It was a two book weekend

I had the best time getting lost in two novels last weekend. Both had to do with the secrets of families.  Both were the kind of reading that reminded me of being a kid and taking a book with me everywhere, even in the boat on the lake.  Why I wanted to be transported from a beautiful lake in Minnesota is beyond me, but stories had way too big of a pull to keep me planted in that boat with nightcrawlers and picnic baskets of fried chicken.  Right now I'd give anything to be back on that boat.  But then?  Give me a book and I was happy!

Ellen Baker is a Minnesota writer who has just published her second novel "I Gave My Heart To Know This".  What I like about it is how in-depth Ellen goes into WWII and the roles that women had (in Superior, Wisconsin) as welders and workers while the men were off to war.  She shows these women with all their strengths and weaknesses.  And believe me, they have both of these, in spades.

"I really loved reading this powerful and poignant book, which, though it acknowledges pain, regret and remorse, ultimately is a celebration of life.” —Elizabeth Berg, author of Once Upon a Time There Was You and Open House

The other book I read "Maine" by J. Courtney Sullivan, also told the story of a complicated family.  A family shrouded in secrets.  The Kelleher's are a big clan of Irish Catholics who have never quite gotten over the death of their patriarch, Daniel.  Where once they gathered together and celebrated (with their fighting and bickering of course) now the family barely interacts with each other, even splitting the summer months up at their cabin in Maine instead of all going there together.

“Sullivan beautifully channels Alice through her memories…The dialogue sizzles as the tension between the women’s love and anger toward one another tightens…You don’t want the novel to end.” –The New York Times Book Review

 Ellen Baker is my guest this week on Realgoodwords, and J. Courtney Sullivan will be later in August. Tell me about your summer reads!

Fish or Cut Bait

Heard that phrase before?  Want to take it on as your own?  Me too. 

In some ways, Fish or Cut Bait describes this week's Realgoodwords where I talk with authors Ellen Airgood and Jim Proebstle.  Proebstle is a northern Minnesota summer resident who has published a novel based on true events "Fatal Incident".  He tells us the true life story and fictionalizes the reasonings and endings that were never uncovered before.  In 1944 there was a crash in Alaska's Mount McKinley range that killed 20 people.  The pilot, Nick, is a pilot for the Army's ATC in Alaska.  In real life, the bodies and the documents surrounding this crash were never found.  It's fascinating because Alaska was a strategic defense position against Japan as well as a lend-lease exchange location for Soviet pilots in support of Russia's war with Germany.  Mix in a possibility of a plot to steal the U.S's top secret atomic bomb designs and you have what William Kent Krueger calls "a hell of a good read".  Fish or Cut Bait here is the fortitude of the brothers who are pilots in the book, as well as the central love story that is woven throughout between Nick and Martha.  Jim Proebstle will be at the Village Bookstore in Grand Rapids on Saturday June 18th from 11-2. 

Ellen Airgood of Grand Marais, Michigan has just published her debut novel "South of Superior".  It's based loosely on the town where she lives.  I asked Ellen to tell me more about why she settled in Michigan's U.P. 

"I came here camping with my sister in the national park near by and on a rainy day we drove into Grand Marais rather than hike.  We ate lunch and I picked out what I thought was the quaintest place to eat and I ended up marrying the cook and I've been here ever since.  I married him six months after I met him which was very crazy but twenty years later here we are and we've made a very good life together here. 

But there have been a lot of challenges in so many different ways and you will find that anywhere in life I think but I just happened to find it here.  I decided at some point along time ago to fish or cut bait and to pay attention to what I had.  I found it to be really wonderful.  But I did fall abruptly in love with the place and the person and really could tear myself away.  And even in the hardest of tiems I never ever wanted to leave here.  There's something about it that's magical as well as being very real and very difficult." 

Fish or Cut Bait.  I admire it in life and I admire it in my reading.  Tune in to KAXE this week for my conversations with Jim Proebstle and Ellen Airgood.  Or check the audio archives of Realgoodwords. 

