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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260521T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260521T193000
DTSTAMP:20260327T190632Z
CREATED:20260327T190632Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T190632Z
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SUMMARY:Fitzgerald in Saint Paul - The St. Paul Stories with Klecko
DESCRIPTION:Thursday\, May 21 | 6:30 p.m.\nMerriam Park Library | Meeting Room A\n1831 Marshall Avenue\, Saint Paul \nExplore F. Scott Fitzgerald’s St. Paul stories in a casual environment with Saint Paul and Fitzgerald enthusiast\, Klecko. Your host will take advantage of his eclectic network to shine a light on the present-day resonance of the themes in Fitzgerald’s short fiction. Special guests in May: Clarence White & Erica Christ. May’s story will be “He Thinks He’s Wonderful.”
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/fitzgerald-in-saint-paul-the-st-paul-stories-with-klecko/
LOCATION:Merriam Park Library\, 1831 Marshall Ave\, Saint Paul\, Minnesota\, 55104
CATEGORIES:Fitzgerald in Saint Paul
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/Fitz_08-2023_d1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260520T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260520T200000
DTSTAMP:20260414T202228Z
CREATED:20260309T215004Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260414T202228Z
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SUMMARY:Books & Bars
DESCRIPTION:Books & Bars – Minneapolis\nWednesday\, May 20\n6:30 – 8:00 p.m.\nUtepils Brewing\n225 Thomas Avenue\, Minneapolis \nMartyr! by Kaveh Akbar \nCyrus Shams is a young man grappling with an inheritance of violence and loss: his mother’s plane was shot down over the skies of the Persian Gulf in a senseless accident; and his father’s life in America was circumscribed by his work killing chickens at a factory farm in the Midwest. Cyrus is a drunk\, an addict\, and a poet\, whose obsession with martyrs leads him to examine the mysteries of his past—toward an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as the angel of death to inspire and comfort the dying\, and toward his mother\, through a painting discovered in a Brooklyn art gallery that suggests she may not have been who or what she seemed.
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/41280/
LOCATION:Utepils\, 225 Thomas Avenue North\, Minneapolis\, MN
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/Books-Bars-Cover-May.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260506T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260506T210000
DTSTAMP:20260127T223151Z
CREATED:20260127T223151Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260127T223151Z
UID:40905-1778092200-1778101200@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:2026 Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony\nWednesday\, May 6 | Ordway Center for Performing Arts\n345 Washington Street\, Saint Paul\nGet tickets here\nFree livestream also available \nCelebrate the state’s best books at the 38th annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony\, sponsored by Education Minnesota. Readers\, writers\, and booklovers from all over the state gather together for one incredible evening to honor stories of Minnesotans that connect us all. \n6:30 p.m. – Preface\nMeet the finalists and mingle with your fellow book lovers. Enjoy book sales and signing and a cash bar. \n7:30 p.m. – Awards Ceremony\nSaymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay and May Lee Yang will serve as emcees as awards are presented to winners in nine categories and to the recipients of the Hognander Minnesota History and Kay Sexton awards. Music will be provided by Hiahli. The Ceremony will include ASL interpretation and live captioning. \n9:00 p.m. – Epilogue\nCelebrate with friends and buy featured books. \nLearn more\, get tickets\, and register for the livestream here.
