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MNHS Press Newsletter: October 20, 2026

Jaired Johnson Oct 20, 2026, 4:45:00 PM

Publisher's Note

Kao Choua Vue, third from left, holds a galley of her MNHS Press book at the Marquee Author Brunch, Heartland Fall Forum

Fall is book season and Minnesota is book country! At trade conferences, community celebrations, and performances, MNHS Press is glad to celebrate this time of harvest and holidays with you.

On October 8 and 9, we attended Heartland Fall Forum in Minneapolis, staffing a table on the trade show floor and promoting our books and authors through multiple programs. This annual conference draws booksellers from across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes. On Friday morning, Kao Choua Vue, author of the MNHS Press fall release The Spirit of Fearless Living: A Hmong Journey Through War and Refuge, spoke movingly about intergenerational relationships, as part of the Marquee Author Brunch. She is pictured above with fellow panelists Marisel Vera, Daniel Nayeri, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Jason Prokowiew, and moderator Kao Kalia Yang.

At the Evening Author Reception on Thursday, former Minnesota governor Mark Dayton shared highlights of an eventful life in the public eye from his memoir Perseverance. The panel was moderated by David Mura (left) and included authors Ghassan Zeineddine (center right), Louise Erdrich (right), and Deena Helm and Janasha Prabhu (not pictured).

On Friday afternoon, three MNHS Press authors took part in a literary version of speed dating by meeting with multiple groups of booksellers for the Authors' Afternoon Tea. Attendees snapped up copies of their titles: End of the Road Cookbook by Crystal Schlueter, Walking My Ancestors' Path: A Collection of Paintings and Stories by Sam Zimmerman / Zhaawanoogiizhik, and The Babysitter Tree by Molly Beth Griffin.

On the busy trade show floor, booksellers lined up at the MNHS Press table to chat with authors and receive signed copies of their books, including Dear Jacob: A Mother's Journey of Hope by Patty Wetterling and Joy Baker, and Martin Sabo: The Making of the Modern Legislature by Lori Sturdevant. Kao Choua Vue also signed at our table; she is shown here with Kao Kalia Yang, each holding the other's book.

Heartland Fall Forum 2026 took place at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center and was sponsored by the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association and the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association, who reported record attendance.

The next conference MNHS Press will attend is the Twin Cities Book Festival on November 7 at Union Station in St. Paul. It is free and open to the public. The author of our bestselling children's book Bowwow Powwow, Brenda J. Child (Bíne), will be featured with her follow-up release Blue Bearies, which continues the adventures of her main characters.

As mentioned in our September MNHS Press newsletter, the play adaptation of Bowwow Powwow was performed at the Minnesota History Center on October 10, where the author (right) and her daughter Benay McNamara (left) posed with both books. Benay was one of the scriptwriters / adapters for the play, and she provides the narration for the Ojibwe version of the English storytime video of Blue Bearies, now available on the MNHS YouTube Channel.

In addition to Brenda, Kao Choua and her book The Spirit of Fearless Living will be featured at the Twin Cities Book Festival. For a quarter century, this public gathering has celebrated the North Star State's many contributions to American letters. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us. We look forward to seeing you.

New Releases

Our fall season continues with three October books that delight the senses: a richly illustrated history of a distinctly Minnesotan company; a collection of delicious northland recipes; and a charming children's story of two bear cubs. Order your copies today at shop.mnhs.org.

The Red Wing Way

Dave Kenney
Rare archival images and profiles of legendary figures chronicle pivotal moments in the history of the Red Wing Shoe Company, offering an all-access pass to a Minnesota original. This volume offers an insider’s view of a company that weathered the Great Depression, two world wars, and other eras by investing in its hometown, accurately predicting global business trends, and charting its own path.

End of the Road Cookbook

Crystal Schlueter
Communities near the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota—at the “end of the road”—offer diverse recipes. Iron Range native Crystal Schlueter has compiled a hearty selection that will delight the palate. Potlucks across Minnesota’s northland feature a dazzling array of tantalizing dishes. Ojibwe, Slovenian, Italian, German, Irish, Croatian, Polish, Finnish, and Scandinavian flavors sit side by side. Celebrating deep cultural roots and rich ethnic traditions, Schlueter shows that good food awaits at the “end of the road.”

The Babysitter Tree

Story by Molly Beth Griffin, illustrations by Jennifer A. Bell
Publishers Weekly awards this book a starred review, writing, "Two cubs left in the shadow of a large pine provide emotive and sensorial narration, . . . text smoothly interweaves observations about the tree’s unique characteristics. . . . Meticulous hatching adds a soothing texture to backlit acrylic and colored pencil illustrations. Supported by occasional factual captions, this sprightly narrative strikes an easy balance between conveying scientific information and making its subjects feel relatable."

