March 2009 - Vol 3, Issue 9
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Is that spring on the horizon? Well, probably not. But even so, Magers & Quinn is cleaning house and getting ready for blue skies and warm breezes.

This month, it's all about people. Magers & Quinn is reaching out to you--to review some books, to do some social networking, to come to our events, to join our book clubs.

Read on and find out how you can connect with a good book--and with your fellow readers.

Are your green thumbs itching yet? Spring is coming, and it's never too early to start planning your garden. Magers & Quinn has a huge gardening section to inspire and assist you. Here are just a few of the books you'll find there.

Best Garden Plants for Minnesota and Wisconsin
New
M&Q Price $15.25
Online: $12.71 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $16.95
The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food
Near New
M&Q Price: $14.99
Publisher's price: $22.95

The New York Times 1000 Gardening Questions and Answers
Near New
M&Q Price $10.99
Publisher's price: $19.95
Extreme Simplicity: Homesteading in the City
New
M&Q Price: $6.99
Publisher's price: $19.95

The Minnesota State Horticultural Society's Month-By-Month Gardening in Minnesota
Near New
M&Q Price $14.99
Publisher's price: $19.99
Seed to Seed: The Secret Life of Plants
New
M&Q Price: $7.99
Publisher's price: $24.95

Magers & Quinn is looking for a few good book reviewers.

We can't pay you, so we're offering something more valuable than even money: advance reader copies. Be the first on your block to read new books before they're available to the hoi polloi. Show your copy off and make the local literati jealous. Of course, we'll also credit you whenever we use your review, so you'll have another item for your writing resumė.

To kick things off, we've got pre-publication copies of several books that we'll trade for 200-word reviews:To be considered, send us an email. Tell us a little bit about what you like to read and what insights you can offer M&Q's readers.

Watch for customer reviews soon.

It can be hard to get out the word about author appearances and other literary events. Newspapers are cutting back on book reviews and coverage. Events calendars don't list everything that's going on--no matter how much we ask. What's an independent bookstore with tons of new titles and a full slate of fantastic readings and events to do?

The answer is simple but effective: we talk to people directly. When you're in the store, feel free to ask us for recommendations on what's new and interesting. We love helping customers find the right book, so don't be shy. We're here to help you. You can also call us any time to check for a particular title. We'll be glad to hold it for you, so you can be sure it will be here for you when you come in.

For more book news, of course, there's this newsletter. We pick the best, most important news you need to know every month and deliver it right to you. If you like this monthly sampler, please pass it on to a friend and encourage them to sign up. You can browse old editions of the newsletter and sign up for our mailing list on our archive page.

But there's more.

If you want to keep up with the book world every day, try Magers & Quinn's blog. There are always new stories about the store, new books, upcoming events, and weird news from the world of books. Recent entries have covered topics ranging from a new version of Bambi told from the hunter's point of view, to an interview with Allan Kornblum of Minneapolis' Coffee House Press, to the wonderful site savethewords.org. Check out the M&Q blog today.

And did you know that Magers & Quinn also has a Facebook page? We just launched it, and the response has been wonderful. You can become a fan, meet other local bibliophiles, and get reminders of upcoming events. It's a great way to connect with other readers and share news about books and what you're reading.

Whether you prefer email, our blog, or Facebook, we hope you'll stay in touch with Magers & Quinn. We've got a lot to tell you.

The second most common question we hear at Magers & Quinn is "Do you have a biography section?"


So we are pleased to announce that we have heard your cries and that there is now a large display of new and informative life stories prominently situated at the front of the store. A.A. Milne, Che Guevara, and Aline Crumb all rub shoulders at Magers & Quinn. It's like your dream cocktail party.

So stop by and see who's new at our store. It's always an interesting crowd.

PS: The most common question we hear concerns a certain public convenience which is available to our customers. It's down that aisle, through that door. Don't make me spell it out.

This ad appears in the back of Real Sailor Songs, which M&Q recently acquired. This one small ad is crammed with great lines:
  • "With Bad Paper, one's Best is impossible"
  • "Being of unusual, but not painful smoothness"
  • "the pen slips with delicious freedom"
  • "stay-at-homes who dislike the restraint of desk or table"
Sadly, I am unable to determine why hairlessness was such a selling point for stationery in the early twentieth century. I can only assume that lesser papers were more hirsute and therefore more taxing to write on. (Click on the image to see a larger version.)

There's always news from the store on our blog. Check it out for more stories like this one.