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/2026-minnesota-book-awards-ceremony/
LOCATION:Ordway Center for Performing Arts\, 345 Washington Street\, Saint Paul
CATEGORIES:Author Event,Minnesota Book Awards
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/MNBA_2025_Ceremony_d1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wendy Werdin":MAILTO:wendyw@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260429T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260429T110000
DTSTAMP:20260309T142359Z
CREATED:20260309T140030Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260309T142359Z
UID:41219-1777456800-1777460400@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:One Book | One Minnesota: Virtual Author Discussion
DESCRIPTION:One Book | One Minnesota: Virtual Author Conversation  Tuesday\, April 29 | 10:00 a.m. Conversation with Cristina Oxtra Free and open to the public | Registration required  \nCristina Oxtra\, author of the featured title What Lolo Wants\, will participate in a statewide virtual discussion about her book.  \nReading Period: March 9 – May 3  \nOne Book | One Minnesota is a statewide book club that invites Minnesotans of all ages to read a common title and come together virtually to enjoy\, reflect\, and discuss. During the reading period\, Minnesotans will be invited to read the featured book selection and will have access to author videos\, reading guides\, and virtual book club discussions. Readers can access the ebook for free on Ebooks Minnesota beginning March 9.  \nLearn more at thefriends.org/onebook. \nAbout What Lolo Wants  \nMaria loves to spend her days drawing with her grandfather\, Lolo. But when Lolo begins to forget things\, Maria must come up with a creative way to figure out what Lolo wants. This story is based on Cristina’s experience with her grandfather when he became ill and began to lose his memory.  \nAbout the Authors  \nCristina Oxtra earned an MFA in creative writing for children and young adults and a BA in journalism.   She writes picture books\, chapter books\, middle grade\, and graphic novels. Her picture book\, What Lolo Wants\, is a 2025 Minnesota Book Awards Finalist and Society of Midland Authors Awards Honoree. She earned a 2025 McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowship Honorable Mention and received the Mirrors & Windows Fellowship at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis\, where she has served as a teaching artist. A Filipino American and part of MN BIPOC Kidlit Creators\, Cristina is a former journalist\, former educator\, an Air Force veteran\, and public relations professional.   \n\nOne Book | One Minnesota is presented by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library\, as the Minnesota Center for the Book\, in partnership with State Library Services and sponsored by Blaze Credit Union. Program partners also include AmazeWorks; Council of Regional Public Library System Administrators; Kids Can Press; Mackin VIA; Minitex; and the Minnesota Department of Education. This program is made possible in part through an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the Minnesota Center for the Book. The program is also funded in part by a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Midwest Region program\, managed by Illinois State University. Content created and featured in partnership with the TPS program does not indicate an endorsement by the Library of Congress. 
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/one-book-one-minnesota-virtual-author-discussion/
LOCATION:Virtual
CATEGORIES:Author Event,One Book
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/OneBook_Spring2026_Calendar_01.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wendy Werdin":MAILTO:wendyw@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260422T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260422T193000
DTSTAMP:20260310T220019Z
CREATED:20260207T015323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T220019Z
UID:41059-1776882600-1776886200@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Books & Bars: "I Cheerfully Refuse" by Leif Enger
DESCRIPTION:I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger \nWednesday\, April 22\n6:30 p.m. Discussion \nUtepils\n225 Thomas Ave N\nMinneapolis \nThis event is FREE and open to the public.\n— \nRainy\, an endearing bear of an Orphean narrator\, seeks refuge in the harbors\, fogs and remote islands of Lake Superior in the not-too-distant future. Encountering lunatic storms and rising corpses from the warming depths\, Rainy finds on land an increasingly desperate and illiterate people\, a malignant billionaire ruling class\, crumbled infrastructure and a lawless society. Amidst the Gulliver-like challenges of life at sea and no safe landings\, Rainy is lifted by physical beauty\, surprising humor\, generous strangers\, and an unexpected companion in a young girl who comes aboard. And as his innate guileless nature begins to make an inadvertent rebel of him\, Rainy’s private quest for the love of his life grows into something wider and wilder\, sweeping up friends and foes alike in his strengthening wake. \n—\nWith The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library\, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book\, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/books-bars-i-cheerfully-refuse-by-leif-enger/
LOCATION:Utepils\, 225 Thomas Avenue North\, Minneapolis\, MN
