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The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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

Ask a Bookseller

Ask a Bookseller is a weekly series where The Thread 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 every Friday at 11 a.m., featuring conversations about books and other literary ideas. Listen to Big Books and Bold Ideas here.

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. Find reviews for new releases, as well as hidden gems you may have missed.

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. 

Pipestone's Hiawatha Pageant to close after 60 years

Pipestone's Hiawatha Pageant to close after 60 years

A summertime play in Pipestone seen by more than a half million people is ending. It's one of several outdoor dramas around the country that have closed in recent years.
by Mark Steil

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A teacher looks at war through words

A teacher looks at war through words

An English teacher at West Point explains her literary choices for expanding the minds of her student cadets, some of whom will soon become soldiers.

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Twin Cities top most literate list

Twin Cities top most literate list

Minneapolis has topped a list of the most literate cities in America. St. Paul landed at number three on the list, which is part of a study by Central Connecticut State University.

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Teen lit picks

Teen lit picks

Two Twin Cities authors received an important honor this year: they each have a book on a list of works recommended by teen readers. John Coy says he's trying to fill a need for sports books that appeal to boys. David LaRochelle's recommended book describes the coming out of a gay teen.

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Holiday stage sessions

Holiday stage sessions

Stage Sessions with Heather McElhatton and guest poet Bill Holm. The theme: "The Traditions Of Christmas: Those You Want and Those That Are Foisted Upon You." Guests include Robert Bly and Nirmala Rajashekar.

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Is everyone a critic?

Is everyone a critic?

Professional criticism in newspapers may be declining, but the need for someone to weed through the wealth of media available online may be increasing.

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Minnesota writer Carol Bly dies

Minnesota writer Carol Bly dies

Carol Bly was a fiction writer, essayist and creative writing teacher who was known for her strong moral voice. She died of cancer Friday at the age of 77.

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Homayoun Ershadi's strange trip to stardom

Homayoun Ershadi's strange trip to stardom

There are many ways of becoming an actor. Take the story of an international movie star with a big role in the new adaptation of "The Kite Runner." Homayoun Ershadi got his big break sitting at a traffic light.
by Euan Kerr

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What living in Iceland teaches you about America

Minnesota poet Bill Holm spoke about his new book, "Windows of Brimnes: An American In Iceland," in a recent appearance at the Minneapolis Public Library.

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Birds in winter

Birds in winter

A non-game wildlife expert from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources takes questions about how birds and other wildlife behave in winter.

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