Books, for authors and attendees alike, covered the publishing tables and tempted folks to find new reads. Photos courtesy of John Stember
Instead of heading south like the geese, flocks of authors, publishers, and book lovers traveled north over the weekend for the North Shore Readers and Writers Festival put on by the Grand Marais Art Colony. The event, which started in 2015 and takes place every other year, hosts a variety of creative workshops, panel discussions, and author-led classes across town.
Kicking off the weekend at the Art Colony on Thursday night, swirls of people peeled open books, sipped wine, and shot the breeze. The North Shore Readers and Writers Festival pulls in amateur and professional writers alike. Publishers like University of Minnesota Press, Graywolf, and Coffee House Press, showcased book displays and lingered over the four-day festival.
For many, the weekend is about learning or connecting with people in the literary industry. “I really like to support small publishers. I took a class this afternoon on ‘Infinite Possibilities’ by Shelia O’Connor,” said local Maggie Jones. “It was really one of the better classes I’ve ever had in my life. We took the same story and we rewrote it from four different points of view… Every time we rewrote the story from a different point of view, the story changed—it had to…”
For others, the festival provided a strong pull north. “It is my first time at the festival. I’ve spent two hours in Grand Marais prior to today,” laughed young adult author Jeff. “I guess I knew Lin Salisbury from when she worked in the Cities. She asked me to come up here, but I was excited to have the opportunity to spend time north of Duluth. Who gets that chance?”
In total, over 20 authors presented over the weekend amongst a total of 50 events put on by the Grand Marais Art Colony. Highlights included Leif Enger’s keynote presentation, Lorna Landvik’s Laughs at Voyageur Brewery, and readings from a smattering of local authors at the church.
With winter closing in, it is an especially good time of year to tuck piles of books underwing or stitch together a few sentences.
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