CATEGORIES:Books & Bars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/BB_Apr-2026_760x230_SPPL-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Alayne Hopkins":MAILTO:alayne@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260421T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260421T193000
DTSTAMP:20260310T220108Z
CREATED:20260207T020704Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T220108Z
UID:41064-1776796200-1776799800@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Books & Bars: "I Cheerfully Refuse" by Leif Enger
DESCRIPTION:I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger \nTuesday\, April 21\n6:30 p.m. Discussion \nUrban Growler\n2325 Endicott St.\nSt. Paul \nThis event is FREE and open to the public.\n— \nRainy\, an endearing bear of an Orphean narrator\, seeks refuge in the harbors\, fogs and remote islands of Lake Superior in the not-too-distant future. Encountering lunatic storms and rising corpses from the warming depths\, Rainy finds on land an increasingly desperate and illiterate people\, a malignant billionaire ruling class\, crumbled infrastructure and a lawless society. Amidst the Gulliver-like challenges of life at sea and no safe landings\, Rainy is lifted by physical beauty\, surprising humor\, generous strangers\, and an unexpected companion in a young girl who comes aboard. And as his innate guileless nature begins to make an inadvertent rebel of him\, Rainy’s private quest for the love of his life grows into something wider and wilder\, sweeping up friends and foes alike in his strengthening wake. \n—\nWith The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library\, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book\, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/books-bars-i-cheerfully-refuse-by-leif-enger-2/
LOCATION:Urban Growler\, 2325 Endicott Street\, Saint Paul\, MN
CATEGORIES:Books & Bars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/BB_Apr-2026_760x230_SPPL-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Alayne Hopkins":MAILTO:alayne@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260324T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260324T193000
DTSTAMP:20260305T201226Z
CREATED:20260207T014042Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260305T201226Z
UID:41049-1774377000-1774380600@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Books & Bars: "Playground" by Richard Powers
DESCRIPTION:Playground by Richard Powers \nTuesday\, March 24\n6:30 p.m. Discussion \nUrban Growler\n2325 Endicott St\nSt. Paul \nThis event is FREE and open to the public.\n— \nTwelve-year-old Evie Beaulieu sinks to the bottom of a swimming pool in Montreal strapped to one of the world’s first aqualungs. Ina Aroita grows up on naval bases across the Pacific with art as her only home. Two polar opposites at an elite Chicago high school bond over a three-thousand-year-old board game; Rafi Young will get lost in literature\, while Todd Keane’s work will lead to a startling AI breakthrough. \n—\nWith The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library\, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book\, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/books-bars-playground-by-richard-powers-2/
LOCATION:Urban Growler\, 2325 Endicott Street\, Saint Paul\, MN
CATEGORIES:Books & Bars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/BB_Mar-2026_760x230_SPPL-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Alayne Hopkins":MAILTO:alayne@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260321T101500
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260321T150000
DTSTAMP:20260316T183335Z
CREATED:20260122T201229Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T183335Z
UID:40876-1774088100-1774105200@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Meet the Finalists of the 2026 Minnesota Book Awards
DESCRIPTION:Meet the Finalists of the 2026 Minnesota Book Awards\nSaturday\, March 21 | 10:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.\nGeorge Latimer Central Library | 90 W. Fourth Street\, Saint Paul\nFree and open to the public | Registration requested below (This helps us plan and allows you to get important event updates and more finalist information.)  \nCome meet this year’s finalists! Minnesota Book Award finalist authors from each of the nine awards categories will participate in readings\, panel discussions\, and other activities about their books and their work at this special event. Events will take place in different rooms of the library throughout the day. Come for one or stay for all! It’s your choice. Attendees can also buy finalist books and enjoy library activities.   \nScroll down to view the full schedule. \nRegister here\n  \n\n\nSchedule and Featured Authors\n10:15 – 11:15 a.m. | Novel & Short Story | Magazine Room\, 3rd Floor  \nFeaturing Anika Fajardo\, Carson Faust\, Deborah Jiang-Stein\, Thomas Maltman   \n10:30 – 11:30 a.m. | General Nonfiction | Andy Boss Room\, 4th Floor   \nFeaturing Willa Hammitt Brown\, David Hage\, Josephine Marcotty\, Varla Ventura   \n11:00 a.m. – Noon | Children’s Literature| Youth Services\, Saturday Vibe\, 1st Floor  \nFeaturing Keenan Jones\, Mélina Mangal\, Joyce Sidman   \n11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. | General Nonfiction and Minnesota Nonfiction | Andy Boss Room\, 4th Floor  \nFeaturing John Gaspard\, Greg Gaut\, Erin Walsh   \n11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Finalist Videos | Innovation Lab\, 3rd Floor   \nNoon – 1:00 p.m. | Middle Grade