Each day leading up to the 30th annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony, we’ll be featuring an exclusive interview with one of our 36 finalists. Learn more about these incredible local writers and gear up to see the winners announced live in person April 21.
Interview with William Kent Kreuger, author of Sulfur Springs
Category: Genre Fiction, sponsored by Macalester College
To be appreciated for the fruit of your labor, what could be better? Even a fat royalty check pales in comparison.
What does writing mean to you?
Writing is freedom. Writing is hope. Writing is love. Writing is the only virtuous discipline I practice every day.
Why are stories important for our communities?
Stories don’t just entertain us. Stories enlighten us, encourage us, inspire us. They offer us a better understanding of ourselves and others. They possess the potential to help members of a community affirm their common values, clarify their common goals, and give them hope as they confront the challenges common to all communities.
Tell us something people might not know about you.
I’m very afraid of the dark.
What do you love about libraries?
What’s not to love? Libraries offer free and open access to literature, art, music, information, and provide meeting places for the community. In a very real way, they are one of the important cornerstones of our democracy.
More about William Kent Kreuger:
William Kent Krueger is the author of the New York Times bestselling Cork O’Connor mystery series, set in the great Northwoods of Minnesota. He is a five-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award. Among his many other accolades is the Edgar Award for Best Novel for his 2013 release Ordinary Grace. He lives in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves, and does all his creative writing in local, author-friendly coffee shops. Desolation Mountain, #17 in his Cork O’Connor series, goes on sale August 21 at stores everywhere.
See the winners announced live at the 30th annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony!