Events

Twin Cities Metro

10/22/2026, 6:00 PM, Sam Zimmerman / Zhaawanoogiizhik, Walking My Ancestors' Path book launch & exhibit opening, Mill City Museum, Minneapolis (talk starts at 7:00 PM)

10/24/2026, 10:30 AM, Molly Beth Griffin and Jennifer A. Bell, The Babysitter Tree, Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul

11/5/2026, 6:00 PM, Kao Choua Vue, The Spirit of Fearless Living, XIA Books and Cafe, St. Paul

Greater Minnesota

10/21/2026, 12:00 PM, Clare Pavelka, The Red Wing Way, Goodhue County Historical Society, Red Wing

10/24/2026, 2:00 PM, Dave Kenney, The Red Wing Way, Fair Trade Books, Red Wing

11/3/2026, 12:00 PM, Crystal Schlueter, End of the Road Cookbook, Piragis Northwoods Company, Ely

National

10/23/2026, 6:00 PM, Patty Wetterling, author of Dear Jacob, Keynote Speaker at Ride for Missing Children Mohawk Valley's A Night of Hope, New York Mills, NY (ticketed)

In the Media

Sam Zimmerman / Zhaawanoogiizhik, Walking My Ancestors' Path, "Sam Zimmerman celebrates North Shore roots in ‘Walking My Ancestors’ Path,’" MPR News

Crystal Schlueter, End of the Road Cookbook, "End of the Road Cookbook to be released," The Ely Echo

Patty Wetterling, Dear Jacob, "Huron Public Library – October is National Book Month!," The Huron Daily Plainsman

Patty Wetterling, Dear Jacob, "Wetterling tells stories of Minnesotans' support, family grief in N. Kato," The Free Press Media

Mark Dayton, Perseverance, "Takeaways from former Gov. Mark Dayton’s book stop in Northfield," Minnesota Reformer

Kao Choua Vue, The Spirit of Fearless Living, and Mark Dayton, Perseverance, "Heartland Fall Forum Encapsulates the State of the Book Industry," Publishers Weekly

Kao Choua Vue, The Spirit of Fearless Living, "Heartland Fall Forum Wraps Up," Shelf Awareness

Noteworthy

Walking my Ancestors Path-1 Mill City Museum launches an exhibit of prints from Sam Zimmerman / Zhaawanoogiizhik's new book, Walking My Ancestors' Path: A Collection of Paintings and Stories , on October 22. Doors open at 6:00 PM, with a talk by the artist beginning at 7:00 PM. Books will be for sale in the museum store and the artist will be available to sign copies.

This event is free and open to the public and registration is not required, but attendees are encouraged to RSVP.

The companion exhibit, Walking My Ancestors’ Path: The Art and Stories of Sam Zimmerman, will be on display in Mill City Museum’s Mill Commons through March 28, 2027, and is free and open to the public during regular museum hours. It includes bilingual display cards (in Ojibwemowin and English) as well as a digital media component.

Sam Zimmerman / Zhaawanoogiizhik, a direct descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, lives in Duluth, Minnesota.

New in MNopedia

Hotdish

Hotdish is a Minnesota culinary institution. A traditional recipe typically consists of ground meat, a creamed soup, and a vegetable (usually canned), topped with tater tots and baked in an oven. Hotdish, however, is much more than a food: it is a cultural touchstone in the Upper Midwest, and an important part of how Minnesotans gather.

Samatar, Hussein (1964–2013)

Hussein Samatar was an entrepreneur, banker, and public servant who advocated for greater access to education for immigrant families. He founded and led the African Development Center, a nonprofit that provides financial education and loans to prospective immigrant entrepreneurs and homeowners. He was the first American of Somali descent elected to a public office in Minnesota (and possibly the US), inspiring a generation of young Somali Minnesotans to pursue civic engagement and public service.

Forthcoming Releases

Our fall season culminates in an action-packed duo: a detailed history that traces the creation and service of a storied but lesser-known military organization, and a revised exploration of Minnesota's ongoing golden age of basketball. Order your copies today at shop.mnhs.org.

Guns Like Lightning: The 1st Minnesota Light Artillery in the Civil War

Hampton Smith
This little-known unit drawn from across Minnesota—celebrated as a hard-fighting, well-led “band of brothers”—persevered through trials and tragedy in the battle to save the Union and end slavery. Drawn from a rich variety of manuscript sources as well as official records from state and national archives, this riveting, detailed narrative brings to life the feats and fatigue, the comradery and anguish of Minnesota soldiers defending the Union at all costs.

Pub date: December 1, 2026

Minnesota Hoops, Revised Edition: The State of Basketball

Marc Hugunin and Stew Thornley
“Minnesota is as much a basketball state as it is a hockey state,” says WNBA superstar Paige Bueckers. In fact, basketball has been played here since 1892, and now, over a century later, it is Minnesota’s most-played sport. In Minnesota Hoops, Marc Hugunin and Stew Thornley present the definitive story of this remarkable journey, offering little-known facts and thrilling tales of the games, the courts, and the personalities that made Minnesota not just the state of hockey but also the state of basketball.

Pub date: December 15, 2026