Literature | Youth Services\, 1st Floor  \nFeaturing Erin Soderberg Downing and Debra J. Stone \n12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | Memoir & Creative Nonfiction | Magazine Room\, 3rd Floor  \nFeaturing Jennifer Eli Bowen\, Bronson Lemer\, Mary Lucia\, Kelly Foster Lundquist \n1:00 – 2:00 p.m. | Young Adult Literature | Youth Services Teen Room\, 1st Floor  \nFeaturing Karen Huss\, Erin Makela\, Mary Roach\, Jason Walz  \n1:30 – 2:30 p.m. | Poetry | Nicholson Commons\, 2nd Floor   \nFeaturing Paula Cisewski\, Jim Moore\, Okwudili Nebeolisa   \n1:45 – 2:15 p.m. | Finalist Videos | Innovation Lab\, 3rd Floor   \n2:00 – 3:00 p.m. | Genre Fiction | Magazine Room\, 3rd Floor  \nFeaturing Allen Eskens\, Amy Lynn Green\, William Kent Krueger\, Marcie Rendon   \n10:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Button and bookmark making activity stations | Innovation Lab\, 3rd Floor 
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/meet-the-finalists-of-the-2026-minnesota-book-awards/
LOCATION:George Latimer Central Library\, 90 W 4th Street\, Saint Paul
CATEGORIES:Author Event,Author Readings,Minnesota Book Awards
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/MNBA_2026_Header-MTF_01-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Alayne Hopkins":MAILTO:alayne@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260318T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260318T193000
DTSTAMP:20260305T200942Z
CREATED:20260207T013821Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260305T200942Z
UID:41043-1773858600-1773862200@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Books & Bars: "Playground" by Richard Powers
DESCRIPTION:Playground by Richard Powers \nWednesday\, March 18\n6:30 p.m. Discussion \nUtepils\n225 Thomas Ave N\,\nMinneapolis \nThis event is FREE and open to the public.\n— \nTwelve-year-old Evie Beaulieu sinks to the bottom of a swimming pool in Montreal strapped to one of the world’s first aqualungs. Ina Aroita grows up on naval bases across the Pacific with art as her only home. Two polar opposites at an elite Chicago high school bond over a three-thousand-year-old board game; Rafi Young will get lost in literature\, while Todd Keane’s work will lead to a startling AI breakthrough. \n—\nWith The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library\, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book\, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/books-bars-playground-by-richard-powers/
LOCATION:Utepils\, 225 Thomas Avenue North\, Minneapolis\, MN
CATEGORIES:Books & Bars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/BB_Mar-2026_760x230_SPPL-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Alayne Hopkins":MAILTO:alayne@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260224T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260224T193000
DTSTAMP:20260207T014824Z
CREATED:20260207T014824Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260207T014824Z
UID:41055-1771957800-1771961400@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Books & Bars: "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store" by James MacBride
DESCRIPTION:The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James MacBride \nTuesday\, February 24\n6:30 p.m. Discussion \nUrban Growler\n2325 Endicott St.\nSt. Paul \nThis event is FREE and open to the public.\n— \nIn 1972\, when workers in Pottstown\, Pennsylvania\, were digging the foundations for a new development\, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill\, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him\, it was Chona and Nate Timblin\, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill\, who worked together to keep the boy safe. \n—\nWith The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library\, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book\, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/books-bars-the-heaven-and-earth-grocery-store-by-james-macbride-2/
LOCATION:Urban Growler\, 2325 Endicott Street\, Saint Paul\, MN
CATEGORIES:Books & Bars
ORGANIZER;CN="Alayne Hopkins":MAILTO:alayne@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260218T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260218T193000
DTSTAMP:20260213T173301Z
CREATED:20260207T014550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260213T173301Z
UID:41052-1771439400-1771443000@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Books & Bars: "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store" by James MacBride
DESCRIPTION:The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James MacBride \nWednesday\, February 18\n6:30 p.m. Discussion \nUtepils\n225 Thomas Ave N\,\nMinneapolis \nThis event is FREE and open to the public.\n— \nIn 1972\, when workers in Pottstown\, Pennsylvania\, were digging the foundations for a new development\, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill\, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him\, it was Chona and Nate Timblin\, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill\, who worked together to keep the boy safe. \n—\nWith The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library\, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book\, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/books-bars-the-heaven-and-earth-grocery-store-by-james-macbride/
LOCATION:Utepils\, 225 Thomas Avenue North\, Minneapolis\, MN
