This taut yet lyrical memoir tells of the author's experience with a baffling illness poised to take her sight, and gives a deeply felt meditation on vulnerability and on what it means to lose the faith you had and find something better.

One day at the end of 2009, during a routine eye exam that Nora Gallagher nearly skipped, her doctor said, "Darn." Her right optic nerve was inflamed, the cause unknown, a condition that if left untreated would cause her to lose her sight. And so began her departure from ordinary life and her travels in what she calls Oz, the land of the sick. It looks like the world most of us inhabit, she tells us, except that "the furniture is slightly rearranged" her friends can't help her, her trusted doctors don't know what's wrong, and what faith she has left just won't cover it. After a year of searching for a diagnosis and treatment, she arrives at the Mayo Clinic and finds a whole town built around Oz.

In the course of her journey, Gallagher encounters inhuman doctors, the modern medical system--in which knowledge takes fifteen years to trickle down--and the strange world that is the famous Mayo Clinic, complete with its grand piano. With unerring candor, and no sentimentality whatsoever, Gallagher describes the unexpected twists and turns of the path she took through a medical mystery and an unfathomably changing life. In doing so, she gives us a singular, luminous map of vulnerability and dark landscapes."It's the nature of things to be vulnerable," Gallagher says. "The disorder is imagining we are not."

Nora Gallagher is the best-selling author of Changing Light, a novel that received outstanding reviews and of two memoirs, Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith and Practicing Resurrection. She is licensed to preach by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, a preacher-in-residence at Trinity Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara, and is on the Board of Advisors of the Yale Divinity School. She is married to novelist and poet, Vincent Stanley.

In a coming-of-age story unlike any other, feisty young Kacey Doyle retreats to a secluded Minnesota convent as the challenging turbulence of the sixties is about to begin. Torn between her calling to leave the world behind, and the world that seems to call to her more urgently each day, Kacey's journey leads beautifully, humorously, and powerfully up to the moment of her final vows. Will she? Should she? Would you?

Sandra Kjarstad Bloom had an early career writing for radio and television before going into non-profit man­agement. She holds a BA from the University of Minne­sota and a MA from Augsburg College. A life-long writer, Waiting to Believe is her first novel. She lives with her part­ner, Colleen Breen, in Minneapolis, her hometown.

Amidst freezing rain, Timo Repo escapes from his father’s funeral. Detective Lieutenant Kari Takamäki and his homicide team must return the convicted wife-murderer back to prison. But as the manhunt begins, Takamäki's team starts digging into old evidence. Why would Repo flee now, with over half his sentence completed? Was he guilty after all? Or was he an innocent man unjustly sentenced to life in prison -- and to losing his only son? Timo Repo’s escape is no longer a routine case.

Helsinki Homicide: Cold Trail deliberates taking justice into your own hands. While Takamäki ponders whether the legal system always gets it right, Repo battles with his conscience and those who have wronged him.

The novel is yet another thrilling read from Sipila, full of his trademark rugged realism. The sequel to Nothing but the Truth is the fourth of his novels to be translated into English. Against the Wall won Finland’s 2009 Crime Novel of the Year Award.

Jarkko Sipila is a Finnish author and journalist. He has reported on Finnish crime for more than 20 years, has written 15 books, and co-wrote a TV-series based on the Takamäki books. Through realistic characters and story lines, he explores current topics surrounding life in contemporary Finland.

“Sipila’s realistic narration of the lives of both criminals and cops continues in Cold Trail.” - Helsingin Sanomat

Bird watching is one of the most popular hobbies in America, and 1,001 Secrets Every Bird Watcher Should Know is the first photographic guide and fact book written in a humorous conversational tone that appeals to every age and skill level. Replete with sound information, 1,001 Secrets will expose many birding myths: a bald eagle cannot carry off a four-month old baby, and crows do not go sledding for fun.This accessible guide includes fun facts, such as where certain birds got their names, how birds eat, how they find a life partner, and how they build a home for the chicks. Other useful information includes identification tips, migration patterns, and where the best birding vacation spots are. Packed with full-color photos, 1,001 Secrets Every Bird Watcher Should Know is a fun, informative read for every bird watcher.