We're not slowing down at all. Magers & Quinn has a full slate of events in March. We have comedy, poetry, memoir, and even photography. Here's a taste of our great readings. Visit our events page for more details.

February's Events
Visit our events page

for full details.


March 4 The Loft Presents: A Member Series Publication Reading by Joan Calof (The Lyrical Curmudgeon) and John Graber (Thanksgiving Dawn), 7:00pm--The Loft Literary Center at Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis

March 5 Nicole Helget (The Turtle Catcher) 7:30pm

March 5 inkTANK Teen Arts Council presents "Prompt: The Reading" 7:00pm--The Loft Literary Center at Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis

March 7 Diana Joseph (I'm Sorry You Feel That Way) 6:00pm

March 8 C.A. Conrad, Aaron Kunin, and Magdalena Zurawski 5:00pm

March 9 Stewart Klipper (The Antarctic: Antarctica From the Circle to the Pole) 7:30pm

March 10 The Loft Presents: Raking through Books Happy Hour Book Club with Carol Connolly, Kieran Folliard, Erin Hart, and Wild Bill Hawkins, 5:30pm--Kieran's Irish Pub, 330 2nd Avenue S, Minneapolis

March 10 BOOKS & BARS discusses The Dispossessed by Ursula K LeGuin--Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W Lake St, Minneapolis, doors open at 6:00pm, discussion begins at 7:00pm

March 10 TALK OF THE STACKS: David Plotz discusses Good Book--7:00 pm at the Minneapolis Central Library, Pohlad Hall, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis

March 11 Magers & Quinn Booksellers hosts a reading celebrating Dislocate Magazine, 7:00pm

March 11 The Loft Presents: A publication reading by Michael Dennis Browne and Elizabeth Haukaas, 7:00pm--The Loft Literary Center at Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis

March 12 The Loft Presents: Dr Rashid Khalidi discusses his book Sowing Crisis: The Cold War and American Dominance in the Middle East, 7:00pm

March 12 Tom Davis (Thirty-Nine Years of Short-Term Memory Loss) 7:30pm--Lyndale United Church of Christ, 31st and Aldrich Avenue S, Minneapolis

March 24 Poets Janet Holmes and Kathleen Jesme read from their new books, 7:30pm

March 24 BIG BANG BOOK CLUB discusses Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-billion-Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin--Grumpy's Bar & Grill, 1111 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, 7:00pm

March 27 The Loft Presents: A publication reading for Paul Zerby's The Grass, 7:00pm--The Loft Literary Center at Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis

March 28 The Loft Presents: "Equilibrium Spoken Word:" A performance by Bassey Ikpe and Giles Li with special guest El Guante, 8:00pm--The Loft Literary Center at Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis

April 4 Jon Ginoli (Deflowered:My Life in Pansy Division) 7:00pm
Thursday, March 5, 7:30pm--Minnesota author Nicole Helget reads from her new novel The Turtle Catcher

In the store:$24.00
Online: $18.00 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $24.00
A standout fiction debut by a prize-winning young writer whose memoir, The Summer of Ordinary Ways, was a favorite of critics and booksellers Nicole Helget's fierce and lyrical memoir of growing up on a Minnesota dairy farm received widespread acclaim. The Star Tribune recently called her "The most promising local writer in years." (The full article is here.)

Here, in her first novel, Helget turns her extraordinary sensibility to a haunting love story with a heinous crime at its core. In a rural Minnesota town of German immigrants in the tumultuous days of World War I, The Turtle Catcher brings together two misfits from warring clans. Liesel, the one girl in the upstanding family of Richter boys, harbors a secret about her body that thwarts all hope for a normal life. Her closest friend is Lester, the "slow" boy in the raffish Sutter family, a gentle, kind soul who spends his days trapping turtles in the lake. Yearning for human touch in the wake of her parents' deaths, Liesel turns to her only friend-leading her brother, just returned from the war, to an act that will haunt not only both families but the entire town. Helget's novel is a story of loyalty and betrayal that, like her earlier book, proves her uncommon understanding of the natural world and human frailties. Both moving and heartfelt, The Turtle Catcher confirms this young writer's exceptional talent.

