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Minnesota Public Radio and the Star Tribune newspaper are proud to announce the 2018 season of Talking Volumes. The Talking Volumes series is hosted by award-winning journalist Kerri Miller. 

 go on sale Tuesday for MPR members and Friday for the general public. Single tickets will go on sale July 31. More information is available from the 

Writer, rapper and singer Dessa will take the stage to discuss her new book on music, the mind and love.

In her literary debut memoir, rapper and singer Dessa gives a candid account of her life in the van as a hard-touring musician, her determination to beat long odds to make a name for herself, and her struggle to fall out of love with someone in her band. Raw and intimate, Dessa demonstrates just how far the mind can travel while the body is on the six-hour ride to the next rap show. 

Minnesota native and former Minnesota Public Radio reporter and producer Leif Enger is the author of "Peace Like a River" and "So Brave, Young, and Handsome." This fall, he returns with his long-awaited third novel.

 
The first novel in ten years from award-winning, million-copy bestselling author Leif Enger, "Virgil Wander" follows the inhabitants of a Midwestern town in their quest to revive its flagging heart.

Midwestern movie house owner Virgil Wander is "cruising along at medium altitude" when his car flies off the road into icy Lake Superior. Virgil survives but his language and memory are altered and he emerges into a world no longer familiar to him. Awakening in this new life, Virgil begins to piece together his personal history and the lore of his broken town, with the help of a cast of affable and curious locals — from Rune, a twinkling, pipe-smoking, kite-flying stranger investigating the mystery of his disappeared son; to Nadine, the reserved, enchanting wife of the vanished man, to Tom, a journalist and Virgil's oldest friend; and various members of the Pea family who must confront tragedies of their own. Into this community returns a shimmering prodigal son who may hold the key to reviving their town.

Oct. 17: Rebecca Traister and 'Good and Mad'

Rebecca Traister is the author of "All the Single Ladies" and "Big Girls Don't Cry." She is also a writer-at-large for New York magazine and a contributing editor at Elle. Her writing on women in politics, media and more has appeared in The New Republic, Salon, The New York Times, Vogue, Glamour and The Washington Post.

In the year 2018, it seems as if women's anger has suddenly erupted into the public conversation. But long before Pantsuit Nation, before the Women's March, and before the #MeToo movement, women's anger was not only politically catalytic — but politically problematic. The story of female fury and its cultural significance demonstrates the long history of bitter resentment that has enshrouded women's slow rise to political power in America, as well as the ways that anger is received when it comes from women as opposed to when it comes from men. With eloquence and fervor, Rebecca tracks the history of female anger as political fuel — from suffragettes chaining themselves to the White House to office workers vacating their buildings after Clarence Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court. 

Here Traister explores women's anger at both men and other women; anger between ideological allies and foes; the varied ways anger is perceived based on its owner; as well as the history of caricaturing and delegitimizing female anger; and the way women's collective fury has become transformative political fuel — as is most certainly occurring today. She deconstructs society's (and the media's) condemnation of female emotion (notably, rage) and the impact of their resulting repercussions. Highlighting a double standard perpetuated against women by all sexes, and its disastrous, stultifying effect, Traister's latest is timely and crucial. It offers a glimpse into the galvanizing force of women's collective anger, which, when harnessed, can change history.

Actress Sally Field shares her story in a new memoir, to be published Sept. 18. 

A memoir like "In Pieces" only comes around once in a generation. 
Sally Field is one of the most celebrated, beloved and enduring actors of our time, and now she tells her story for the first time in this intimate and haunting literary memoir. In her own words, she writes about a challenging and lonely childhood, the craft that helped her find her voice, and a powerful emotional legacy that shaped her journey as a daughter and a mother.
 
With raw honesty and the fresh, pitch-perfect prose of a natural-born writer, and with all the humility and authenticity her fans have come to expect, Field brings readers behind the scenes for not only the highs and lows of her star-studded early career in Hollywood, but deep into the truth of her lifelong relationships including, most importantly, her complicated love for her own mother.

Nov. 14: Alexander McCall Smith and 'The Colors of All the Cattle'

Alexander McCall Smith is the mind behind the long-running "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series. His books have been translated into more than 40 languages. This fall, another installment in the best-selling series arrives.

From the publisher of "The Colors of All the Cattle"

Precious Ramotswe dips her toe into the world of politics in the newest addition to the beloved and best-selling "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series.

When Mma Potokwane suggests to Mma Ramotswe that she run for a seat on the City Council, Mma Ramotswe is at first unsure. But when she learns about the proposed construction of the flashy Big Fun Hotel next to a graveyard, she allows herself to be persuaded. Her opponent is none other than Violet Sephotho, who is in the pocket of the hotel developers. Although Violet is intent on using every trick in the book to secure her election, Mma Ramotswe refuses to promise anything beyond what she can deliver-hence her slogan: "I can't promise anything-but I shall do my best." To everyone's surprise, she wins.

As it turns out, politics does not agree with Mma Ramotswe. Though everyone is supportive, she eventually resigns. She thinks there will be a new election, but she discovers that the rules state that in such an event, the runner-up automatically takes the seat. Violet is triumphant, and sure that she will get the Big Fun Hotel planning application through without a hitch. But Mma Makutsi and Mma Potokwane are not about to make it easy for her. 

Through it all, Mma Ramotswe uses her good humor and generosity of spirit to help the community navigate divisive issues, and proves that honesty and compassion will always carry the day.

Kerri Miller joined Minnesota Public Radio in June 2004. She has been a radio and television news reporter since 1981. She has won numerous awards, including the Society of Professional Journalists National Achievement Award, Minnesota Broadcasters Award, the Associated Press Award and a Gracie Award from the Association of Women in Radio and Television.

Talking Volumes is a partnership of Minnesota Public Radio and the Star Tribune, in collaboration with The Loft Literary Center.

Season tickets for Talking Volumes are available in four-show packages ($88-$108) or full season packages ($110-$135). Single tickets are $25-$30 for the general public, and $23-$28 for members of Minnesota Public Radio and subscribers of the Star Tribune.

 go on sale Tuesday for MPR members and Friday for the general public. Single tickets will go on sale July 31. Call the Minnesota Public Radio box office at 651-290-1200 or visit 

Package ticket buyers will receive pre-sale access on Aug. 21 to tickets for The Thread Live with Marlon James on Feb. 13, 2019. Tickets for the event with James will not be available to the general public until Oct. 4.

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The 2018 season will feature interviews with Dessa, Leif Enger, Rebecca Traister, Sally Field and Alexander McCall Smith.

Talking Volumes 2018 season

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