Sharon “Birdchick” Stiteler is a renowned birder and industry expert. Her previous works include Disapproving Rabbits and City Birds/Country Birds. Sharon contributes to Wild Bird Magazine, Outdoor News, Birds & Blooms, Minnesota Public Radio as well as Birdwatcher’s Digest. She has a popular birding blog called Birdchick.com. She lives in Minneapolis, MN.

Colum McCann is the internationally bestselling author of Let the Great World Spin, Zoli, Dancer, This Side of Brightness, and Songdogs, as well as two critically acclaimed story collections. He has received many international honors, including the National Book Award and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and has had his work published in thirty-five languages. Named one of Esquire’s “Best & Brightest,” McCann’s fiction has been published in thirty-five languages. Transatlantic, his newest book, is an incredible act of storytelling and a profound meditation on identity and history – connecting a series of narratives spanning 150 years and two continents.

Talk of the Stacks is an author series exploring contemporary literature and culture, presented by the Library Foundation of Hennepin County. Readings are held at the Central Library, Pohlad Hall, 300 Nicollet Mall, in downtown Minneapolis. The Talk of the Stacks Premier Sponsor is The Private Client Reserve if U.S. Bank. The Supporting Sponsor is Dorsey and Whitney LLP. Additional support provided by Minn Post, Marquette Hotel, and Magers & Quinn Booksellers.

The programs are free and open to the public. Seating is first come, first served. Doors open at 6:15pm, and programs begin at 7:00pm. Book sale and signing follow presentations. Call 612-630-6174 for more information.

Rushmore McKenzie is both a millionaire and an unlicensed PI, which means he can afford to do the occasional favor and, as a former detective for the St. Paul (Minnesota) Police Department, he's got the necessary skills and connections to do them right. But this time, he's really stepped in it.

When the ATF gets a lead on a much sought-after cache of illegal guns near the Canadian border, they call McKenzie in to help them track down the elusive gunrunners. Their only lead is a guy who is part of a small-time gang of armed robbers working north of the Twin Cities. Their idea is for McKenzie to infiltrate the group and wait for them to lead him to the guns. Their plan is to fix McKenzie with a false identity as a serious bad guy and then fake an escape with the captured gang member. Which seemed like a bad idea to McKenzie at the time, but even he had no idea just how bad things were going to get.

DAVID HOUSEWRIGHT has won both the Edgar Award and the Minnesota Book Award (twice) for his crime fiction. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

http://www.buylocaltwincities.com/

The promotion is aimed at garnering public awareness on the importance of supporting local, bricks and mortar shops and to drive traffic to our member businesses.

At our June kick off, we are asking guests to bring a box of healthy cereal for Open Arms of MN.

We are honored to have Commissioner of Revenue for the State of MN, Myron Frans as our featured speaker.

No R.S.V.P. required, refreshments provided.

In By the Way, John Toren offers an eclectic portrait of modern life in essays ranging in subject from river-running to pre-Columbian astronomy, with stops along the way at a World Press conclave, a naturalists' convention, a concert pianist's master class, a booksellers' trade show, and a Louisiana crayfish festival. In one essay he reflects on the advisability of accumulating books, in another he reports on the whimsical goings-on at an ice-shanty village. Whether it's analyzing the challenges of buying firewood from itinerant merchants or parsing the distinction between the absurd and the impossible, there's something for everyone in this wide-ranging, thoughtful collection.

In the course of a long career in the book business, John Toren has edited and designed scores of books, reviewed many, and written three or four. His articles have appeared in a range of publications including The History Channel Magazine, Minnesota Monthly, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Milwaukee Sentinel, Twin Cities Magazine, and the Minneapolis Observer. He holds degrees in history and anthropology from the University of Minnesota and occasionally teaches a course in geography in its LearningLife program. He also writes and publishes his own quarterly magazine, Macaroni--now in its 104th issue. It received an Utne Independent Press Award for General Excellence in 2007.