Monday, March 9, 7:30pm--Stewart Klipper discusses his photography book The Antarctic: Antarctica From the Circle to the Pole

In the store: $40.00
Online: $40.00 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $40.00
Stuart Klipper has traveled to Antarctica six times in twenty years to photograph this astounding body of work, offering a sweeping look at this majestic continent, which has lately become central to global climate change concerns. Shot in panoramic format-the only way to encompass a landscape that seems to stretch on forever-Klipper's work captures major features and surprising details: ships suspended in the frozen sea, glowing blue icebergs, vistas of endless snow, and troops of penguins. This volume's substantial size, panoramic shape, and unique vertical-opening case emphasize the grandeur of these austere and lovely photographs from the bottom of the world.

Stuart Klipper is among the most experienced photographers of Antarctica. He lives in Minneapolis. He is a mainstay of the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists and Writers program. His photos of the Antarctic have been on display at the Museum of Modern Art.

Tuesday, March 24, 7:30pm--Poets Janet Holmes and Kathleen Jesme read from their new books

In the store: $17.50
Online: $15.75 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $17.50
Janet Holmes was born in Libertyville, IL, so is officially a midwesterner; after her father's retirement when she was in fifth grade, she grew up in south Florida, then a land of tourist shops, retirees in big cars, and bad sunburns. Educated at Duke University, she worked in newspaper and magazine editorial in North Carolina, New York, and New Mexico before getting an MFA from Warren Wilson College; she has also had a corporate career in software development for document transmission. She taught at St. Paul's Macalester College for several years and is now an associate professor in the MFA Program for Writers at Boise State University where she directs Ahsahta Press, an all-poetry press founded in 1974. Her books include The Physicist at the Mall (winner of the Anhinga Prize from Anhinga Press), The Green Tuxedo (winner of the Ernest Sandeen Prize in Poetry from University of Notre Dame Press), Humanophone, and F2F, both also from UNDP.

In The Plum-Stone Game, her third book of poems, Kathleen Jesme asks what happens if the ordinary ways of knowing are taken away-if one is suddenly unable to see or hear or has been stripped of the familiar past. What begins to show through when absence (or darkness) creates a different inner landscape? In five distinct but interconnected poem cycles, Jesme excavates these inner landscapes and discovers word artifacts to reveal new directions to dig, always bringing the reader somewhere unexpected.

Kathleen Jesme is a graduate of the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers. Her poetry has appeared in Pleiades, Babel Fruit, Coconut, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, The Laurel Review, Great River Review, Conduit, Poet Lore, and The Poet's Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales. She lives in the Twin Cities and teaches at the Loft Literary Center. Jesme is the author of three books of poetry: The Plum-Stone Game, 2009, from Ahsahta Press; Motherhouse, 2005, winner of the 2004 Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Prize from Pleiades Press, selected by Thylias Moss and distributed by LSU Press; and Fire Eater, 2003, from University of Tampa Press.

Saturday, April 4, 7:00pm--Jon Ginoli discusses his memoir Deflowered: My Life in Pansy Division

In the store: $16.95
Online: $12.71 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $16.95
Deflowered is the inside story of the first openly gay pop-punk band. Just a few short years ago, the stereotype for gay men involved loving disco and show tunes. Jon Ginoli decided to do something about that.

Deflowered is Jon Ginoli's journey of self-discovery, musical passion, and drive to become the founding member of Pansy Division, the first out and proud queer core punk rock band to hit the semi-big time. Set against the changing decades of music, we follow the band from their inception in San Francisco, to their search for a music label and a permanent drummer to their current status as indie rock icons. We see the highs--touring with Green Day--and the lows--homophobic fans--of striving for acceptance and success in the world of rock. Featuring behind-the-scenes photographs and replete with the requisite tales of sex, drugs, groupies, band fights and label battles, this rollicking memoir is also an impassioned account of staying true to the artistic vision of queer rock'n'roll.

Jon Ginoli is a guitarist, singer, songwriter and founding member of Pansy Division, a punk rock band whose CD's include Undressed, Deflowered, Wish I'd Taken Pictures, and more. An Illinois native, he's played both dive bars and arenas, and his favorite color is purple. When not on tour with the band he lives and works in San Francisco.


More information on these and all our other upcoming events can be found on our events page.

Join us for the second meeting of the the Big Bang Book Club. We're kicking it off with a hot title, one that's sure to stir some lively conversation even on a cold night.

In the store: $12.55
Online: $10.46 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $13.95
The second meeting of the Big Bang Book Club will be Tuesday, March 24 at 7:00pm, at Grumpy's (1111 Washington Av. S., Minneapolis). We'll be discussing Neal Shubin's book Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-billion-Year History of the Human Body.

