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MNHS Press Newsletter: September 19, 2023

Jaired Johnson Sep 19, 2023 4:00:00 PM

Publisher's Note

Rose McGee appears on Almanac

Welcome to the inaugural MNHS Press Newsletter! We are pleased to send you this monthly communication highlighting new and forthcoming book publications, upcoming events, and recent media coverage from the Minnesota Historical Society Press. As we embark on a new season full of diverse, original, and compelling books by emerging and esteemed authors, we wanted to share our excitement with our readers.

The oldest publisher in the state, MNHS Press believes in the study of Minnesota’s history, cultures, and people as a way to understand our past and better shape our future. We hope this newsletter serves to foster conversation among readers, writers, editors, teachers, students, and others. Please feel free to share any comments or questions with us. We look forward to hearing from you.

You are receiving this newsletter because you have previously purchased one or more MNHS Press books from the Minnesota Historical Society’s online store, and/or you have signed up to receive email newsletters. If you would like to be removed from our list, please select the unsubscribe option at the bottom of this page. If you would like to help spread the word, please forward this email to friends, family, and colleagues!

New Releases

We are proud to announce the publication of the following books in the month of September. Buy them online via the links below, or visit your local bookstore to pick up a copy!

Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl

The Essential Dear Dara: Writings on Local Characters and Memorable Places

“Dara’s voice is so authentic and present and real that each paragraph feels like a clear-eyed, open-hearted, soulful conversation with your smartest best friend. Dara’s the best. If you’re not reading every single sentence she’s ever pinned to the page, then I have no other option than to question your choices, values, and direction of your life. I’m serious. Read every word.” —Kelly Barnhill

304 pages, paperback, $19.95

Larry Amik Smallwood and Michael Migizi Sullivan Sr.

Plums or Nuts: Ojibwe Stories of Anishinaabe Humor

Larry Amik Smallwood had the gift of making people laugh. Of all the teachings Amik strove to pass along to his students, he cherished most the humor of his Ojibwe people. This bilingual book celebrates the history, traditions, and culture of modern Ojibwe people. Michael Sullivan Sr., Amik’s language student and assistant, introduces the stories and presents them in both Ojibwe and English; an extensive Ojibwe-to-English glossary is included at the back. Plums or Nuts will excite language enthusiasts and bring smiles to those who remember this remarkable man as well as those who are meeting him for the first time.

144 pages, paperback, $18.95

Lee Obizaan Staples and Chato Ombishkebines Gonzalez

Gaa-izhi-miinigoowizid a’aw Anishinaabe / What We Were Given as Anishinaabe

Lee Obizaan Staples, a respected Ojibwe elder, with help from Chato Ombishkebines Gonzalez, his ceremonial officiant, records the many traditions and ceremonies practiced by Ojibwe children and their parents. This bilingual book, the third in a series, is both an accessible record of Indigenous knowledge and a valuable language resource for all ages and all levels of learners.

152 pages, paperback, $19.95

And learn more from the first two books in the series, newly re-released by MNHS Press!

Aanjikiing / Changing Worlds: An Anishinaabe Traditional Funeral

A detailed, bilingual account of the Anishinaabe funeral ceremony as practiced by Lee Obizaan Staples at Lake Lena, Minnesota, on the reservation of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. 170 pages, paperback, $19.95

Anishinaabe-Niimi'iding: An Anishinaabe Ceremonial Dance

An essential guide to the sacred Big Drum ceremony of the Ojibwe people, as told by a respected elder, explained in both the Ojibwe and English languages. 204 pages, paperback, $19.95

Events

Twin Cities Metro

9/20: The Essential Dear Dara with author Dara Grumdahl at Barnes & Noble Edina Galleria, 6:00 p.m.

9/30: Can’t Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like Our Mama! with author Rose McGee at Barnes and Noble Har Mar, 11:00 a.m.

10/7: Minescapes with author Pete Kero at the Minnesota History Center, 2:00 p.m.

10/11: The Essential Dear Dara with author Dara Grumdahl at Brother Justus Whiskey Company, 5:00 p.m.

10/14: The Great Get-Together with author Karlyn Coleman and illustrator Cori Doerrfeld at Valley Bookseller Storytime Trolley, 10:30 a.m.

10/14: Can’t Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like Our Mama! with author Rose McGee at Black Garnet Bookstore, 1:00 p.m.

10/18: Book launch for Dear Jacob with authors Patty Wetterling and Joy Baker at Minneapolis Central Library, 6:30 p.m.

10/19: The Essential Dear Dara with author Dara Grumdahl at Next Chapter Booksellers, 6:00 p.m.

Greater Minnesota

9/22: Book launch for Plums or Nuts with author Michael Migizi Sullivan Sr. at Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post, 6:00 p.m.

9/30: Minescapes with author Pete Kero at Drury Lane, Grand Marais, 6:00 p.m.

10/5: The Essential Dear Dara with author Dara Grumdahl at Zenith Bookstore, Duluth, 7:00 p.m.

National

10/21: Can’t Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like Our Mama! with author Rose McGee at Powell’s Books, Portland, Oregon, 10:30 a.m.

In the Media

Rose McGee, author of Can’t Nobody Make a Sweet Potato Pie Like Our Mama!, appeared on WCCO News and Almanac on TPT. She was also featured on Alabama News Center.

Dara Grumdahl Moskowitz, author of The Essential Dear Dara, appeared on WCCO News.

Karlyn Coleman, author of The Great Get-Together, appeared on Minnesota Live!

Pete Kero, author of Minescapes, appeared on Good Day Northern Michigan.

Noteworthy

MNHS Press will be exhibiting and selling books at the Twin Cities Book Festival on October 14 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Come say hello, pick up a free catalog, and buy books at a thirty percent discount!! Our authors Lynette Reini-Grandell, Sam Zimmerman, and Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl will also be taking part in the Author Showcase.

MNHS Press is partnering with Understand Native Minnesota to distribute free copies of Voices from Pejuhutazizi by Teresa Peterson and Walter Labatte Jr. to K-12 classrooms and school libraries throughout the state.

Patty Wetterling and Joy Baker will be signing copies of their new book, Dear Jacob, at the 8th annual Running HOME for Jacob at Lake Phalen Park in St. Paul on October 14. The 5k or 11k run/walk is a fundraiser for the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center of the Zero Abuse Project.

New in MNopedia

Frazier, Virginia Lane (1921–2012)

Virginia Lane Frazier was one of the first Black US Army’s Women’s Corps (WAC) soldiers to enlist in Minnesota during World War II. She served with the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a unit made up entirely of Black women that was stationed in England between February and November of 1945. The battalion won praise for clearing a backlog of mail that provided solace to American soldiers in combat.

10445980.640x640 AIDS Conference Protest, St. Paul, 1987

On November 7, 1987, roughly 400 people representing Minnesota’s gay community—including allies and activists—protested an AIDS conference in St. Paul sponsored by a conservative Christian political organization called the Berean League. With over 1,500 people in attendance, it was the largest gathering in the state to date addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis. It was also a show of force for fundamentalist Christians and other conservatives who opposed gay rights.

Forthcoming Releases

October

Dear Jacob, Patty Wetterling with Joy Baker
Bring Warm Clothes, Peg Meier

November

Spirits Dancing, Travis Novitsky and Annette S. Lee
Euphoric Recall, Peter Jesperson