Featured Writers
Emily Strasser
Emily Strasser’s first book, Half-Life of a Secret, is a deeply researched memoir that traces her journey to reckon with the toxic legacies of her grandfather’s work building nuclear weapons in the atomic city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Strasser’s work has appeared in Catapult, Ploughshares, Guernica, Colorado Review, The Bitter…
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Pete Kero
Pete Kero is an author, speaker, and environmental engineer. His work focuses on the intersection of people, industry, and the environment. Kero was the visionary behind the award-winning Redhead Mountain Bike Park in Chisholm, Minnesota which has been featured in Outside magazine and the nation-wide documentary film Biketown. His book,…
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Ty Chapman
Ty Chapman is the author of Sarah Rising, Looking For Happy, and A Door Made for Me (written with Tyler Merritt). Chapman’s forthcoming publications include multiple children’s books and a poetry collection through Button Poetry. He was a 2022 Center for Arts + Social Justice Fellow – an award that…
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Heather A. Slomski
Heather Slomski is the author of The Lovers Set Down Their Spoons, winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award and a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award. She received her MFA from Western Michigan University and held the Axton Fellow in Fiction at the University of Louisville. A recipient of a Minnesota State Artist Initiative…
Joyce Sidman
Joyce Sidman’s books have won a Newbery Honor (Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night), a Sibert Award for Nonfiction (The Girl Who Drew Butterflies) and two Caldecott Honors. Her book What the Heart Knows was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. In 2013, she received the NCTE Award for Excellence…
Stephanie Watson
Stephanie Watson is the author of the picture books Behold! A Baby (a 2016 Minnesota Book Award finalist), The Wee Hours, and Best Friends in the Universe (a 2019 Minnesota Book Award finalist). Her middle-grade novels include Pencilvania (named one of the best books of 2021 by the New York Public Library), and Elvis and…
Roberta Walburn
Roberta Walburn is a Minneapolis attorney who has been named among the most influential members of the legal profession in state history and recognized by the University of Minnesota for “shaping the legal landscape for the benefit of society.” Previously, she worked as a reporter for the Star Tribune and as a legislative assistant to…
Lauren Stringer
Lauren Stringer creates paintings, drawings, and books in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her first illustrated picture book, Mud, won an IRA Children’s Choice Award, Crayola Kids Best Book of the Year Award, and was declared a “Flying Starts” by Publisher’s Weekly. Since Mud, Stringer has written and illustrated many celebrated picture books. Her book When Stravinsky Met…
Andrea Swensson
Andrea Swensson is an author, podcast host, and music journalist in Minneapolis. She hosts the Official Prince Podcast in collaboration with The Prince Estate and has contributed music journalism to numerous publications including NPR Music, Pitchfork, Star Tribune, City Pages, and The Current, where she previously hosted The Local Show. Her first book, Got to…
Virginia Wright-Peterson
Virginia Wright-Peterson specializes in revealing untold narratives, especially the hidden stories of women. Her most recent book, A Woman’s War, Too reveals the roles taken by women from Minnesota during WWII, when they served in all branches of the military, and in industry, the home, and the community. Their heroism has not been adequately recognized.…
Kao Kalia Yang
Kao Kalia Yang is an award-winning Hmong-American writer. She is the author of the memoirs: The Latehomecomer, The Song Poet, and Somewhere in the Unknown World. Her children’s books include: A Map Into the World, The Shared Room, and The Most Beautiful Thing. She co-edited the ground-breaking collection What God is Honored Here?: Writings on…
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 to see if you are eligible for listing.) We will contact you after we’ve reviewed your application.
Criteria for 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 will be accepted at the discretion of the Minnesota Center for the Book.
- 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. (Addresses will not be listed.)