CATEGORIES:Books & Bars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/BB_Feb-2026_760x230_SPPL-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Alayne Hopkins":MAILTO:alayne@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260128T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260128T193000
DTSTAMP:20260106T185148Z
CREATED:20251222T165907Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T185148Z
UID:40725-1769625000-1769628600@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Fireside Reading Series: Greg Gaut
DESCRIPTION:Greg Gaut\, author of The War at Home: Minnesota During the Great War\, 1914–1920 \nNonfiction\nWednesday\, January 28 | 6:30 p.m.\nNew location! Rondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\n270 North Kent Street\, Saint Paul \nOr via Zoom | REGISTER HERE for Zoom event \nAbout the Book  \nHistorian Greg Gaut focuses on the lives of individual Minnesotans to tell the dramatic story of this period\, when the North Star State experienced bitter polarization\, nativism\, flagrant disregard for democratic norms\, and intense\, sometimes violent\, confrontations.  \nAbout the Author  \nGreg Gaut taught at a liberal arts college for two decades and has worked for ten years as a historic preservation consultant. He has won the David Gebhard and Salon J. Buck Awards.  \n\nAbout the Fireside Reading Series \nGreat authors by the fireside. \nFREE\nWednesdays | January 7 – January 28\, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.\nRondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\n270 N Kent Street\, Saint Paul \nor via Zoom\nthefriends.org/fireside \nCozy up for four weeks of readings with great writers. In partnership with Saint Paul Public Library\, Fireside Reading Series highlights some of Minnesota’s finest writers who have published new work. \nCaptioning will be provided for all four livestreamed events. ASL interpretation is available upon request with at least seven days’ notice. Contact info@thefriends.org or 651-222-3242. \nThis activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council\, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund and an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the Minnesota Center for the Book.  \n \n\nAll Fireside Events \nWednesday\, January 7th \nMindy Mejia\, The Whisper Place\nFiction  \nWednesday\, January 14th\nRicardo Levins Morales\, The Land Knows the Way: Eco-Social Insights for Liberation\nMemoir/Nonfiction  \nWednesday\, January 21st  \nDebra J. Stone\, The House on Rondo\nFiction  \nWednesday\, January 28th \nGreg Gaut\, The War at Home: Minnesota During the Great War\, 1914 – 1920 \nNonfiction  \n 
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/fireside-reading-series-greg-gaut/
LOCATION:Rondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\, 270 N Kent Street\, Saint Paul\, MN\, United States
CATEGORIES:Author Event,Author Readings,Fireside Reading Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/Fireside_2026_CalendarEvent-AUTHORS_01-Gaut.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wendy Werdin":MAILTO:wendyw@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260127T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260127T193000
DTSTAMP:20260106T155245Z
CREATED:20251222T165248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T155245Z
UID:40720-1769538600-1769542200@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Books & Bars: "Eight Billion Genies" by Charles Soule
DESCRIPTION:Eight Billion Genies by Charles Soule \nTuesday\, January 27\n6:30 p.m. Discussion \nUrban Growler\n2325 Endicott St\nSt. Paul \nThis event is FREE and open to the public.\n— \nIf you had one wish…what would you wish for? Now\, what if everyone else had one wish too? At exactly the same moment\, everyone on earth gets a genie and one wish. All hell breaks loose\, in a very entertaining way…and that’s just the beginning. \n—\nWith The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library\, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book\, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/books-bars-eight-billion-genies-by-charles-soule-2/
LOCATION:Urban Growler\, 2325 Endicott Street\, Saint Paul\, MN
CATEGORIES:Books & Bars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/BB_Jan-2026_760x230_SPPL.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Alayne Hopkins":MAILTO:alayne@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260121T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260121T193000
DTSTAMP:20251222T165050Z
CREATED:20251222T165050Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251222T165050Z
UID:40711-1769020200-1769023800@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Books & Bars: "Eight Billion Genies" by Charles Soule
DESCRIPTION:Eight Billion Genies by Charles Soule \nWednesday\, January 21\n6:30 p.m. Discussion \nUtepils\n225 Thomas Ave N\,\nMinneapolis \nThis event is FREE and open to the public.\n— \nIf you had one wish…what would you wish for? Now\, what if everyone else had one wish too? At exactly the same moment\, everyone on earth gets a genie and one wish. All hell breaks loose\, in a very entertaining way…and that’s just the beginning. \n—\nWith The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library\, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book\, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/books-bars-eight-billion-genies-by-charles-soule/
LOCATION:Utepils\, 225 Thomas Avenue North\, Minneapolis\, MN
CATEGORIES:Books & Bars
