Genre:
Fiction

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Roma Calatayud-Stocks

Award-winning novelist and composer Roma Calatayud-Stocks holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music and Psychology from the University of Minnesota and post-graduate studies in creative writing from the University of St. Thomas. She is the author of two historical novels, A Song in My Heart, and A Symphony of Rivals. In line with her life…

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Maren Cooper

Maren Cooper, an avid reader and keen observer of human nature throughout her career as a health care executive in the Midwest, now resides in Minnesota. She writes best on the shore of Lake Superior where she retreats frequently. Her debut novel, A Better Next, was published in 2019.

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Susan Thurston

Susan Thurston’s grandfather loved a poem she wrote in second grade, and within the glow of his appreciation, she decided to become a writer. Later, a well-meaning adult mentioned that as a journalist, she could earn her living. She became a reporter and editor, but wouldn’t really say what she earned was a living. She…

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Dale A. Swanson

Dale A. Swanson is a published author, poet, screenwriter, and playwright. His historical novel, The Thirty-ninth Man, made the Star Tribune “Best book read” in 2013. The sequel, Tears of Sorrow, was released in 2018. His fantasy chapter book, The Wild Ways: Mystery of the Hanging Tower, for 9- to 99-year-old readers, was published in…

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Richard Thieme

Richard Thieme, an author and speaker, addresses challenges posed by technologies and how to redesign ourselves to meet them. He speaks to technology-related security and intelligence issues that impact “the human in the machine.” He has published numerous articles and stories and 13 books and given hundreds of speeches. His Mobius Trilogy about a professional…

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Rob Jung

Rob Jung was born in the wine country of California, grew up in a Mississippi River town in Wisconsin, and was educated in the Minnesota state university system and Harvard Law School. He was a newspaper writer while getting his undergraduate degree at Winona State University. A life-long student of history, geography, and religion, Jung’s…

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Mary DesJarlais

Mary DesJarlais is the author of two fiction novels, The Cutter’s Widow and Dorie LaValle. She lives and works in Saint Paul.

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Maureen Millea Smith

Maureen Millea Smith is a librarian at the Hennepin County Edina Library. She received her Master of Arts in Library and Information Science from the University of Iowa and an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Wyoming in English Literature. Her novel, When Charlotte Comes Home,…

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Gary Eldon Peter

Gary Eldon Peter is the author of two works of fiction: Oranges, a linked short story collection, and the novel The Complicated Calculus (and Cows) of Carl Paulsen, winner of the 2023 Minnesota Book Award for Young Adult Literature and the Acheven Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction. Oranges was a Minnesota Book Award finalist…

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Marisha Chamberlain

Marisha Chamberlain is a multi-genre writer. Her debut novel, The Rose Variations, was favorably reviewed by the New York Times and her play, Scheherazade, won the Dramatists Guild/CBS National Award. The World Beloved, Chamberlain’s collaboration with composer Carol Barnett, is widely performed. Their collaboration, Mortals & Angels, premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2016. Chamberlain has…