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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. 

A visual feast: 6 favorite coffee table and gift books of 2022
This year's selection of visual delights highlights the work of artists and designers who have made an enduring impact, including Lucian Freud, Elsa Schiaparelli and Patti Smith.
COMIC: Korean American books inspired one artist to redefine her identity
Illustrator and comic artist Dabin Han shares how she thinks about her Korean American identity and how it has been shaped by reading books by Korean American authors.
A YA thriller delves into the post-WWII history of Poland and Ukraine
“The Silent Unseen” is set in Poland in 1944. A 16-year-old girl, returning from forced labor in Nazi Germany, discovers that fighting between Polish Resistance and Ukrainian nationals have left her village destroyed.
'Running While Black' tells a new story about who belongs in the sport
In a new book, writer Alison Mariella Désir shares her journey into long distance running, reveals the hidden contributions of Black runners and calls for the sport to become more inclusive.
It’s Jessie Burton week at Big Books and Bold Ideas. Enjoy a conversation from the archives, when host Kerri Miller talked with Burton about her runaway hit “The Miniaturist.” Then Friday, come back to hear a new discussion between the pair about “The House of Fortune,” which is a companion novel to “The Miniaturist” that was published earlier this year.
Obama’s former speechwriter reflects on time White House.
Cody Keenan served as former President Barack Obama’s chief speechwriter during the president’s time in the White House. In his new book, Keenan takes readers inside a pivotal 10-day period in Obama’s presidency.
In new memoir, Elisa Bernick on growing up Jewish in 1960s New Hope, Minnesota
Elisa Bernick grew up with her share of family drama in suburban New Hope, Minnesota. But in a new book, she explores the roots of that drama and comes to some astounding and healing revelations.