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/BB_Jan-2026_760x230_SPPL.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Alayne Hopkins":MAILTO:alayne@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260121T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260121T193000
DTSTAMP:20251222T164816Z
CREATED:20251222T162920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251222T164816Z
UID:40704-1769020200-1769023800@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Fireside Reading Series: Debra J. Stone
DESCRIPTION:Debra J. Stone\, author of The House on Rondo\nFiction\nWednesday\, January 21 | 6:30 p.m.\nNew location! Rondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\n270 North Kent Street\, Saint Paul \nOr via Zoom | REGISTER HERE for Zoom event \nAbout the Book  \nThirteen-year-old Zenobia’s grandparents’ house on Rondo Ave. is targeted for demolition. She joins her no-nonsense neighbor in protests. Even though they do not stop the demolition\, she learns about the persistence of love\, community\, and joy in the face of loss.   \nAbout the Author  \nDebra J. Stone writes essays\, poetry\, and fiction. She received a 2023-2025 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship and the 2023 Loft Mirrors and Windows Fellowship. She lives in Minneapolis.   \n\nAbout the Fireside Reading Series \nGreat authors by the fireside. \nFREE\nWednesdays | January 7 – January 28\, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.\nRondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\n270 N Kent Street\, Saint Paul \nor via Zoom\nthefriends.org/fireside \nCozy up for four weeks of readings with great writers. In partnership with Saint Paul Public Library\, Fireside Reading Series highlights some of Minnesota’s finest writers who have published new work. \nCaptioning will be provided for all four livestreamed events. ASL interpretation is available upon request with at least seven days’ notice. Contact info@thefriends.org or 651-222-3242. \nThis activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council\, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund and an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the Minnesota Center for the Book.  \n \n\nAll Fireside Events \nWednesday\, January 7th \nMindy Mejia\, The Whisper Place\nFiction  \nWednesday\, January 14th\nRicardo Levins Morales\, The Land Knows the Way: Eco-Social Insights for Liberation\nMemoir/Nonfiction  \nWednesday\, January 21st  \nDebra J. Stone\, The House on Rondo\nFiction  \nWednesday\, January 28th \nGreg Gaut\, The War at Home: Minnesota During the Great War\, 1914 – 1920 \nNonfiction 
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/fireside-reading-series-debra-j-stone/
LOCATION:Rondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\, 270 N Kent Street\, Saint Paul\, MN\, United States
CATEGORIES:Author Event,Author Readings,Fireside Reading Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/Fireside_2026_CalendarEvent-AUTHORS_01-Stone.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wendy Werdin":MAILTO:wendyw@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260114T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260114T193000
DTSTAMP:20251222T164821Z
CREATED:20251222T161055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251222T164821Z
UID:40696-1768415400-1768419000@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Fireside Reading Series: Ricardo Levins Morales
DESCRIPTION:Ricardo Levins Morales\, author of The Land Knows the Way: Eco-Social Insights for Liberation Memoir/Nonfiction\nWednesday\, January 14 | 6:30 p.m.\nNew location! Rondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\n270 North Kent Street\, Saint Paul \nOr via Zoom | REGISTER HERE for Zoom event \nAbout the Book  \nA collection of essays gathered from six decades of activism on how to creatively and effectively respond to living in times that are both unprecedented and unique but also part of longstanding and familiar historical cycles.   \nAbout the Author  \nRicardo Levins Morales is an artist and organizer based in Minneapolis. He uses his art as a form of political medicine to support individual and collective healing. He also leads workshops on creative organizing\, social justice strategy and sustainable activism.  \n\nAbout the Fireside Reading Series \nGreat authors by the fireside. \nFREE\nWednesdays | January 7 – January 28\, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.\nRondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\n270 N Kent Street\, Saint Paul \nor via Zoom\nthefriends.org/fireside \nCozy up for four weeks of readings with great writers. In partnership with Saint Paul Public Library\, Fireside Reading Series highlights some of Minnesota’s finest writers who have published new work. \nCaptioning will be provided for all four livestreamed events. ASL interpretation is available upon request with at least seven days’ notice. Contact info@thefriends.org or 651-222-3242. \nThis activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council\, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund and an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the Minnesota Center for the Book.  \n \n\nAll Fireside Events \nWednesday\, January 7th \nMindy Mejia\, The Whisper Place\nFiction  \nWednesday\, January 14th\nRicardo Levins Morales\, The Land Knows the Way: Eco-Social Insights for Liberation\nMemoir/Nonfiction  \nWednesday\, January 21st  \nDebra J. Stone\, The House on Rondo\nFiction  \nWednesday\, January 28th \nGreg Gaut\, The War at Home: Minnesota During the Great War\, 1914 – 1920 \nNonfiction  \n 
