By Ames Sheldon

During the 1950s and ‘60s, the Twin Cities was purposefully created to become a cultural center because the locally born CEOs of the major corporations and other community leaders worked to make sure they could attract talented employees who lived elsewhere. These leaders funded new enterprises like the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (founded in 1959) and the Guthrie Theatre (opened in 1963); they supported Orchestra Hall, the Walker Art Center, other art and history museums, dance companies, educational institutions like the University of Minnesota, the Minnesota Private College Fund, and other nonprofits that serve the public good. 

FOUNDATION FOR WRITERS 

In 1965 the State Arts Society, founded in 1903, changed its name to the Minnesota State Arts Council and refined its vision to “advance the interest of the arts, develop the influence of art in education, and promote and encourage the performing and fine arts in Minnesota.” There was already support for literary and other art in the state from The McKnight Foundation (established in 1953) and the Jerome Foundation (created in 1964) but now the focus was on art that fostered community, rather than to “foster the introduction of art in manufactures.” 1 The creation or regeneration of all these foundations laid the groundwork for, among many things, a robust writing community in Minneapolis. 

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO POWERFUL POETRY AND PROSE

One of the earliest supporters for writers was The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Incorporated in 1975 by Marly Rusoff in her Dinkytown bookstore, Rusoff & Co. Book Dealers, The Loft was the first literary organization in the country to promote writers, create a writing center, offer writing classes, and effectively establish a community of writers. 

In 1973, Marly Rusoff persuaded Minnesota native Robert Bly to read some of his poems in her bookstore, which led to subsequent readings. A year later, Rusoff rented a room above the store to host publication readings by local authors. And when she could not afford to continue renting the upstairs room, Rusoff contacted poets Jim Moore and Michael Dennis Browne, memoirist Patricia Hampl, and legendary creative writing teacher Phebe Hanson to create a “poets’ club” that would pay for these rental fees. The club held a fundraiser emceed by Garrison Keillor and sold 100 memberships at the event. 

In 1975, the “poets’ club” was incorporated as The Loft Literary Center. This new organization received a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Council, renamed the Minnesota State Arts Board, to hire a part-time coordinator and sponsor a series of workshops. The Loft was housed in a couple different locations before moving to the Open Book along with the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and Milkweed Editions. And since 1982, The Loft has been a vehicle for many McKnight fellowships for writers. 

Another pillar of support for Minnesota writers is the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis. In 1971, five writers seeking artistic and professional support founded one of the country’s most well-respected theater organizations. The Center launched the careers of numerous nationally recognized artists, notably August Wilson, Jeffrey Hatcher, and Lee Blessing. Fellowships for playwrights are made possible by the McKnight and Jerome foundations. 

WRITING AWARDS 

In 1988, the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library created the Minnesota Book Awards as part of the Minnesota Festival of the Book. The book awards program ceremony moved from local bookstores to colleges, and then to the Minnesota History Center. In 2004 the program was part of a daylong book celebration at St. Paul’s Landmark Center, that drew more than 2,000 attendees. The Minnesota Humanities Commission (now the Minnesota Humanities Center) was the next sponsor of the festival, after which The Friends took it back. 

For the past 35 years, Minnesota books have been judged and selected to honor the state’s authors, illustrators, and publishers. The awards in various categories are announced in the spring at an evening gala that draws over 1,000 people every year. In 2006, Peter Pearson, president of The Friends, said, “This is the most visible book event in a state that treasures reading, books, and publishing.” That same year, Greg Britton, Minnesota Historical Society Press director, further elaborated, “Our large and diverse literary community … is one of the most substantial in the country … I have pals in New York publishing who take them [the Minnesota Book Awards] very seriously… [the Book Awards] not only meant recognition for the work but also translated into strong sales for the book.” 

MINNESOTA SUPPORTS ITS ARTS 

In 2008, after a great deal of lobbying, the Minnesota Legislature passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution to protect water, land, and the arts. Every year nearly 20 percent of the arts and cultural heritage legacy funds support projects like exhibits, oral histories, historical preservation, surveys of archaeological resources, lecture series, and other programs, some of which provide stipends to authors doing readings in public libraries and other public venues around the state. 

INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES 

The Twin Cities has 23 independent bookstores, many of which welcome authors to provide readings to audiences of readers. Among these 23 are Birchbark Books and Native Arts, Excelsior Bay Books, Lake Country Booksellers, Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Next Chapter Books, Once Upon a Crime, Subtext Books, Uncle Hugo’s & Uncle Edgar’s, and Valley Bookseller. 

As Ann Woodbeck of Excelsior Bay Books said, “The local writing community is very generous with emerging writers, connecting them with writers’ conferences, agents, and publishers. It’s a very interconnected and generous community.” Woodbeck went on to say that the nationally competitive “Master of Fine Arts degree programs at the University of Minnesota and Hamline University, along with the independent publishers here, raise everyone’s awareness. The McKnight and Jerome artists awards also illustrate the health of the literary community in Minnesota.” 

Sue Zumberge of Subtext Books said, “There’s something in the water in Minnesota to have such incredible authors. Hamline’s MFA in children’s literature, for example, is as good as the University of Iowa’s outstanding Iowa Writers’ Workshop. There are some great authors here. With Larry Millett, for example, you learn more about Saint Paul than in most history books. And Louise Erdrich – some of her best are mysteries.” As Zumberge said, “Every piece of fiction has some sort of mystery in it or why would you bother to read it?” 