Bemidji Library Book Festival June 13th-18th

Cool literary events happening in our listening June 13th-17th.... The event is put on by the Kitchigami Regional Library System and made possible by a grant from the MN Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.  Here's the lineup/information:

Monday June 13th:

Phyllis Root author of children's picture book "The Big Belching Bog" 10:30 Bemidji Library

Sandra Benitez author of "The Night of the Radishes" "The Weight of Water" and more 2pm Headwaters School of Music & The Arts

Todd Boss poet and author of "yellowrocket" 7pm American Indian Resources Center, BSU

Tuesday June 14th:
Mary Casanova children's author of many books including "Some Dog"  10:30 am Bemidji Library
Cynthia Kraack 2pm Headwaters School of Music & the Arts
Linda Grover 7pm Am. Indian Resource Center BSU

Wednesday June 15th
Catherine Friend author of "Sheepish:  Two Women, Fifty Sheep & Enough Wool to Save the Planet" 10:30 Bemidji Public Library
Catherine Friend 2pm Diamond Point Park
Colin Wesaw 7pm Am. Indian Resource Center, BSU

Thursday June 16th
Lynne Jonell 10:30pm Bemidji Library
Roy C. Booth 2pm Rail River Folk School
Heid Erdrich 7pm American Indian Resource Center BSU

Friday June 17th
Don Houseman 10:30am Bemidji Public Library
Julie Schumacher 2pm Headwaters School of Music
Author Fair 5-7pm Bemidji High School
Roxana Saberi 7pm BHS Auditorium (Keynote Author)

Saturday June 18th
Susan Marie Swanson 10:30am Bemidji Library

All events are free and open to the public.  Check Kitchigami Regional Library's website for more info. 

Bullying this week on Realgoodwords

Rosalind Wiseman has written on the subject of bullies before, in her bestselling book "Queen Bees & Wannabees" that the movie "Mean Girls" was based on. This time, she's written a novel for young adults. It's called "Boys, Girls & Other Hazardous Materials".

Tina Fey wrote of the new book, "Rosalind Wiseman once again writes with humor, compassion and accuracy about the high school experience. The real-life situations she presents are like watching a train wreck if that train were made out of text messages, make-out parties, and benzoil peroxide, and if train wrecks were surprisingly funny, which they are not. You can't put this book down...or it will talk about you while you are out of the room."

She, along with thriller writer Kathy Reichs (with her first book for young adults "Virals") and local author Duane Schwartz are my guests on this week's Realgoodwords. Check out this video from Rosalind Wiseman.

William Kent Krueger this week on Realgoodwords

William Kent Krueger this week

Tune in for a discussion of William Kent Krueger's latest, "Red Knife".

William and I talked about the character that he writers about Cork O'Connor. Cork is half Irish-American, have Ojibwe. A former sheriff who is now a private investigator, he's a man that embodies the conflict that we often see in Northern Minnesota. As William said, "a fiction writer is always thinking where is the conflict?"

In "Red Knife" violence and how we deal with and handle it is at the core. Cork O'Connor has been called in to help with a conflict that concerns a man whose daughter has died due to meth addiction and the Ojibwe gang, Red Boyz, that supplied her with the drug.

Publishers Weekly called Red Knife "outstanding... Simply and elegantly told, this sad story of loyalty and honor, corruption and hatred, hauntingly carves utterly convincing characters, both red and white, into the consciousness."

William Kent Krueger is going to be speaking at Ironworld in Chisholm this Saturday

April 18: "For Love or Money: Six Reasons to Write," with "Cork O'Connor" series author William Kent Krueger
An Oregon native and former logger, construction worker and four-time Minnesota Book Award winner, Krueger will discuss both his work and why he chose to become a writer, including the compelling reasons for setting his novels on the Iron Range.

Book events coming up in Northern Minnesota

Coming up this weekend (April 10-11th) in the Brainerd/Nisswa area is the first annual Minnesota Author's weekend at Grandview Lodge featuring Doug Wood, Will Weaver and Mary Casanova. Some of the topics include Doug Wood's "Earth Songs and Earth Stories" and Will Weaver's "Pathways to Publication - But First Comes the Writing" and Mary Casanova's "No Less Than Stars".

