Featured Writers
Varla Ventura
Varla Ventura is an author, traveler, rotten botanist, and lover of the strange. She has written several books on bizarre and freaky things, from paranormal women’s history to werewolves and banshees to plants that smell like death. She is a committed supernaturalist, folklorist, and seeker of those shadowy things that…
Keenan Jones
Keenan Jones, an author in Plymouth, Minnesota, grew up in Gary, Indiana and south suburban Chicago. Coming from a family of educators, pastors, athletes, and musicians, he shifted to education after a college basketball injury, working as an elementary teacher before returning to writing. Jones believes literacy can inspire youth…
Paula Cisewski
Paula Cisewski’s fourth poetry collection, Quitter, won the Diode Editions Book Prize. She is also the author of The Threatened Everything, Ghost Fargo (Nightboat Poetry Prize winner, selected by Franz Wright), Upon Arrival, and several chapbooks, including the lyric prose Misplaced Sinister. She has been awarded fellowships and residencies from…
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Nancy Meyer
Nancy Meyer, M.A., is an entrenovation mentor, author, podcaster, and founder of WeMentor, Inc., where she has spent more than three decades guiding entrepreneurs and creative leaders in developing the self-leadership, clarity, and resilience required to bring meaningful ideas to life. Her work blends strategic thinking with mindful practice, helping clients evolve themselves as they…
Derek Francis
Derek Francis is a lifelong Twin Cities resident and educator with more than 15 years of experience. He began as a high school counselor, supporting graduation success for historically marginalized students. He later served as Manager of Counseling and Executive Director of Equity and School Climate for Minneapolis Public Schools, leading district-wide initiatives including expanding…
James Cihlar
James Cihlar is the author of The Shadowgraph, Rancho Nostalgia, and Undoing. His poetry chapbooks are A Conversation with My Imaginary Daughter, What My Family Used, and Metaphysical Bailout. His writing has appeared in The American Poetry Review, The Threepenny Review, Lambda Literary Review, The Gay and Lesbian Review, Nimrod, Painted Bride Quarterly, and Smartish…
Lindsay Stuart Hill
Lindsay Stuart Hill is a poet, educator, and freelance writer. Her first full-length poetry collection, World of Dew, won the Brittingham Prize in Poetry and was a finalist for the National Poetry Series. Her poems explore loss, impermanence, Buddhism, and travel. Raised in New Hampshire, she earned her MFA from the University of Virginia, where…
Jennifer Gasperini
Jennifer Kimball Gasperini is a current Sun Country Airlines flight attendant and freelance writer. A South Minneapolis resident, Gasperini brings both continuity and fresh perspective to her recently published book, Minnesota’s Phoenix. Gasperini has long been captivated by the adventurous spirit of Minnesotans, having worked with many explorers to develop educational programming. Through her collaboration…
Renee Gilmore
Renee Gilmore is the author of Wayfinding: A Memoir. She is a neurodivergent multi-genre writer, essayist, and poet, and she fearlessly explores the illusion of happiness. Through her writing and lived experience, Gilmore proves that resilience can be practiced both by accident and intention. She holds degrees from the University of New Mexico and Hamline…
Linda Knebel Pruden
Linda Knebel Pruden is an author and national speaker residing in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She received her master’s degree in speech/language pathology from Purdue University and went on to write five books for teachers. In 1987, she was the first speech/language pathologist to be named among Texas’s teachers of the year. Pruden’s writing has also…
Obasesam Okoi
Dr. Obasesam Okoi is Associate Professor of Justice and Peace Studies, co-editor of the African Security Journal, and founding director of the Artificial Intelligence and Society Innovation Lab (ASIL). His research explores how global adversity, including war, terrorism, climate change, and technological disruption, reshapes everyday life, particularly for displaced populations living under chronic insecurity. He…
The Minnesota Writers Directory is a project of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the Minnesota Center for the Book. The Library of Congress designated The Friends as Minnesota’s Center in 2012, and in that role The Friends promotes reading, literacy, and libraries throughout Minnesota. Learn more >>
How To Get Listed on the Directory
Thanks for your interest! If you live in Minnesota and you meet the Directory Eligibility Criteria, you can apply to be listed. (Before applying, read the Eligibility Criteria.) We will contact you after we’ve reviewed your application.
All applicants:
- You must live and work in Minnesota. If you live in Minnesota for part of the year, outline your availability in your application.
- You must provide an email address for your profile. (This will not be listed on the website, but it will be used to create a unique contact form linked to your email address.)
- Your county will be listed in the directory. (Street addresses will not be listed.)
- You must meet the Eligibility Criteria. Before applying, read the Eligibility Criteria to see if you are eligible for listing. You will be accepted at the discretion of the Minnesota Center for the Book.