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/fireside-reading-series-ricardo-levins-morales/
LOCATION:Rondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\, 270 N Kent Street\, Saint Paul\, MN\, United States
CATEGORIES:Author Event,Author Readings,Fireside Reading Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/Fireside_2026_CalendarEvent-AUTHORS_01-Morales.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wendy Werdin":MAILTO:wendyw@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260107T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260107T193000
DTSTAMP:20260105T145931Z
CREATED:20251222T144309Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260105T145931Z
UID:40671-1767810600-1767814200@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Fireside Reading Series: Mindy Mejia
DESCRIPTION:Mindy Mejia\, author of The Whisper Place\nFiction\nWednesday\, January 7 | 6:30 p.m.\nNew location! Rondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\n270 North Kent Street\, Saint Paul \nOr via Zoom | REGISTER HERE for Zoom event \nAbout the Book  \nInvestigators Max Summerlin and Jonah Kendrick search for a woman desperate to escape a dark past. As Max and Johan unearth the woman’s story\, they put themselves directly in the path of the terror she is trying to escape.   \nAbout the Author  \nMindy Mejia is a CPA and a graduate of the Hamline University MFA program. She lives in the Twin Cities with her family\, and is the author of Strike Me Down\, Everything You Want Me to Be\, Leave No Trace\, and To Catch a Storm.  \n\nAbout the Fireside Reading Series \nGreat authors by the fireside. \nFREE\nWednesdays | January 7 – January 28\, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.\nRondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\n270 N Kent Street\, Saint Paul \nor via Zoom\nthefriends.org/fireside \nCozy up for four weeks of readings with great writers. In partnership with Saint Paul Public Library\, Fireside Reading Series highlights some of Minnesota’s finest writers who have published new work. \nCaptioning will be provided for all four livestreamed events. ASL interpretation is available upon request with at least seven days’ notice. Contact info@thefriends.org or 651-222-3242. \nThis activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council\, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund and an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature to The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the Minnesota Center for the Book.  \n \n\nAll Fireside Events \nWednesday\, January 7th \nMindy Mejia\, The Whisper Place\nFiction  \nWednesday\, January 14th\nRicardo Levins Morales\, The Land Knows the Way: Eco-Social Insights for Liberation\nMemoir/Nonfiction  \nWednesday\, January 21st  \nDebra J. Stone\, The House on Rondo\nFiction  \nWednesday\, January 28th \nGreg Gaut\, The War at Home: Minnesota During the Great War\, 1914 – 1920 \nNonfiction  \n 
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/fireside-reading-series-mindy-mejia/
LOCATION:Rondo Community Library at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center\, 270 N Kent Street\, Saint Paul\, MN\, United States
CATEGORIES:Author Event,Author Readings,Fireside Reading Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/Fireside_2026_CalendarEvent-AUTHORS_01-Mejia.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wendy Werdin":MAILTO:wendyw@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250913
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260323
DTSTAMP:20251222T170359Z
CREATED:20251222T170359Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251222T170359Z
UID:40731-1757721600-1774223999@thefriends.org
SUMMARY:Exhibit: "Gatsby at 100"
DESCRIPTION:“Gatsby at 100” Exhibit\nSeptember 13\, 2025 – March 22\, 2026\nMinneapolis Institute of Arts\n2400 Third Avenue South\, Minneapolis \n“Gatsby at 100\,” opening in fall 2025 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art\, will explore how F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel shaped and was shaped by the visual art of his time. The exhibition will bring together works from Mia’s collection that embody the decadence\, social upheaval\, and underlying racism of Fitzgerald’s most famous novel\, highlighting paintings\, prints\, drawings\, and photographs that are rarely on view. Like Fitzgerald\, artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe\, Oskar Kokoschka\, and Henri Matisse\, as well as regional artists like Wanda Gág\, Clement Haupers\, and Frances Cranmer Greenman\, endeavored to capture the contradictions of the Jazz Age\, a term coined by Fitzgerald himself. Entry is free. \nLearn more here. \nGatsby at 100\n2025 is the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby. To mark this milestone\, The Friends is convening a variety of programs that invite us to revisit the book and consider how its themes apply today. Learn more and browse programs here. 
URL:https://thefriends.org/event/exhibit-gatsby-at-100/
LOCATION:Minneapolis Institute of Arts\, 2400 Third Avenue South\, Minneapolis\, MN\, United States
CATEGORIES:Exhibit,Fitzgerald in Saint Paul
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/Fitz_9-2024_CalendarEvent_d2-scaled.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Wendy Werdin":MAILTO:wendyw@thefriends.org
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR