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. 

Toni Morrison on race, writing and global citizenship

Toni Morrison on race, writing and global citizenship

Toni Morrison, who has won both the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, spoke about her writing Sept. 5 at Macalester College in St. Paul. Her talk was part of the inaugural lecture series for the college's Institute for Global Citizenship.

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!
Who was the real Jay Gatsby?

Who was the real Jay Gatsby?

Not much is known about the origin of the character Jay Gatsby, but a St. Paul author is writing a biography about a dashing Minnesotan who may have been F. Scott Fitzgerald's inspiration.

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 State Fair poetry team

The State Fair poetry team

To celebrate the unique nature of the Minnesota State Fair, two local artists are combining their creative talents to write and produce a poem a day from the fair.

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!
Confronting the challenges of faith

Confronting the challenges of faith

A former nun writes about her time in a monastery, her relationship with a priest, and the journey of self-discovery she embarked on after leaving the cloistered life.

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!
Jasper Fforde's 'Nursery Crimes'

Jasper Fforde's 'Nursery Crimes'

Author Jasper Fforde likes to play around with stories -- often other people's stories. Now he's written a book that looks at the tale of "The Three Bears" for what he says it really is -- a crime story.
by Euan Kerr

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!
George Rabasa's borders

George Rabasa's borders

Minnesota writer George Rabasa likes to take his characters to the borders of countries and morality. In his latest novel, "The Cleansing," Rabasa tells the story of three friends who met in Mexico and have haunted each other's lives for decades.
by Sea Stachura

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!
Voice of this Generation

Voice of this Generation

The Elizabethans had Shakespeare. F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway spoke for the jazz age and lost generation. How do writers tap into the collective imagination, and become the voice of a generation? Does that even happen anymore? Next on Midmorning.

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!
St. Paul names first poet laureate

St. Paul names first poet laureate

Minnesota's capital city has its first poet laureate, St. Paul resident Carol Connolly. Connolly is a published poet and columnist. She has been active in local and state politics for years, and her first commissioned poem will come on Aug. 2, during Mayor Chris Coleman's budget address.

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!
New book brings life to the spirit of Gitchi Gumee

New book brings life to the spirit of Gitchi Gumee

A new children's picture book takes readers on a journey across Gitchi Gumee -- Lake Superior. In the process, they learn about respect and patience, taught by the spirit of the big lake itself, Gitchi Gumee.
by Stephanie Hemphill

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!
Homegrown summer children's books

Homegrown summer children's books

You can travel to an archeological dig in Belize, or join a pack of roaming dogs near the Minnesota-Canadian border. Minnesota children's book author Mary Casanova is out with two new books this summer and both are packed with adventure.
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!