ask a Bookseller to find your next favorite book.

Big Books and Bold Ideas

Big Books and Bold Ideas is a weekly series hosted by Kerri Miller and produced by Kelly Gordon every Friday at 11 a.m., featuring conversations about books and other literary ideas. Listen to Big Books and Bold Ideas here.

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.

St. Paul’s east side set to lose public library in mayor’s proposed budget cuts

St. Paul’s east side set to lose public library in mayor’s proposed budget cuts

St. Paul Mayor Kaholy Her's proposed budget would shut down Dayton’s Bluff library on the city’s east side. Maree Lee and Kmari Watson come to the library almost every day and consider it a second home. They don’t know where they’ll go without it.
by Ahmed Hassan

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Paul Yoon's novel 'Etna' is told from a dog's point of view, thanks to Oscar

Paul Yoon's novel 'Etna' is told from a dog's point of view, thanks to Oscar

Paul Yoon didn’t know it on the day he and his wife adopted Oscar, a yellow lab puppy, that his world would never be the same. His new novel, “Etna,” grew out of his love affair with his dog.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
First ever Midwest Black Book Fair looks to be a dedicated space for Black stories

First ever Midwest Black Book Fair looks to be a dedicated space for Black stories

The inaugural Midwest Black Book Fair will bring dozens of Black authors and booksellers to north Minneapolis on Saturday. Terresa Hardaway, who’s behind the event and the owner of Black Garnet Books in St. Paul, joined Minnesota Now to give a preview.
by Kelly Gordon and Alanna Elder

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Beyond books: How public libraries are changing

Beyond books: How public libraries are changing

Libraries aren’t just places to find a good book. They’re places to create, learn, connect and access technology and other resources. MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests explore how public libraries are meeting community needs.
by Angela Davis and Nikhil Kumaran

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Publishing bilingual poetry collection is 'a dream' for Minnesota refugee advocate

Publishing bilingual poetry collection is 'a dream' for Minnesota refugee advocate

Poems in Ana Fores Tomayo’s new collection, “Peregrina/Pilgrim” are in both English and Spanish but are not straight translations because, she says, that’s “not poetry." Fores Tomayo is executive director of Refugee Support Network.
by Elena See

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Teen poets to share work reflecting on history and the future they hope for

Teen poets to share work reflecting on history and the future they hope for

In an event Thursday, teens will read poems from a workshop and mentorship program that asked them to reflect on the 250th anniversary of the U.S. and imagine the world they want to see.
by Nina Moini and Ngoc Bui

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Ask a Bookseller: ‘Her Last Breath’ by Taylor Adams

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Her Last Breath’ by Taylor Adams

This is not a book for the claustrophobic, unless you believe in exposure therapy through reading.
by Emily Bright

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!