Nonfiction
Nonfiction writers from Minnesota.
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 first book, 29 Missing, was a Michigan Notable Book for Young Adults. Black November was a finalist for the Foreword Book of the Year (YA nonfiction), and Deadly Voyage was featured…
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 Windows Fellow 2023. The University of Minnesota Press has published her debut novel, The House on Rondo. Stone resides in Minneapolis with her husband and dog Ruby, an ACD Red Heeler.
Jessica Litman
Jessica Litman, also known as “The Organized Mama,” is a published author and home organization expert whose work has been featured on Today.com, People.com, Better Homes & Gardens, Parents Magazine, Apartment Therapy, and The Spruce. Litman has a wide array of speaking experience, including television appearances on WGN, WCCO, Fox, ABC, and Life.Style.Live, as well…
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 is an online writing professor at a small state university.
Susannah Shmurak
Susannah Shmurak has written on gardening, health, and environmental topics for magazines such as Northern Gardener, Mother Earth Living, Ensia, and Sierra as well as numerous websites. Her favorite topics to cover are foraging, growing food, herbal remedies, and sustainability. She is the author of Everything Elderberry and founder of HealthyGreenSavvy.com, a website focused on…
Dralandra Larkins
Dralandra Larkins is a multi-genre writer, three-time award-winning spoken word poet, and the author of Before I Lie. She is a teaching artist at COMPAS and has performed for the NAACP, Button Poetry, Mill City Museum, Minnesota State Capitol, Minnesota Black Business Ball, and the Minnesota Black Authors Expo. Larkins co-edits Cracked Walnut’s Rewilding Hope…
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…
Jokeda Bell
Jokeda “JoJo” Bell is the executive director and the director of exhibitions and programming for the African American Interpretive Center of Minnesota (AAICM). Her roles in the organization have led to collaborative programming with the Minnesota Historical Society and the Minnesota Museum of American Art. She has also appeared as an expert in the Minnesota…
Steve Grove
Steve Grove is CEO and publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune. Previously, he was Minnesota’s commissioner of employment and economic development. Before moving back to his home state, Grove built a career in Silicon Valley as an executive at Google and YouTube, most recently as the founding director of the Google News Lab and previously…
Antonia Felix
Antonia Felix, Ed.D., MFA, is a New York Times bestselling author of nonfiction, fiction, drama, and poetry. Her 25 books include several acclaimed political biographies of women leaders, and she has been a guest speaker at many universities and organizations, including the Woman’s National Democratic Club in Washington, DC., and Robert J. Dole Institute of…