Publisher's Note

Travis Zimmerman signing a copy of How The Birds Got Their Songs at Red Balloon Bookshop. Photo by Katie Olson, MNHS Press.

On May 18 Travis Zimmerman launched his beautiful new book at the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul. How the Birds Got Their Songs retells, in both English and Ojibwe, a treasured story handed down through generations. Keeping things in the family, the book features original artwork by Sam Zimmerman /  Zhaawanoogiizik, the author's cousin. See more of Sam's amazing artwork in Following My Spirit Home: A Collection of Paintings and Stories. Travis as well as other MNHS Press authors will be giving readings all summer. For more information, visit our events calendar. 

Events

Twin Cities Metro

6/12/2024, 6:00 PM, Joe Friedrichs, Last Entry Point, Next Chapter Booksellers, St. Paul

6/14/2024, 11:00 AM, Christopher P. Lehman, It Took Courage,  Strive Bookstore, Minneapolis

6/19/2024, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Laura Purdie Salas and Kayla Harren, Oskar's Voyage, History Hijinx, Minnesota History Center, St. Paul

6/20/2024, 7:00 PM, Roger Barr, A Murder on the Hill, Subtext Books, St. Paul

6/22/2024, 11:00 AM, Travis Zimmerman, How The Birds Got Their Songs, Wild Rumpus Books, Minneapolis 

Greater Minnesota

6/12/2024, 4:00 PM, Laura Purdie Salas and Kayla Harren, Oskar's Voyage, Fitger's, Duluth

6/13/2024, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Laura Purdie Salas and Kayla Harren, Oskar's Voyage, Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Canal Park, Duluth

6/15/2024, noon to 2:00 PM, Travis Novitsky, Spirits Dancing, Split Rock Lighthouse, Two Harbors

6/15/2024, 1:00 PM, Travis Zimmerman and Sam Zimmerman / Zhaawanoogiizhik, How the Birds Got Their Songs, Jeffers Petroglyphs, Comfrey

6/24/2024, noon to 1:00 PM, Joe Friedrichs, Last Entry Point, Friends of the Brainerd Public Library, Brainerd

7/2/2024, noon, Joe Friedrichs, Last Entry Point, Grand Ely Lodge with Piragis and the Tuesday Group, Ely

In the Media

Minescapes, Pete Kero, “Read an Excerpt from ‘Minescapes: Reclaiming Minnesota’s Mined Lands,’” Racket, May 13, 2024 

The Moons, Chan Poling and Lucy Michell, “Readers and writers: Spring bedtime books for kids,” Pioneer Press, May 19, 2024

How The Birds Got Their Songs, Travis Zimmerman and Sam Zimmerman on WDIO News, May 21, 2024 

Last Entry Point, Joe Friedrichs, "Grand Marais author takes on danger and death in the BWCAW," Star Tribune, May 30, 2024

How The Birds Got Their Songs, Travis Zimmerman and Sam Zimmerman, Book Review by Anishinabek News Canada, June 4, 2024

Minescapes, Pete Kero, "‘Minescapes’ wins Minnesota Book Award," Our Community Now, June 6, 2024

Last Entry Point, Joe Friedrichs, "Readers and writers: Dark lessons from the Boundary Waters lead an eclectic mix," Pioneer Press on Yahoo! News, June 10, 2024

Noteworthy

Last Entry Point Goes into Second Printing

Readers are drawn to Last Entry Point: Stories of Danger and Death in the Boundary Waters by Joe Friedrichs, seen here at his May 4 reading at Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais. Released at the end of April, the book is already in its second printing. Pick up your copy at any of his upcoming events, and be prepared for outdoor adventures! 

Celebrate Pride Month with MNHS Press Books!

Happy Pride! For June, check out our selection of LGBTQ+ books, including Queer Voices: Poetry, Prose, and Pride, an anthology commemorating the long-running reading series of the same name in Minneapolis. Don't miss Precious and Adored: The Love Letters of Rose Cleveland and Evangeline Simpson Whipple, 1890–1918, edited by Lizzie Ehrenhalt and Tilly Laskey. We highly recommend Wild Things: A Trans-Glam-Punk-Rock Love Story by Lynette Reini-Grandell. 

Juneteenth Commemorates African American History

Juneteenth, June 19, is the newest federal holiday. MNHS Press is honored to be the publisher of a number of books celebrating Black history and culture in Minnesota, including Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota, Minnesota's Black Community in the 21st Century, and the illustrated children's book Can't Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like Our Mama! by Rose McGee. 

New in MNopedia

1976 Presidential Election in Minnesota

Former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter and his running mate, Senator Walter Mondale, overwhelmingly won the state of Minnesota and its ten electoral votes in 1976. The Democratic ticket scored a nearly thirteen-point victory (54.9 percent to 42.0 percent) over Republican President Gerald Ford and his running mate, Senator Robert Dole. The election was the third of four consecutive presidential races with a Minnesotan on the national ticket of a major party, and it marked the beginning of the longest active streak of any state voting Democratic in presidential elections.

Dimitri Mitropoulos at the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, 1937–1949

Under the leadership of Greek conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos, the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (later renamed the Minnesota Orchestra) ranked among the best symphonic orchestras in the nation. Critics and audiences both lauded the ensemble, especially for its contemporary music program and its extensive national tours.

Forthcoming Release

Available in August, this magical volume from musicians Chan Poling (The Suburbs) and Lucy Michell (Little Fevers) shares a universal story of childhood innocence and imagination. Vibrant illustrations show nature providing comfort in the midst of personal transition. For anyone experiencing loss or simply going through a change of circumstances, The Moons imparts wisdom with surprising lyricism.

Bestselling Backlist

Slavery's Reach by Christopher P. Lehman	Wild Things by Lynette Reini-Grandell	Precious and Adored edited by Lizzie Ehrenhalt and Tilly Laskey

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