"With infectious enthusiasm, unfailing clarity, and laugh-out-loud humor, Neil Shubin has created a book on paleontology, genetics, genomics, and anatomy that is almost impossible to put down. In telling the story of why we are who we are, Shubin does more than show us our inner fish; he awakens and excites the inner scientist in us all."-Pauline Chen, author of Final Exam

"The antievolution crowd is always asking where the missing links in the descent of man are. Well, paleontologist Shubin actually discovered one. . . . A crackerjack comparative anatomist, he uses his find to launch a voyage of discovery about the evolutionary evidence we can readily see at hand. . . . Shubin relays all this exciting evidence and reasoning so clearly that no general-interest library should be without this book."-Booklist (starred review)

The Big Bang Book Club will meet on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Check out our events page for details on future meetings.

Thursday, March 12, 7:30pm, at Lyndale United Church of Christ, 31st and Aldrich Avenue S, Minneapolis--Writer and comedian Tom Davis discusses his memoir Thirty-Nine Years of Short-Term Memory Loss: The Early Days of SNL from Someone who Was There

In the store: $21.59
Online: $18.00 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $24.00
Saturday Night Live alum and now author Tom Davis will be in Minneapolis to discuss his memoir Thirty-Nine Years of Short-Term Memory Loss: The Early Days of SNL from Someone who Was There. Magers & Quinn Booksellers is pleased to bring you this one-of-a-kind event.

Thirty-nine Years of Short-Term Memory Loss by Tom Davis, an original writer on Saturday Night Live and comedy partner with Al Franken, is a hilarious book about the early days of Saturday Night Live that chronicles Davis's friendship with Jerry Garcia, Timothy Leary, and his friends at SNL.

"Finally a book by someone who actually worked at the original Saturday Night Live. Tom Davis writes in a heartfelt and hilarious style telling great stories from the world of show business and entertainment."--Dan Aykroyd

"Frankly, I'm surprised Tom was able to remember this much of the '60s, '70s and '80s. But I'm not surprised that my old partner was able to capture the times with such humor and such wisdom." -Al Franken

No tickets are necessary for this event, but we do encourage you to arrive early for the best seats.

March is Small Press Month. Independent publishers put out some of the most interesting --whether it's The End from Graywolf Press or Coffee House Press' Blood Dazzler, both of which were nominated for the National Book Award this year.

Minnesota has long been a hotbed of independent publishing. Take a look at our display of books from some of Minnesota's great little publishers. It's like a farmers' market for books.

As part of Small Press Month, M&Q is pleased to host an evening with three bright talents on the national small press scene. C.A. Conrad, Aaron Kunin, and Magdalena Zurawski will read from their new work.

Aaron Kunin is a poet, critic, and novelist. He is the author of a collection of small poems about shame, Folding Ruler Star (Fence, 2005); a chapbook, Secret Architecture (Braincase, 2006); and a novel, The Mandarin (Fence, 2008), which is set in places that no longer exist in Minneapolis.

C.A. Conrad lives and writes in Philadelphia with the PhillySound poets. His latest book, The Book of Frank (Chax Press, 2009), received The Gil Ott Book Award.

Magdalena Zurawski is the author of The Bruise (FC2, 2008), winner of the Ronald Sukenick Prize for Innovative Fiction.

Join us Sunday, March 8, at 5:00pm, to hear from all three writers.

The next meeting of the Twin Cities' most unusual and interesting book club is Tuesday, February 10. Books & Bars meets at Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W Lake Street, in Minneapolis. Doors open at 6:00pm; the discussion begins at 7:00pm.

In the store: $12.55
Online: $10.46 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $13.95
March's book is The Dispossessed by sci-fi stalwart Ursula K LeGuin. Winner of both the Nebula and Hugo awards, the novel tells of Shevek, a physicist who hopes to bring his utopian society back into the materialist world it shunned centuries earlier.

Books & Bars is not your typical book club. We provide a unique atmosphere for a lively discussion of interesting authors, fun people, good food and drinks. You're welcome even if you haven't read the book.

Visit booksandbars.com for details and to talk to fellow members!

PS: We still have a few Books and Bars tshirts available. Stop by the store to get yours.

Magers & Quinn is proud to be part of the Twin Cities' vibrant book scene. Stop in today or check our inventory on our website any time.

We'll be back next month with more book news.

Until then,


David Enyeart
Magers and Quinn Booksellers

Call us: 612/822-4611
Or visit our website: http://www.magersandquinn.com
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