Bestselling Minnesota mystery writer William Kent Krueger will be at Ironworld in Chisholm on Saturday April 18th from 2-3pm. Krueger writes mysteries set on the Iron Range featuring Cork O'Connor. The latest is "Red Knife". Publisher's Weekly called Red Knife "outstanding... Simply and elegantly told, this sad story of loyalty and honor, corruption and hatred, hauntingly carves utterly convincing characters, both red and white, into the consciousness."

Coming up Tuesday April 21st at the Grand Rapids Area Library there will be a noontime tribute to author Bill Holm for National Poetry Month. From 12-1:30 area writers and fans of Bill Holm will gather to read excerpts from his work. Later that evening, at 5:30 at Brewed Awakenings coffeehouse in Grand Rapids there will be a celebration of Itasca Community College's publication "Spring Thaw". You are invited to come listen to excerpts from the publication as well as share your own poetry.

MN Mystery authors Brian Freeman and Julie Kramer

On this week's episode of Realgoodwords, we're talking to two Minnesota mystery/suspense authors.

Brian Freeman is back with us. Brian writes the series of books about Jonathan Stride, a detective in Duluth. In his latest, "In the Dark" Jonathan's past is back. A murder that was committed when Jonathan was young was never solved and a woman who comes to town and is writing about it is determined to get him to look into the case. Reviewers said,

"Edgar-finalist Freeman's fourth thriller to feature Duluth, Minn., police lieutenant Jonathan Stride (after Stalked) may be his most ambitious—and accomplished—work to date.... Powered by darkly poetic atmospherics and deep character development (especially Stride, whose understated intensity, dignity and resilience are emblematic of the Twin Ports area itself), this harrowing and heartrending novel will leave readers guessing until the very last pages." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Brian has also embarked on a new writing journey - writing under a pseudonym (Ally O'Brien) and with a partner (his literary agent from London). His new "chick-lit" mystery series begins with "The Agency". It's the story of a tough, funny, British literary agent with a boss who turns up dead.

With an insider's take on the book biz, and an appealingly foul-mouthed heroine, this debut is fast, funny and a bit nasty not unlike Tess. A naughty, catty good time. --Kirkus

First time mystery writer Julie Kramer is also joining us. Though it is her first novel, the world of uncovering clues and motive and crime is far from new for author Julie Kramer. Julie is a television producer who worked for WCCO's I-team for many years and now works independently for NBC News. In her first novel, her sleuth is television news reporter Riley Spartz. Riley, always looking for ratings, has uncovered some cold cases that she hopes she can link together and solve in times for sweeps month.

"STALKING SUSAN is a fantastic debut. Julie Kramer has crafted a thriller that will get your heart racing."
—Vince Flynn, PROTECT AND DEFEND

These three novels I've mentioned run the gamut in terms of mystery - Brian's Jonathan Stride books are gritty - his new alter ego of Ally O'Brien and main character Tess Drake are flippy and fun with an edge - and Julie Kramer's Riley Spartz is smart and intense and working hard to make sure she can stay in the TV game. What kind of mystery appeals to you? What are your favorites? Here's some mystery websites to check out:

Minnesota Crime Wave
Uncle Hugo's Bookstore
Once Upon a Crime Bookstore
Reviewing the Evidence
Detectives Beyond Borders
Notes from the Handbasket

How do you find a new mystery to read?

upcoming books on Realgoodwords

Sandra Harper's new novel "High Tea" is a fun novel - the story of a L.A. establishment called Magpie's Tearoom. They pay strict attention to the tradition of High Tea including perfect, plain scones from Maggie's grandmother's recipe and traditional sandwiches. You can read chapter one here.

"Wintergirls" is the new novel by Laurie Halse Anderson.... Anderson is the bestselling author of the young adult novels "Speak" and "Catalyst" among others..."Wintergirls" explores the obsessive, competitive culture of eating disorders through the eyes of Lia.

Starred review, Booklist, Dec. 15, 2008"...a devastating portrait of the extremes of self-deception. This is a brutal and poetic deconstruction of how one girl stealthily vanishes into the depths of anorexia..." "Anderson illuminates a dark but utterly realistic world..."