What is the price of living an authentic life? Ellen Krug knows. "Getting to Ellen" details the "gender journey" taken by Ellen Krug, a woman born into a male body. As a man, "Ed" Krug had everything anyone could ever want: the love of a soul mate named Lydia, two beautiful daughters, a house in the best neighborhood, a successful trial lawyer's career--a Grand Plan life so picture-perfect it inspired a beautiful pastel drawing. In a quest to find inner peace, Ed gradually confronted fear and loss, including the residue of growing up in an alcoholic household and a parent's suicide. As this page-turning story of self-discovery unfolds, the reader understands that for Ed to live authentically as Ellen, much of that picture-perfect life--including Lydia's love--would need to be sacrificed. How could anyone make that choice, pay that kind of price? Then again, how could anyone not? This is much more than one person's story about some things lost and others gained. It's a glimpse into the life choices that all of us make--whether or not we're transgender. This is a perfect read for anyone dealing with a key personal decision or crisis or the question of whether to be true to one's self. And too, this story details what it means to be transgender, and it will help anyone wrestling with gender identity issues or loved ones trying to understand another's "gender journey." In short, "Getting to Ellen" is an unforgettable true story of love, honesty, and the rewards of living authentically.

Ellen (Ellie) Krug's business card reads: "writer, lawyer, human." She is a graduate of Coe College and Boston College Law School. She is one of the few attorneys in the United States to try separate jury trials in separate genders. Ellen is a freelance writer for several publications and frequent lecturer on the life lessons learned during her gender journey. She presently serves as the executive director of a nonprofit organization. She is the parent of two adult children.

The Loft is proud to host this special event celebrating Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies: On Myths, Morons, Free Speech, Football, and Assorted Absurdities, Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe's hilarious and uncensored take on society's ills.

Join the herd of Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies, an "uproarious, uncensored take on empathy, personal responsibility, and what it means to be human." From the author: "What is in my book, you ask? (I'm really glad you asked, by the way, because now I get to tell you.) Time travel. Gay marriage. Sportsballing. Futuristic goggles that DO NOTHING. [...] So please, join me in the glorious art of windmill tilting by reading this 'collection of rousing, uncensored personal essays, letters, and stories' (I have no idea why that's in quotes)."

This is a free event that is open to the public; therefore seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Chris Kluwe will be available to sign books after the event.

About the Author:

Chris Kluwe grew up in Southern California among a colony of wild chinchillas and didn't learn how to communicate outside of barking and howling until he was fourteen years old. He has played football in the NFL, once wrestled a bear for a pot of gold, and lies occassionally. He is also the eternal disappointment of his mother, who just can't understand why he hasn't cured cancer yet. Do you know why these things are in third person? I have no idea. Please tell me if you figure it out.

Mark Berriman is the Publisher of the Stillwater Gazette, and the author of three books of poetry. His newest collection is "Kink in the Chain". He is an author, poet, artist, columnist, musician, and active community leader. His work has appeared in regional and national periodicals. His artwork has been displayed throughout the twin cities. More info at www.markberriman.com

Jim Walsh is a writer, journalist, columnist, songwriter, and creative writing teacher from Minneapolis. He is the author of "The Replacements: All Over But The Shouting: An Oral History" and an instructor at The Loft Literary Center. His musical alter-ego The Mad Ripple organizes and hosts the songwriter collective The Mad Ripple Hootenanny on stages across the Twin Cities and beyond. More info at www.jimwalshmpls.com

Steven Santineau is a published poet, freelance writer, professional musician, and enjoys ranting on any soapbox he can find...as long as there is someone to listen with a ready-grin or heated-objection...and a beer at hand(wine is good, too). Steven is currently assembling his first book of poetry and working on his first novel.

