May 21, 2022: Book signing at Zenith Books

Saturday, May 21 2022 11:00am - 1:00pm

Meet-and-Greet best-selling author Margi Preus at Zenith Bookstore. Her new children's book Lily Leads The Way is the story of a little sailboat who has a big burst of determination when a fleet of tall ships needs assistance.

This tale of plucky persistence, illustrated with the splash and sparkle of a summer day on the water, is sure to empower any child to take charge when the time is right. A note from the author, a Newbery Honoree, offers more facts about bridges and boats for curious readers.

Margi Preus wrote the Newbery Honor Book Heart of a Samurai and other novels, including the Enchantment Lake mystery series, The Littlest Voyageur, and Village of Scoundrels. She lives in Duluth, not far from the iconic Lift Bridge, which inspired Lily Leads the Way.

May 18, 2022: Virtual Release Party for Lily and more!

Wednesday, May 18, 2022: 7:00-8:00pm

Usher in the summer with Red Balloon by celebrating the releases of Margi Preus's Lily Leads the Way and Nikki McClure's Old Wood Boat in a sailing picture book extravaganza!

In Lily Leads the Way, best-selling Minnesotan author of Heart of a Samurai Margi Preus shares the story of a little sailboat who has a big burst of determination when a fleet of tall ships needs assistance to get under the lift bridge. Author-illustrator Nikki McClure details the journey of an old sailing boat made seaworthy again through lyrical prose and intricate cut-paper illustrations in her book Old Wood Boat. Margi and Nikki will read from their books, chat about the creative process and, of course, leave time for questions from the audience!

To Attend: Go to the Red Ballon’s website to register for the event. Pre-registration is required! You can register for the event for free, select a bundle of a free ticket and book, or donate to help us keep events happening. All copies of books purchased for the event will include signed bookplates. 

Registration ends at 5pm CDT on May 18. All registered attendees will be sent the link to join the party 48 hours before the event and on the evening of the event, after ticket sales have ended. 

The story behind “Lily Leads the Way”

Lily the little sailboat wants to get under the lift bridge, but there are too many other big, fast, and loooong boats. See the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge and more as Margi tells the true story behind the picture book story.

Feb. 5: Virtual Presentation of West of the Moon

Livsreise Norwegian Heritage Center

Feb. 5 1:00 - 2:00 pm

“East of the Sun and West of the Moon” is a Norwegian folk-tale that was collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, first published in 1890.

Margi’s Minnesota Book Award winning West of the Moon weaves original fiction with myth and folktale to tell the story of Astri, a young Norwegian girl desperate to join her father in America. Inspired by Norwegian fairytales and the diary her great-great grandmother kept as she emigrated from Norway to America, West of the Moon will be the subject of Margi’s online presentation for the Livsreise Norwegian Heritage Center.

Livsreise (lifs-rye-sa) translates to “Life’s Journey.” It is a generational journey, encompassing not only the physical journey Norwegian emigrants traveled, but also the continued journey as generations embrace their Norwegian Heritage in Stoughton, Wisconsin and across the nation.

Feb. 4: 2022 Rose Warner Reading Series

College of St. Scholastica

Feb. 4 from 9:30 AM – 1:45 PM

Join the College of St. Scholastica's English Department for the 2022 Rose Warner Reading Series, a free, day-long celebration of English literature for Northland teachers and students, with special guest speaker, the renowned writer and poet, Natasha Trethewey.

Natasha served two terms as the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States (2012-2014). She is the author of five collections of poetry, Monument (2018), which was longlisted for the 2018 National Book Award; Thrall (2012); Native Guard (2006), for which she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, Bellocq’s Ophelia (2002); and Domestic Work (2000), which was selected by Rita Dove as the winner of the inaugural Cave Canem Poetry Prize for the best first book by an African American poet and won both the 2001 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Book Prize and the 2001 Lillian Smith Award for Poetry. She is also the author of the memoir Memorial Drive (2020). Visit Natasha’s website to learn more.

Following Matasha’s keynote address in the Mitchell Auditorium, a group of smaller student discussion breakout sessions will be led by Margi, one of four Northland Writers of Distinction.

By celebrating literature and language as an antidote to the troubled world in which we live, the Rose Warner Reading Series will hopefully inspire students to explore their own “Love of Learning” through a liberal arts education on a welcoming college campus.