Meet Me in Minneapolis — At the Twin Cities Book Festival

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Meet me in Minneapolis this Saturday. I’ll be at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds participating in the Twin Cities Book Festival. You’ll find me at an author’s table in the Progress Center giving away free copies of “Wrestling with God” to anyone who donates 14 dollars or more to my favorite Minneapolis charity — Language Central.

“Wrestling with God” you know about. It follows my rocky pilgrimage through the religions of the world in search of a way to believe in God — or something — in this fractious, globalized, multi-faith world of ours.

Language Central is probably new to you. It’s a place in Northeast Minneapolis where adults can go to learn new languages. English as a second language is taught there. So

Lynn Olson, standing, with some of the Language Central students. Photo courtesy Language Central

are some innovative classes like Spanish for police officers and people in medicine and law. Also Somali language and culture. The really cool thing about Language Central is that an old high school buddy of mine, Lynn Cloonan Olson, is one of the founders of the school.

If I’m not at my table at the festival, my long-time best friend and husband, Jon will be there to say hello. I hope to wander the fair a bit and catch festival authors like Francine Prose and Krista Tippett. Or do the raffle at the Rain Taxi Review of Books table. Or make a collage at the Collagathon booth.

Sponsored by Rain Taxi, the Twin Cities Book Festival features both rock star and homespun authors,  as well as publishers, magazines, booksellers and local literati. Rain Taxi is a literary organization that puts on events and programs in the Twin Cities and publishes the quarterly lit mag the Rain Taxi Review of Books.

The event: The Twin Cities Book Festival, Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Opening Night Celebration, Friday, October 14, 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Book Festival, Saturday, October 15, 2016: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.