Finding Balance – Q and A with Jean Raffa
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March 17, 2020

A former television producer and college professor, Dr. Jean Raffa changed directions in midlife to discover and write about her passions. Informed by over 30 years of psychological and spiritual study, her books and teachings guide others to growth and self-empowerment. To be released in October 2020, her newest book, The Soul’s Twins, is about reconciling differences between masculine and feminine, overcoming oppositional conflicts, and… [Read More]

Healing After Loss – an Interview with Chelsea Hanson
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November 12, 2019

After the unexpected loss of a loved one, it is difficult to know where to turn for help and what to do next, and healing can feel like something out of reach. The Sudden Loss Survival Guide: Seven Essential Practices for Healing Grief by Chelsea Hanson provides an indispensable road map to aid those who’ve experienced a life-changing loss. While you cannot control losing a… [Read More]

Casting Light into the Shadows—An Interview with Cathryn Prince
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April 2, 2019

Cathryn Prince is a journalist and award-winning author of historical nonfiction—her most recent work, Queen of the Mountaineers: The Trailblazing Life of Fanny Bullock Workman, will be released on May 7th. This biography explores the life and adventures of the pioneering Fanny Bullock Workman, a woman whose ambition, passion, and determination changed the face of mountain exploration. Stephanie Cheslock has been a beta-reader for Swenson… [Read More]

The Journey of Marcel’s Letters – An Interview with Carolyn Porter
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November 20, 2018

Carolyn Porter is a “graphic designer, typography geek, and founder of the graphic design company Porterfolio,” but you may know her as the author of Marcel’s Letters: A Font and the Search for One Man’s Fate. This memoir recounts Carolyn Porter’s journey through designing a font and her quest for answers about Marcel Heuzé, the World War II forced laborer whose handwriting inspired the font…. [Read More]

Making Science Fun – An Interview with Larry Scheckel
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October 30, 2018

As we go through our everyday lives, science is at work all around us, though many of us take little notice. Teacher, author, and presenter Larry Scheckel has made it his mission “to show that science is valuable, a worthy human pursuit, and just plain fun.” And that’s exactly what he does in his latest book I Wondered About That, Too: 111 Questions and Answers… [Read More]

The Meaning of Family – An Interview with Diane Tober
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October 16, 2018

Our ideas about families have certainly undergone significant changes over the past couple decades, a shift that author, filmmaker, and anthropologist Diane Tober has been studying the past twenty years. Her new book Romancing the Sperm: Shifting Biopolitics and the Making of Modern Families chronicles the shifting landscape of modern families and Rutgers University Press will release it on November 5. “In Romancing the Sperm, Diane Tober… [Read More]

Healing and Recovery – An Interview with Amy Pershing and Chevese Turner
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July 24, 2018

“If you can’t find the book you want, write it.” That’s exactly what Amy Pershing and Chevese Turner did when they wrote Binge Eating Disorder: The Journey to Recovery and Beyond, which will be released on August 10. This book uses personal stories, scientific research, and direct insight to “illuminate the experience of BED from the patient perspective while also exploring the disorder’s etiological roots… [Read More]

Search for the Spiritual – An Interview with Jean Benedict Raffa
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June 19, 2018

If you’re someone who is curious about the human psyche, spirituality, and the connection between femininity and masculinity, chances are you’ll enjoy reading the work of Jean Benedict Raffa, whose writings and teachings focus on “psychological and spiritual matters from a perspective informed by Jungian psychology and personal experience.” She is the author of several books, including The Bridge to Wholeness, Dream Theatres of the… [Read More]

Behind the Search for a Legacy – an Interview with Elizabeth Rynecki
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May 22, 2018

Many people all over the world have families who have been affected by the events of World War II. Elizabeth Rynecki is one of those people. Her great-grandfather Moshe Rynecki “depicted the everyday lives of the Polish-Jewish community in his art,” but sadly, he died in a concentration camp and most of his art was lost in the war. Elizabeth Rynecki’s book, titled Chasing Portraits:… [Read More]

Minnesota Book Awards 2018
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April 24, 2018

For thirty years, the Minnesota Book Awards have recognized the best in writers, illlustrators, and book artists who are Minnesotans. Last Saturday evening in downtown St. Paul at the Intercontinental Hotel Riverfront, more than 800 people attended the awards ceremony emceed by Rohan Preston, theater critic for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. With more than 250 books submitted for the annual award, a panel of judges narrowed… [Read More]