Talking Volumes hits the road this spring

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MPR is taking Talking Volumes on the road with two special events in Greater Minnesota featuring Drew Brockington and William Kent Krueger.
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Minnesota Public Radio and the Star Tribune are proud to announce a special spring series of Talking Volumes. We are taking Talking Volumes on the road with two special events in Greater Minnesota. These special Talking Volumes pop-up events will be hosted by award-winning journalist Kerri Miller.

Tickets for both events will be $25 with a $2 discount available for MPR members and Star Tribune subscribers. We also have a $15 ticket for kids under 12 for the May 6 show in Rochester. Tickets go on sale Monday, March 13 at noon. Get your tickets at mprevents.org.

Drew Brockington, CatStronauts Series and Waffles and Pancake Series

Saturday, May 6 at 2 p.m., Drew Brockington, author and illustrator, at the Mayo Civic Center, Rochester, Minn. Get tickets here starting Monday, March 13 at noon.

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Drew Brockington is the author and illustrator of the Catstronauts Series and Waffles and Pancake Series
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About the author: Drew graduated from Kalamazoo College with a degree in Art and Art History, and soon found himself in Central Park working for Christo and Jeanne Claude on “The Gates” artwork installation in the winter of 2005. He went on stay in New York as a graphic designer, using his illustration talents to help create custom logos and stationery pieces. In his spare time, he continued to doodle in his sketchbook, as well as, participated in cheese eating contests.

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In late 2012, Drew and his wife relocated to Minneapolis, where he refocused his efforts into writing and illustration. He currently draws in his home studio, while his dog, Leroy, snores next to him.

His work has been featured at Shirt.Woot, The New York Pops, Central Park SummerStage, and Bisquick. He has a special love for comics and will never shy away from a pun.

About his latest book: Go back in time to when everyone's favorite CatStronaut, Waffles, was a kitten! Fans of Narwhal and Jelly will love this fun, cat-tastic early graphic novel series. Waffles and Pancake are at Cape CatNaveral, waiting to watch a CatStronauts shuttle launch. But when the liftoff is delayed, the kittens and their family go home to pass the time. Dreaming of joining the CatStronauts one day, they decide to build a rocket themselves before a snack. Space waits for no cat! But when it doesn’t launch, Grammers may have the answer they’re looking for….and it may involve lunch. Together the kittens launch themselves into problem-solving with hilarious creativity. Time for takeoff!

We are pleased to offer a special BOGO Ticket offer for this event! To access the offer follow the steps here:

  • Click on this link here to take you to the ticketing site

  • Once you’re at the site above, click “Unlock” in the top right corner of Ticketmaster’s site.

  • Enter the password “space”

  • Click unlock

  • Click the price of $10.50 to view both adult and kids’ tickets pricing and order form.

William Kent Krueger, Cork O’Connor Mysteries

Thursday, May 18 at 7:00pm — William Kent Krueger, author, at Mitchell Auditorium at the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth. Get tickets here starting Monday, March 13 at noon.

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William Kent Krueger is the author of the Cork O’Connor Mysteries
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About the author: Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University — before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He’s been married for nearly 50 years to a marvelous woman who is a retired attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves.

Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage — part Irish and part Ojibwe. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last nine novels were all New York Times bestsellers.

William Kent Krueger has enthralled readers with the adventures of P.I. Cork O’Connor, former sheriff of Aurora, Minnesota — selling more than 1.5 million copies of his books and winning the Edgar Award, Minnesota Book Award, Northeastern Minnesota Book Award, Dilys Award, Lovey Award, and Anthony Award along the way.

Ordinary Grace, his stand-alone novel published in 2013, received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel published in that year. The companion novel, This Tender Land, was published in September 2019 and spent nearly six months on the New York Times bestseller list.

Host Kerri Miller

MPR News Host Kerri Miller sits at a table.
MPR News Host Kerri Miller.
Kerri Miller

About the host: Kerri Miller joined Minnesota Public Radio in June 2004 as host of Minnesota Public Radio's Midmorning and Talking Volumes, the joint book club of MPR and the Star Tribune. 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.