Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?

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. 

Loft Literary Center names new director

Loft Literary Center names new director

The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis has named Jocelyn Hale as its new executive director. She will succeed Linda Myers, who is retiring in the fall after 13 years at the organization.
by Greta Cunningham

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!
The importance of reading (and not just Harry Potter)

The importance of reading (and not just Harry Potter)

Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, has nothing against the Harry Potter books, the last of which hits store shelves a minute past midnight Saturday. But Gioia argues we'd need a new Harry Potter every month to get kids reading as much as they should.

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!
Justin Morneau featured in book aimed at youth

Justin Morneau featured in book aimed at youth

Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau is featured in a new book, "Before the Glory: 20 Baseball Heroes Talk About Growing Up and Turning Hard Times into Home Runs." The book highlights players talking about their childhood and some of the challenges they faced growing up.
by Jim Bickal

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!
Writer's past inspires new fiction

Writer's past inspires new fiction

Writer Carol Muske-Dukes reaches back to the 1970s, and her past as a creative writing teacher to both the privileged and the imprisoned, for a new work of fiction. In real life, Muske Dukes started a creative writing program for women at Riker's Island prison in New York City.

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!

Minnesota to get state poet laureate

A formal search will begin later this year for Minnesota's official poet laureate.
by Tim Pugmire

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!
Douglas Wolk - live from Gluek's

Douglas Wolk - live from Gluek's

Douglas Wolk is the author of "Reading Comics." Mary Lucia chatted with him at The Current's live broadcast from Gluek's about super-heroes and why Harvey Pekar - the subject of American Splendor - is a bad influence.
by Mary Lucia

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!
Norma Sommerdorf creates a "Red River Girl"

Norma Sommerdorf creates a "Red River Girl"

Stampeding bison, drunken oxcart drivers and a teen romance are all part of a new book by a St. Paul author. The book "Red River Girl" is fiction, but the story is rich with historical fact from the mid-1840s.
by Dan Olson

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!
A poet makes music this weekend in Stillwater

A poet makes music this weekend in Stillwater

Tony Hoagland writes free verse, without a rhyming scheme or a formal structure, but that doesn't mean his poems are without music. As if to prove the point, he's in Stillwater this weekend to participate in the first-ever White Pine Festival, which explores the relationship between music and poetry.
by Alison Young

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!
MPR Fakebook with Laurie Lindeen

MPR Fakebook with Laurie Lindeen

The Current Fakebook returned with its final show of the series' first season as The Current's Mary Lucia welcomed Minneapolis-based musician and author Laurie Lindeen, along with a cast of rock worthies to help tell Lindeen's story.
by Mary Lucia

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!
The literary life of Brother Ali

The literary life of Brother Ali

Brother Ali, a recording artist with the Minneapolis-based Rhymesayers record label, talks about why Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" is one of his favorite books.

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!