THE MINNESOTA WRITING COMMUNITY has always impressed me as talented, prolific and generously giving.
Now add united activism to that list as 50-plus Minnesota authors join from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, February 28, in an Authors for Minnesota Day event at 24 independent bookstores across the state. Their efforts focus on “A Day of Books, Community, and Support for Immigrant Rights.”
I could not be more proud of these writers and booksellers who are publicly raising awareness of the challenges our immigrant neighbors, our communities and small businesses (including indie bookstores) have faced, and continue to face, in the wake of massive federal immigration enforcement throughout Minnesota.
These authors and bookstore owners are taking their support to the next step—action. Anyone who makes an on-site donation to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and/or the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota Immigration Rapid Response Fund on Saturday will get a free, signed copy of a participating author’s book, while supplies last. (See online donation options at the end of this post.)
Among participating authors are Heid E. Erdrich, Allen Eskens, William Kent Krueger, Lorna Landvik, Bao Phi and many others, including Jess Lourey. She co-organized the event with Kristi Belcamino as “a coordinated act of civic support,” Lourey writes on her website. I’ve read many of Lourey’s bestselling mysteries and heard her speak at my local library. “Find your people and tell your truth,” she said at one of those appearances in emphasizing the value of community.
Saturday it will be all about community and supporting community as book lovers meet with authors in bookshops across Minnesota. While most host sites are located in the metro, three are in greater Minnesota—Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais, in the far northeastern corner of Minnesota; Hey Darling in Austin near the Iowa border; and then Content Bookstore in Northfield, south of the metro and a 20-minute drive from my home.
Bestselling mystery and thriller author Allen Eskens of nearby St. Peter, and one of my favorite Minnesota writers, will be at Content Bookstore signing his latest novel, The Quiet Librarian, now out in paperback. Northfield writer Mary Bleckwehl will also be at Content with her children’s picture book, ARRRGH! Me Have to Wait.
Here’s a complete list of independent bookstores hosting Authors for Minnesota Day from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday: Avant Garden (Anoka), Big Hill Books (Minneapolis), Birchbark Books (Minneapolis), Black Garnet Books (St. Paul), Comma, a Bookshop (Minneapolis), Content Bookstore (Northfield), Cream & Amber (Hopkins), Drury Lane Books (Grand Marais), The Enchanted Quill (North Branch), Excelsior Bay Books (Excelsior), Hey Darling (Austin), Inkwell Booksellers (Minneapolis), Irreverent Bookworm (Minneapolis), Lake Country Booksellers (White Bear Lake), Moon Palace (Minneapolis), Next Chapter Booksellers (St. Paul), Niche Books (Lakeville), Once Upon a Crime (Minneapolis), Red Balloon (St. Paul), Scout and Morgan (Cambridge), Subtext (St. Paul), Tropes and Trifles (Minneapolis), Valley Bookseller (Stillwater), and Well Read Books (Elk River).
FYI: For those of you who can’t attend but still want to support this cause, you can donate online to the two recipient organizations. Click here for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. And click here for the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota Immigration Rapid Response Fund.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Thank you very much for sharing this, what an incredible undertaking and I’d also like to donate to your community of Faribault and the other small communities who so need help during this time. Minnesota strong!
Thank you, Beth, for appreciating this effort by Minnesota writers and booksellers. And thank you for supporting my community. Post coming soon (now that I have my taxes done and time to research and write).
This is so amazing and empowering, for authors and bookstores to band together on such important issues! The power of words to change the world… I love William Kent Krueger’s words in the Minnesota image!! Thank you so much for sharing this, and for including all the links, and places where this will be happening!!
I was thinking I would really love to have a t-shirt with William Kent Krueger’s message printed thereon. He rates as one of my favorite Minnesota writers, among many gifted authors in this state.
Just wonderful, Audrey! I will share this. 💕
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful event, Lori.
I wish I could attend!
If you didn’t live so far away, I know you would certainly pop into one of these indie bookshops on Saturday.
Yes!
thank you for such a lovely article!
You are most welcome. And a heartfelt thanks to you and Jess Lourey for organizing Authors for Minnesota Day. I appreciate all the time, planning and effort you invested in making this happen. I expect it will be a great success. I’d love to hear results, as in how much money was donated to the two organizations, how many books were given away, etc. I’d definitely write a follow-up post.
We are definitely hoping to get those numbers and have asked if individual bookstores can keep track of it so hopefully all will go as planned
That sounds great. Thank you, Kristi.
If I still lived in Iowa I would so be here for this great event, I LOVE Allen Eskens— this last book seemed different than his others but I liked it. Minnesota has some really many great writers including you!
It would be a lot of fun to go to Content Bookstore with you, although Hey Darling in Austin is much closer to Iowa.
Thank you for your kind words about Minnesota writers, including me.