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Peg Guilfoyle

Writer and speaker Peg Guilfoyle’s latest book is An Eye for Joy: Noticing the Good World Everywhere. She is the originator and writer of...
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Damone Bester

Damone Bester is a two-time award-winning author whose debut novel Mendel received both a BookFest Award and a Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Fiction....
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Dave Kenney

Dave Kenney is the author of nearly two dozen books, all historical non-fiction, covering topics ranging from World War II to the movie industry....
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Andrew Kantar

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Andy Kantar is the author of a trilogy of Great Lakes shipwreck books written primarily for young adults. His...
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Debra J. Stone

Debra J. Stone is a Jerome Hill Arts Fellow in Literature 2023-25, a Minnesota State Arts Board grant recipient, and The Loft Mirrors and...
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Chloe Spencer

Minnesota native Chloe Spencer (she/her) is an award-winning writer, indie gamedev, and filmmaker. She is the author of multiple sapphic horror novellas, novels, and...
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Helen Weil

Helen Weil is a poet, writer, and educator from the Chicago suburbs who loves ghost stories and love stories in equal measure. She studied...
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Susan Koefod

Susan Koefod is an award-winning novelist known for her Arvo Thorson mystery series. The series debuted with Washed Up, praised by Library Journal, and...
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Erin Makela

Erin Makela is a writer, middle school teacher, and theater enthusiast. While she calls Worthington, Minnesota home, Makela is always looking for her next...
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Melissa Gish

Melissa Gish is the author of dozens of juvenile nonfiction books on topics ranging from biography, history, and industry to science and nature. She...

Christine Bauer

Christine Bauer’s book Those Three Words: A Birth Mother’s Story of Choice, Chance, and Motherhood chronicles her journey of experiencing an unplanned pregnancy at age 18, the agonizing decision she needed to make, and its impact on her life. Bauer majored in Mass Communications at Mankato State University in Mankato, Minnesota and has had a…
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Marion Dane Bauer

Marion Dane Bauer has published over 100 books, ranging from board books and picture books through early readers, both fiction and nonfiction, books on writing, middle-grade, and young-adult novels. She is the editor of the ground-breaking collection of gay-and-lesbian-themed short stories, Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence. She was one of the founders…
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Nicole Belle-Isle

Nicole Belle-Isle was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She has a Master of Education degree and is a licensed teacher in special education as well as in reading. She has been working in the education field since 2001, has worked with children of all ages, and currently works at a high school in St.…
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Ryan Berg

Ryan Berg is a writer, activist, and teaching artist at the Shipman Agency’s Work Room. His debut book, No House to Call My Home: Love, Family and Other Transgressions, won the 2016 Minnesota Book Award for General Nonfiction, the 2016 NCCD Media for a Just Society Award, and was listed as a Top 10 LGBTQ…
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Damone Bester

Damone Bester is a two-time award-winning author whose debut novel Mendel received both a BookFest Award and a Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Fiction. His highly anticipated sequel, Blue Smoke Rises, releases in 2026. Known for bold storytelling that blends emotional depth with social insight, Bester teaches writers how to develop authentic voice, build compelling…
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Sara Biren

Sara Biren is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is a content and social media manager for a Minneapolis marketing firm and offers freelance editing and copywriting services. She lives northwest of Minneapolis with her husband and their two children.…
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Peter Bognanni

Peter Bognanni is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His debut novel, The House of Tomorrow, won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for first fiction and the ALA Alex Award and was adapted into a feature film. His second novel, Things I’m Seeing Without You, was a Minnesota Book Award finalist. He teaches…
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A.J. Briscoe

A.J. Briscoe is an author, entrepreneur, and founder of the non-profit community literacy initiative “To Succeed You Must Read.” His mission is to assist in raising the literacy levels in underserved communities. Briscoe has established strategic partnerships with various schools, businesses, and community pillars in an effort to impact the lives of our young people…
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Mary Casanova

Once a can’t-sit-still reader, Mary Casanova now writes stories that matter and books readers can’t put down. She is the author of numerous award-winning books, from picture books (One-Dog Canoe) to books and book-inspired movies for American Girl (Grace); from middle grade adventure novels (Wolf Shadows and The Klipfish Code) as well as historical fiction…
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Brittany Chaffee

Brittany Chaffee is an avid storyteller, professional empath, and author. On the daily, she gets paid to strategize and create content for brands. Off work hours, it’s all about a well-lit place, warm bread, and good company. Her first book, Wild Morning was released in 2017. Her recent work, Borderline: A Series of Essays, is…
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