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.

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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.

Book pick: 'What Doctors Feel'
Kerri's book pick this week is "What Doctors Feel" by writer-physician Danielle Ofri.
Scheherazade: From storytelling 'slave' to 'first feminist'
The stories of One Thousand and One Nights are among the world's most famous works of literature. Scheherazade and her stories have become a touchstone of Arab culture, passed down orally for centuries. Lebanese author Hanan al-Shaykh has just published a modern retelling of One Thousand and One Nights, a project that began when she adapted those stories for the stage.
Wis. site features Laura Ingalls Wilder Weekends
A Wisconsin historical site is getting set to honor author Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Word of mouth sells at bookseller convention
On one level, BookExpo is the standard noisy trade show. But the three-day convention also is a chance to witness and perpetuate the art of word of mouth, publishing's most mysterious and most durable path to success. "Buzz" was the currency at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, and it appreciated in ways large and small.
Short and sweet: Celebrating D.C.'s cherry blossoms with haiku
The cherry blossoms are finally in bloom in Washington, D.C., and what better way to celebrate these beautiful Japanese gifts than with a haiku?
'More Than They Bargained For' examines Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's Act 10
A new book covers the developments in Madison when Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker passed Act 10, which curtailed almost all collective bargaining rights for public employees.
Winona teen publishes 1st book -- in German
Cadence Klemp, 17, has always enjoyed writing and recently self-published a 14-page children's book called "Schweinlein Geht Einkaufen" ("Piglet Goes Shopping").
Children of military families in Minnesota are being invited to enter Sen. Al Franken's second annual poetry contest.
At 89, volunteer librarian loves doing her part
At age 89, Ruth Boldan is still a volunteer librarian at the underheated, overstuffed 1890s schoolhouse that is now home to the Hazel Dell Library in Leader, Minn.
The island dweller who penned a poem decades ago that could find its way into Minnesota law hasn't been shy about promoting "Minnesota Blue."