John Medeiros is the author of "couplets for a shrinking world" (2012 North Star Press). His work has appeared in many journals, including Among the Leaves: Queer Male Poets on the Midwestern Experience; Collective Brightness: LGBTIQ Poets on Faith, Religion, and Spirituality; Sport Literate, and Water~Stone Review. He has received two Minnesota State Arts Board grants; Gulf Coast's First Place Nonfiction Award; and the AWP Intro Journals Award. His work has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes, and as a Notable Essay in Best American Essays 2006. He is the curator of the Queer Voices Reading Series, a literary reading series featuring LGBT writers, sponsored by Intermedia Arts. More info at www.jmedeiros.net.

The July Books & Bars moves to the Paper Darts Pop-Up, discussing the Pulitzer Prize winner The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson. The novel deals with intertwined themes of propaganda, identity, and state power in North Korea. Make a picnic of it and bring some snacks/refreshments for yourself. It's not your usual book club. MC Jeff Kamin keeps it fun and moving while seriously exploring the topics. This will also be the return of the Book Swap. Bring your faves to share or those you need off your shelf. Trade and giveaway in our book swap. Bring a few books, take a few books. Follow along with #booksandbars @booksandbars

Books & Bars is not your typical book club. We provide a unique atmosphere for a lively discussion of interesting authors, fun people, good food and drinks. You're welcome even if you haven't read the book.

Sex, money, and politics—no, it’s not a thriller novel. Minneapolis Madams is the surprising and riveting account of the Minneapolis red-light district and the powerful madams who ran it. Penny Petersen brings to life this nearly forgotten chapter of Minneapolis history, tracing the story of how these “houses of ill fame” rose to prominence in the late nineteenth century and then were finally shut down in the early twentieth century.

In their heyday Minneapolis brothels were not only open for business but constituted a substantial economic and political force in the city. Women of independent means, madams built custom bordellos to suit their tastes and exerted influence over leading figures and politicians. Petersen digs deep into city archives, period newspapers, and other primary sources to illuminate the Minneapolis sex trade and its opponents, bringing into focus the ideologies and economic concerns that shaped the lives of prostitutes, the men who used their services, and the social-purity reformers who sought to eradicate their trade altogether. Usually written off as deviants, madams were actually crucial components of a larger system of social control and regulation. These entrepreneurial women bought real estate, hired well-known architects and interior decorators to design their bordellos, and played an important part in the politics of the developing city.

Petersen argues that we cannot understand Minneapolis unless we can grasp the scope and significance of its sex trade. She also provides intriguing glimpses into racial interactions within the vice economy, investigating an African American madam who possibly married into one of the city’s most prestigious families. Fascinating and rigorously researched, Minneapolis Madams is a true detective story and a key resource for anyone interested in the history of women, sexuality, and urban life in Minneapolis.

Penny Petersen is a historical researcher and the author of Hiding in Plain Sight: Minneapolis’ First Neighborhood

Kirsten Dierking is the author of three books of poetry; Tether, Northern Oracle and One Red Eye. Her poems have been heard on The Writer’s Almanac and have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Garrison Keillor’s Good Poems, American Places and To Sing Along the Way: Minnesota Women Poets from Pre-Territorial Days to the Present. She is the recipient of a 2010 McKnight Artist Fellowship, a Minnesota State Arts Board Grant for literature, a Loft Literary Center Career Initiative Grant, a SASE/Jerome Grant, and a writing residency at the Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts. Kirsten teaches humanities courses at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, and in 2011 received the NEA’s Excellence in the Academy Award for the Art of Teaching.

Ann Iverson is the author of Come Now to the Window (Laurel Poetry Collective), Definite Space (Holy Cow! Press), and Art Lessons (Holy Cow! Press). Her work has been published in a wide variety of venues, including Writer's Almanac. Ann is a visual artist as well and feels blessed that both arts have found her heart. She is a graduate of both the MALS and MFA programs at Hamline University and is very thankful for those experiences and in great gratitude for both the Laurel Collective and Holy Cow! Press who granted permission for her work to be shared in the formality of beautiful books.

Janet Jerve a writer and a teacher. Her poems have appeared in many journals including Poetry East, Water-Stone Review, Lake Effect, Great River Review, and Emprise Review. Her poetry has also been included in a number of anthologies. Marilyn Hacker and Alberto Rios selected her as a finalist for the Loft-McKnight Award in poetry in 1989. Janet is an avid Nordic skier, loves to hike, and enjoys biking on Minnesota’s beautiful bicycle trails. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Rod. Excavation is her first book of poetry.

