One Book | One Minnesota: Virtual Author Discussion

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 

Cristina Oxtra, author of the featured title What Lolo Wants, will participate in a statewide virtual discussion about her book. 

Reading Period: March 9 – May 3 

One 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. 

Learn more at thefriends.org/onebook.

About What Lolo Wants 

Maria 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. 

About the Authors 

Cristina 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.  

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One 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.