Our friend Minnesota author Brian Freeman is back with two new mysteries. One continues the story of Duluth's Jonathan Stride... "In the Dark" (or in the U.K. "The Watcher" ) explores the mystery that Jonathan has never really wanted to look back into - the 1977 brutal killing of his girlfriend's sister. Also, Brian is writing a wholy different kind of novel, under another name. This one is called "The Agency"...

And Minnesota writer and judge Mark Munger will be talking with us soon about his biography of his uncle, Willard Munger. It's called "Mr. Environment: The Willard Munger Story".

State Representative Willard Munger was the longest serving member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. During his long career, Munger authored every major environmental or conservation law adopted by the state. Now his story, beginning with his birth in a log cabin in Otter Tail County, continuing with his search for work in the shipyards and factories of Duluth, and culminating with his storied legacy as Minnesota's "Mr. Environment" is ready for readers to enjoy.

Julie Kramer's first novel, "Stalking Susan" is a mystery that centers around Minneapolis news reporter who is looking into some cold cases that all involve the death of women named Susan. The author herself is a freelance TV news producer for NBC's Today Show, Nightly News and Dateline. She lives in Minnesota.

Stay tuned for more information! And post your current reading here!

Listen to a conversation with Bill Holm

You can click HERE to listen to Bill Holm on Realgoodwords last fall.

I hope you get the chance to listen to my conversation with Bill Holm, and that most of all, it will cause you to take a look at his award winning writings. Published works include:

The Windows of Brimnes: An American in Iceland
The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth
Coming Home Crazy: An Alphabet of Chinese Essays
Eccentric Islands: Travels Real and Imaginary
Playing the Black Piano: Poems

Winter Reading from Realgoodwords

Hallie Ephron's "Never Tell A Lie" kept me glued over the weekend. It's a mystery novel telling the story of a very pregnant woman who innocently holds a yard sale. When a person she barely knew in high school shows up, everything changes. I liked that even though Ivy Rose was 8+ months pregnant, she still saves the day. Hallie will be an upcoming guest on Realgoodwords...

I'll talk with Hallie not just about "Never Tell a Lie" but about her book "1001 Books for Every Mood" suggested to me by KAXE Volunteer Joan Downham. Here's an idea of what "1001 Books for Every Mood" has in it:

Books if you are interested in taking a trip:
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
The Atlas by William T. Vollmann
Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Half-Moon
Consider the Lobster: and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins
The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia by Paul Theroux

I'm also reading Minnesota writers Charles Baxter's "The Soul Thief" and Julie Kramer's "Stalking Susan".

Ideas for writers retreats/workshops

Around this time of year I start thinking about writing - how to jump start my own, places I could go to study/write, etc. There are many opportunities out there.

The following are a list of Minnesota based conferences/opportunities. Some are not specifically writer's retreats, but are places to get away from the world - and even have a silent retreat if you want one. Check these out:

Split Rock Arts Program/University of Minnesota

Now in its 25th year, the Split Rock Arts Program is comprised of two entities: Summer Workshops and Online Mentoring for Writers, both of which offer intensive learning opportunities with outstanding faculty from throughout the world. Split Rock's 2009 schedule will feature 40 workshops and retreats in CREATIVE WRITING, VISUAL ART, AND DESIGN, all taught by eminent practicing artists and writers. The wide range of topics and top-notch instructors are sure to inspire artists and writers to treat themselves to an unforgettable learning experience in which they afford themselves the time and space to explore art in a supportive artists’ community.

Anderson Center for the Arts
Since 1995, the Anderson Center has served the artistic community and the citizens of
Minnesota through artistic leadership, program development, and support. It is the
mission of the Anderson Center to uphold the unique wealth of the arts in the region; to develop, foster, and promote the creation of works by artists of all kinds; and to provide leadership and services that help to insure a strong, healthy arts community and a greater recognition of the value of arts in society. The Anderson Center provides retreats of two to four weeks duration to enable artists, writers, and scholars to advance or complete work in progress.

Northwoods Writers Conference
Every June, writers gather at Bemidji State University on the shores of Lake Bemidji for an enlivening week of literary activity at the Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference. Each morning, participants gather their thoughts, notebooks, and writing utensils and head off to their workshops where their teacher and fellow participants provide constructive feedback and encouragement.

The Dwelling in the Woods in McGrath, MN

The Dwelling is many things

A place for quieting your mind and opening your heart.

A place of solitude that allows the integration of your mind, body and spirit.

A place to grow through hospitality, peacefulness, solitude, meditation and prayer.

A time to honor nature, beauty and the arts.

An experience of abundance, healing and spiritual awakening.

We are committed to your comfort, growth and well-being.

We specialize in small groups and individual retreats.

Iceland Writer's Workshop with Bill Holm
The Hofsos workshops were begun in 2000, by Bill Holm of Minneota, MN and David Arnason of Manitoba, two writers with strong Icelandic roots, who find Iceland a great place to refresh their own writing. Hofsos is a small fishing village whose people, determined to keep their town alive, established a fine museum of the Icelandic migration to Canada and the U.S. and restored their older buildings.

Blacklock Nature Sanctuary Fellowships in Moose Lake, MN
The purpose of the Blacklock Nature Sanctuary Artist Fellowship Programs is to provide artists with uninterrupted time in a quiet natural setting to initiate or develop an artistic project. Professional artists in all media are eligible to apply as individuals or in collaboration with another artist or naturalist.

St. Benedict’s Retreats in Collegeville, MN
Gift yourself with some time away! An air-conditioned facility, spacious grounds and a wooded area provide atmosphere for prayer, quiet, reflection and relaxation. You are invited to worship with the monastic community in the daily Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours (Link to Liturgy and Worship/Worship Schedule).

Arc Ecumenical Retreat in Stanchfield, MN (near Cambridge)
ARC (Action, Reflection, Celebration), is a Retreat Center operated by a residential community, rooted in Christian tradition, emphasizing the values of simplicity, justice and healing, mercy and prayer, serving individuals and groups seeking time apart, rest and spiritual renewal.

Also see here for more retreats in Minnesota.

If you know of more opportunities for writer conferences of retreats, post them here!

Sunday is the day of book reviews

On Sundays I like to take a look at what is new in books or what the book critics are saying out there.

There is of course The New York Times Sunday Book Review. This can get a little academic for me, and the criticism is pretty pointed and sharp, but it's also a good indicator of what the literary world is taking notice of. I was curious about the review they did of Carolyn Chute's new novel, "The School on Heart's Content Road". The novel is what they call "a depiction of contemporary American poverty"....

“The School on Heart’s Content Road” is as idiosyncratic as it is engaging. A mytho­poetics of the Second Amendment isn’t exactly common in modern American literary fiction. But neither is the depiction of contemporary American poverty: of the slow, relentless grind of never quite having enough, of the leaching of hope and ambition from those for whom a job at Wal-Mart is a rare opportunity, of the impossible double-bind choices made by the poor every day. This is a beautiful novel, a polemical novel, a messy novel. It’s a love song to a part of America that doesn’t have much of a voice, and is armed.

It wasn't completely glowing praise... the reviewer also wrote...

Form doesn’t just follow feeling in these pages, it chases it helplessly with a butterfly net, casting about in multiple directions, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing. But watching Chute miss what she’s after is more interesting than watching a lesser, better behaved writer catch tidier prey.

The StarTribune also has a good book section that I look at regularly. Today they wrote about young adult authors in Minnesota, which I am interested in too. Louise Erdrich has a new book for young adults that sounds good, "The Porcupine Year" - it's the third in a trilogy. This one is about 12 year old Ojibwe girl Oakayas having to leave her homeland. I'd also like to check out the young adult book published by Milkweed Press, "Discovering Pig Magic" by Julie Crabtree.

Business North writer Beth Bily reviewed Aaron Brown's "Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range" here.

The Pioneer Press in St. Paul has a list of new Minnesota authors publishing books this holiday season.... check it out. I'm curious about all of them, but especially Lorna Landvik's and Mary Logue's new books.

MinnPost has an interesting article on MN poet Larry Shug.

Where do you find out about books? Let me know if you have a book you'd think I'd like or would be good for Realgoodwords on KAXE.

Words and more words this week

MN poet Todd Boss is my guest on this week's episode of Realgoodwords... along with the president of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, Martha Brockenbrough.

Though very different, these two conversations have similarities in their respect and fervor for words and communication. Todd Boss's new book "Yellowrocket" that house his poems that have been described as buoyant and elegant, but swift. See here for examples and readings of his poetry.

Martha Brockenbrough's book "Things That Make Us [sic] - The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar Takes on Madison Avenue, Holloywood, The White House, and the World" helps us finally learn the difference between lie/lay - how to write polite letters to officials and David Hasselhoff and the top 10 misused words.


Here's a sneak preview of those misused words:

accept/except
illicit/elicit
its/it's
principle/principal

Final week of the Fall Fundraiser at KAXE!

It's the Northern Observer Fall Fundraiser at KAXE and what better way to observe the world than to read? On this week's episode you'll get to hear the conversation that John Bauer and I had with Vicky Myron about her life as a librarian with a library cat. Her book is "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat That Touched the World". We've got copies available if you pledge your support to KAXE at $10/month - $120/year or above. You'll get "Dewey" along with your regular thank you gift of a KAXE totebag or t-shirt.

Call us 218-326-1234/1-800-662-5799 or pledge online!

You'll also hear an essay by our contributor Aaron Brown. Aaron's book, "Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range" is also available as your thank-you gift for supporting independent community radio in Northern Minnesota.

What are you reading lately? In honor of Dewey Readmore Books the library cat - here's what I'm reading:

"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak (for the KAXE bookclub discussion on 11/11/08 at 5:30pm)
"Sugar Plum Ballerinas - Plum Fantastic" by Whoopi Goldberg (I'll be talking with Whoopi later today!)
"The Windows of Brimnes: An American in Iceland" by Bill Holm
"The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry" by Kathleen Flinn

50,000 year old wood!

It's called Kauri wood, and it is from the bogs of New Zealand.

I had a chance to talk with Minnesota writer Spike Carlsen about his new book "A Splintered History of Wood- Belt Sander Races, Blind Woodworkers & Baseball Bats". He covers just about everything you'd need to know about wood - from baseball bats, guitars, chainsaw carvers and the Kauri wood of New Zealand.

The Ashland, Wisconsin company Ancientwood harvests the wood and sells it for about $35 a board. As Spike put it, there's an almost hologram look to the wood...

Spike Carlsen will be at the Village Bookstore in Grand Rapids this Sunday, September 7th from 12-noon. He'll have a little show-n-tell that will include the Kauri wood as well as one of his most prized wooden pieces, a 30lb chunk of maple that is whittled down to a 7 oz cowboy hat.

For every copy of "A Splintered History of Wood" by Spike Carlsen, a tree will be planted in Tanzania.

Do you have a favorite kind of wood? The desks at KAXE (made by Timberdoodle Woodworks out of Bovey, MN) are made of a wood called lyptus. It's grown quickly and sustainably in the rainforest and is beautiful!

it's all in the details

Be obscure clearly. ~E.B. White

I talked with Park Rapids poet LouAnn Shepard Mumm this week about her new book of poetry "Breaking the Glass" published by Loonfeather Press in Bemidji. LouAnn said to me of her poetry, "I strive for what I call deceptive simplicity. On one level very simple and straightforward but ideally there are other levels a reader can go to if they choose to."

Here's her poem "Bird Sanctuary"

I don't know how
word gets out-

whether in song

or in movement

like the bees' waggle-dance,

showing the way to all the best nectar-

but somehow they know

I've learned form girlhood

to keep the feeders filled,

to open my doors

to the broken-winged

and lost.

I have no field guide

to tell by their markings

whether they are vultures,

or eagles,

or wrens,

but I take my own notes

and add more data

with each new check

on my lifetime

list.

In our conversation LouAnn talked about the community of writers in the Park Rapids area including the Jack Pine Writer's Bloc and their publication "The Talking Stick". She also talked about some of the retreats she has gone to including St. Benedict's Retreats in Collegeville and

Arc Ecumenical Retreat in Stanchfield, Minnesota.

If you are interested in a retreat check here for retreat centers around the country. Post here if you've ever been a part of one and tell us what it was like!

Infinite potential in walking out our own door

Mary Rose O'Reilly is my guest this week on Realgoodwords. Her book is recently out in paperback from Milkweed Press* of Minnesota called "The Love of Impermanent Things - A Threshold Ecology". I asked Mary Rose to help me understand the title.

She started with what Threshold Ecology meant to her:

"Threshold is a laden word; its a kind of space that we pass from one reality to another when we cross a threshold.
There is infinite potential in walking outside of our own door and seeing what extraordinary things might be there.

Ecology reminds us of the interrelatedness of the things that we find on either side of the threshold - in the plant and animal world or in our own households."

She's right you know, there are extraordinary things out there. On our way to the lake last night my husband and I saw some wild strawberry plants, right there in the path, growing among the pine needles. We were just talking about putting some strawberry plants in the garden! How did they get there? How come we saw them that day? ( psst: I'm so glad you made me look!)

*Milkweed Press, a literary nonprofit publisher in Minneapolis has this mission:

Milkweed Editions publishes with the intention of making a humane impact on society, in the belief that literature is a transformative art uniquely able to convey the essential experiences of the human heart and spirit. To that end, Milkweed publishes distinctive voices of literary merit in handsomely designed, visually dynamic books, exploring the ethical, cultural, and esthetic issues that free societies need continually to address.

Mother's Day

This week on Realgoodwords I talk with Minnesota poet and editor Kathryn Kysar. She's put together a really wonderful and surprising book of stories by Midwest women writers about their moms. The anthology includes some of my favorite writers like Alison McGhee, Faith Sullivan and Sandra Benitez.

These highly personal yet often universal stories offer windows into those influential mother-daughter moments that have forever shaped the lives and perspectives of the writers, powerful women—authors, spokespeople, scholars, teachers, and some mothers themselves.

As a writer, I was really impressed by how these women really captured their mothers. The book is not just a tribute to mothers, but it gets at the complex relationship.

In a review on Mnartists.org Shannon Gibney wrote a of "Riding Shotgun"....

But finding a book which actually looks, feels, and tastes truly representative of our complex state is, even now, a strange and wonderful occurrence. Riding Shotgun is the real thing, with writers from rural and urban Minnesota—who are Black, Native, Hmong American, Korean American, White, Latina, queer and straight—all weighing in on the difficult, inspiring relationship between mothers and daughters. This diversity of voices, coupled with the high quality of the writing throughout, makes Riding Shotgun a great read.

Diane Glancy’s poetic short “M(other),” likewise, offers insight into the huge emotional distances that often exist between mothers and daughters: “My mother was the other in the house. She was something of which I was not part. I was left alone with her in the house until my father came home and my brother was born. A child is an island. A child is a spot on the distant sea. My mother was in the house as I was. A dimmer light. An unwanted smot.”

I asked Kathryn about how she was able to solicit this kind of writing - how we as writers could push ourselves to really write about our mothers. She suggested starting out with a tribute. After that you are free to look at the complexity, the fascination of the bond betweeen mothers and daughters. In a way, writing about our moms can really tells us a lot about ourselves.

How would you describe your mother? Do you have a story about your mother? Did she put raisins in the spaghetti or burn the birthday cake? Did your mom make toast with butter and bring you warm gingerale when you were sick? Maybe your mom baked the perfect bread. Email us or comment here!

Tune in this Wednesday (May 7th at 6pm) or Sunday (May 11th at 9am) for our conversations. If you miss the live audio stream you can also check the archives.

See more information at Kathryn Kysar's website, www.kysar.com.

Phil and Jackie Solem

Phil and Jackie Solem were in to talk about their life and the book they wrote about it, "Such a Road: Autobiography of a Marriage". Phil was a priest and Jackie was a nun when they met. What impressed me about them was their commitment to their community. How service to a community became a part of who they were as a couple. I also took to heart their take on work. Some time ago they made a commitment to work only 20 hours a week. They were willing to give up monetarily in order to gain spiritually and emotionally.

Tune in to Realgoodwords on Sunday April 27th at 9am for our conversation - or check the Realgoodwords archives. Phil and Jackie will speak on their life at the Grand Rapids Area Library on Tuesday April 29th at 7pm. It is free and open to the public. For information on how to get the book see their website www.sucharoad.com.