Kathleen Weihe lives with her husband, their dog, and two rescue birds in Minneapolis. She teaches composition at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, and has taught poetry classes at The Loft. She received a Loft-McKnight Award for poetry, an artist’s assistance fellowship from the Minnesota State Arts Board, and participated in the Loft’s Mentor Program. Kathleen received an M.F.A. from Hamline University. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals, including Water-Stone Review and Spoon River Review. She has two grown children, a son and daughter, whose offspring consist of several canines and a cat. Unless You Count Birds is her first book of poetry.

Shay O’Hanlon never knew the Minnesota Renaissance Festival was such a strange and bawdy event until JT Bordeaux—her badge-wearing, medieval-loving girlfriend—drags her along for a visit. The sixteenth-century faire is full of thrilling jousts, feisty wenches, and pickle vendors showing off their tasty tonsil ticklers, but Shay is distracted by the call of her full bladder. While trying to rein in her newest dog’s overactive nose, she finds a dead body with a pickle stuffed in his mouth. A real dead body. In the privy. And before Shay can shout “Huzzah!” JT is arrested for being the porta-potty body’s murderer. Together with her quirky crew of caper-solving pals, Shay must scramble for clues to free JT from the clink . . . and her troubled past.

Jessie Chandler is the author of the Shay O'Hanlon Caper series, the Vice President of the Twin Cities chapter of Sisters in Crime, and a member of Mystery Writer's of America. Her debut novel, Bingo Barge Murder, won the Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award from the Golden Crown Literary Society. In her spare time, Chandler sells unique, artsy T-shirts and other assorted trinkets to unsuspecting conference and festival goers. She is a former police officer and resides in Minneapolis. Visit her online at JessieChandler.com.

Lori L. Lake works as a supervisor in a government office. In her off hours, she is a writer, editor, housework avoider, and weightlifter.

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE

Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother—a singer “stolen” to Pyongyang—and an influential father who runs a work camp for orphans. Superiors in the state soon recognize the boy’s loyalty and keen instincts. Considering himself “a humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world,” Jun Do rises in the ranks. He becomes a professional kidnapper who must navigate the shifting rules, arbitrary violence, and baffling demands of his Korean overlords in order to stay alive. Driven to the absolute limit of what any human being could endure, he boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival to Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves, Sun Moon, a legendary actress “so pure, she didn’t know what starving people looked like.”

In this epic, critically acclaimed tour de force, Adam Johnson provides a riveting portrait of a world rife with hunger, corruption, and casual cruelty but also camaraderie, stolen moments of beauty, and love.

Books & Bars is not your typical book club. We provide a unique atmosphere for a lively discussion of interesting authors, fun people, good food and drinks. You're welcome even if you haven't read the book.

With over 22 million copies of his books in print, Terry Brooks has been a seminal force in fantasy fiction for the past twenty five years. In 1977 his debut novel, The Sword of Shannara, became the first fantasy book ever to appear on the New York Times bestseller list. His success and popularity hasn’t faltered since. He has written more than 30 titles of science fiction and fantasy, including the wildly popular Shannara and Magic Kingdom of Landover series, as well as several film novelizations and short stories. Terry will present Witch Wraith, the last book in The Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy.

Talk of the Stacks is an author series exploring contemporary literature and culture, presented by the Library Foundation of Hennepin County. Readings are held at the Central Library, Pohlad Hall, 300 Nicollet Mall, in downtown Minneapolis. The Talk of the Stacks Premier Sponsor is The Private Client Reserve if U.S. Bank. The Supporting Sponsor is Dorsey and Whitney LLP. Additional support provided by Minn Post, Marquette Hotel, and Magers & Quinn Booksellers.

The programs are free and open to the public. Seating is first come, first served. Doors open at 6:15pm, and programs begin at 7:00pm. Book sale and signing follow presentations. Call 612-630-6174 for more information.

