The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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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.

Cartoons, culture and care: Latino artist creates bilingual mental health universe
Rocky Casillas Aguirre’s bilingual art show, “U are the Universe,” uses playful cartoon characters to explore mental health in a way that’s accessible to Latino youth and families.
15 essential books to better understand climate change
Professors at universities and colleges across the state say one of the best ways to understand climate change is simple: reading. 
Where to start? This week’s new releases are an all-you-can-read buffet
This week, new horror from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, a funny college do-over from Jeneva Rose, and autofiction from Hannah Pittard. Plus, stories about the American South, and a deep dive into the Earth.
Joy Harjo bends time with her poetry to honor her mother's death
In her book, “Washing my Mother’s Body,” Joy Harjo bends time with her poetry to return to what she deems an essential ritual of love and dignity to honor her mother’s passing.
Author Frank Bures on canoeing, forgotten races and a brush with death on the Mississippi
Minnesota author Frank Bures discusses his new book “Pushing the River,” a blend of personal adventures, historical research and rediscovered stories about the state’s forgotten canoe racing culture, including a near-fatal experience on the Mississippi.
Poet Andrea Gibson, candid explorer of life, death and identity, dies at 49
Andrea Gibson, a celebrated poet and performance artist, has died at age 49. Their wife, Megan Falley, announced the news on Monday. Gibson, who explored gender identity, politics and their battle with terminal ovarian cancer through poetry, passed away at their home in Boulder, Colorado.
Talking Volumes 26th season announced for Fall 2025
Talking Volumes, a collaboration between MPR News and the Minnesota Star Tribune, returns for a landmark 26th season at the historic Fitzgerald Theater.