It’s 1964. Eleven-year-old Fin and his glamorous, worldly, older half sister, Lady, have just been orphaned, and Lady, whom Fin hasn’t seen in six years, is now his legal guardian and his only hope. That means Fin is uprooted from a small dairy farm in rural Connecticut to Greenwich Village, smack in the middle of the swinging ’60s. He soon learns that Lady—giddy, careless, urgent, and obsessed with being free—is as much his responsibility as he is hers.

So begins Fin & Lady, the lively, spirited new novel by Cathleen Schine, the author of the bestselling The Three Weissmanns of Westport. Fin and Lady lead their lives against the background of the ’60s, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam War—Lady pursued by ardent, dogged suitors, Fin determined to protect his impulsive sister from them and from herself.

From a writer The New York Times has praised as “sparkling, crisp, clever, deft, hilarious, and deeply affecting,” Fin & Lady is a comic, romantic love story: the story of a brother and sister who must form their own unconventional family in increasingly unconventional times.

Cathleen Schine is the author of The Three Weissmanns of Westport, The New Yorkers, and The Love Letter, among other novels. She has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, and The New York Times Book Review.

This book is a '70s rock and roll race through the heartland of America--a love letter to the power of new-fangled computers and the importance of a guitar pick. Pepperland is about missing information, missing people, missing guitars, paranoia, brothers, revolution, Agents of the Federal Government, IBM, Hugh Hefner, a Dark Stranger, love, death and the search for it amidst the wreckage of recession-wracked, entropically run-down mid-seventies America. What happens when a revolution dies and a new one begins? Think the Ramones meet Jane Fonda meets Bill Gates--a love story--where one woman has all the power.


Barry Wightman is Fiction Editor for Hunger Mountain, a journal for the arts based in Vermont. He is an award-winning essayist who has contributed work to WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio and reviews books for publications in Chicago, Milwaukee and Washington D.C., including the Washington Independent Review of Books. Wightman is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and plays in a rock ‘n’ roll band, The Outta State Plates.

Sprung from the variously lush, rugged, and frozen emotional landscapes of the north country, this luminous collection of stories captures the progress of a diverse ensemble of souls as they struggle to uncover themselves and negotiate a meaningful communion, of any kind, with the world around them. A brilliant but troubled Bangladeshi physics student searches for balance, acceptance, and his own extraordinary destiny after his father disappears. When a Halloween blizzard immobilizes Minneapolis, a young woman is forced to confront the snow-bound nature of her own relationships and emotions. During an excursion to an idyllic swimming hole hidden in the Black Hills, two old friends unexpectedly compete for the affections of an irresistible, though married, Lakota woman. Like a mythical expedition to reach the horizon or the quest to distill truth from the beauty around us, the revelation confirmed by these imaginative stories - elegant, sometimes jarring, always wonderfully absurd - is that the very act of reaching is itself a form of touch.

RON PARSONS is a writer living in Sioux Falls. Born in Michigan and raised in South Dakota, he was inspired to begin writing fiction in Minneapolis while attending the University of Minnesota. His short stories have appeared in literary magazines such as The Gettysburg Review, Indiana Review, The Briar Cliff Review, Flyway, and The Onion.

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Maddie is a sweet-tempered coonhound who accompanied her owner, Theron, on a yearlong, cross-country trip while he worked on a photojournalism project. In his spare time, Theron took photos of Maddie doing what she does best: standing on things. From bicycles to giant watermelons to horses to people, there really isn't anything that Maddie won't stand on with grace and patience. The poignant Instagram photos of this beautiful dog and her offbeat poses have captured the imagination of all those who long for a road trip with a good dog for company. Maddie on Things celebrates the strange talent of one special dog and will resonate with any dog lover who appreciates the quirky hearts (and extraordinary balance) of canines.

Theron Humphrey is a photographer who has lived and worked across the country, most recently in Idaho. He embarked on a cross-country trip, meeting and photographing someone new every day as part of a Kickstarter-funded project. He took his coonhound Maddie on his travels, and also photographed her along the way.