MINNESOTA MYSTERY 

Devin Abraham at Once Upon a Crime put it, “There are lots of mystery writers in Minnesota, just as there are in Scandinavia. We’re all stuck in darkness for a long time.” Abraham went on to say, “Since we have so many authors here, other writers come here hoping to be successful too. We have lots of mentors to help. Mystery novelist Ellen Hart gave a lot of classes at The Loft and many authors credit (her).”

 Minnesota has a plethora of fiction writers –mystery writers and romance novelists –ranging from John Sanford to Abby Jimenez. Mysteries and romances can enable readers to escape from their ordinary lives without having to go anywhere, which can be especially useful during our formidable winters. 

Why are mysteries so compelling? As New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger puts it, mysteries appeal to all ages, genders, ethnicities, and economic classes. Krueger, whose works are mainly set in Minnesota, is the author of the Cork O’Connor mystery series. He believes the genre is “a comfort read” because the form has a clear beginning, middle, and end. A mystery is a puzzle the reader tries to solve, figuring out who killed the victim and why. 

“The person who is killed matters. Murder matters,” says Mary Logue, another New York Times bestselling author. Minnesota born Logue is the author of the Claire Watkins mystery series set around Lake Pepin, and the Deadwood Mysteries, and is a recipient of the Minnesota Book Award. “There’s a great deal of conflict in a murder mystery that propels the story forward. In a mystery the plot becomes easy. The protagonist, usually a detective, wants to solve the crime. You want to show the psychology of why the murder was committed and what compels the protagonist–what is the protagonist trying to prove by solving that crime?” 

Well known Minnesota writer Larry Millett, author of nine Sherlock Holmes mysteries that take place in Minnesota, suggests the answer to why we have so many mystery writers in Minnesota is “the long winters. It’s harder to write in May. We’re all puzzle doers—who done it, how, why, and eventually there are answers to the puzzle. The wisdom of society comes through.” Millett embeds a great deal of Minnesota history in his murder mysteries. 

CRIME, ANYONE?

 Every story takes place in a particular location, and many of our popular fiction writers set their tales in Minnesota. Why is that? What is it about Minnesota that generates and defines story? As New York Times bestselling crime novelist Matt Goldman, who lives in Minnesota and uses Edina for a backdrop to his stories, said, “In Minnesota, here people want to do well but not draw attention to themselves. If you don’t want to look like you’re falling behind, you might turn to crime. Social issues are at the root of real crime.” 

Goldman added, “When there’s a polar vortex, the Minnesota climate creates community.” People get out to help others whose cars have stalled in a snowbank. “And our tripled-paned windows create an environment that is eerily quiet. People focus on being in their homes more here because of being inside all winter.” 

WHERE’S THE LOVE? 

Another popular genre that inspires many Minnesota writers is the romance novel. Why are romance novels so popular? Mary Logue pointed out that “romance and suspense novels play out similarly. It’s about getting what you want and not getting what you want. The story twists and turns, there’s a struggle, but finally you get resolution.” Patrick Coleman, curator of books, manuscripts, and maps at the Minnesota Historical Society for forty years, suggested that every novel is at least fifty percent romance to attract readers. 

Lorna Landvik, one of Minnesota’s popular award-winning writers, is also a standup comedian who puts on an all-improvised show at the Bryant Lake Bowl theater in Minneapolis once a year. Her first novel Patty Jane’s House of Curl has been optioned to become a movie. Many of her thirteen novels are set in Minnesota, with lead characters who are very funny and Scandinavian. Her books aren’t strictly romances but as Coleman mentioned, most novels contain a great about relationships between men and women. 

An author with Maple Grove roots won a Minnesota Book Award last year. Abby Jimenez, another New York Times bestselling author, won the genre fiction award for Life’s Too Short. As Jimenez defines romance, “It’s about two characters falling in love.” She tries to make the reader feel like they are falling in love with the characters themselves. By the end of the story the characters are happy. She said, “Reading a romance is being in an emotionally safe place.” Jimenez has written five best-selling romances. 

Julie Klassen, winner of a Midwest Book Award and multiple Christy Awards, and best-selling author of eighteen historical romances set in “Jane Austen era” England also won a Minnesota Book Award in 2015 for The Secret of Pembroke Hall. 

BLAME IT ON OUR WINTERS

Perhaps award-winning Minneapolis-based novelist Brian Malloy summed it up best on why Minnesota has nurtured so many wonderfully talented writers, stating succinctly, ”The weather in Minnesota has everything to do with having so many writers in Minnesota. This past winter a writer could have written War and Peace, it went on so long. Minnesota winters mean you have to love being outdoors or else you need a lot to keep you busy indoors.” 

AMES SHELDON is the author of three award-winning historical novels: Eleanor’s Wars, Don’t Put the Boats Away, and Lemons in the Garden of Love. The character of Nat Sutton in Don’t Put the Boats Away is a heart surgeon at the University of Minnesota in the 1950s. 

A NOTE FROM HHM ARCHIVIST MICHELE POLLARD:

Ames Sheldon’s article focused on the creative, fictional side of Minnesota writings, however, we would be remiss for not adding a shout out to Karen E. Cooper, long-time supporter of Hennepin History Museum, whose work When Minnehaha Flowed with Whiskey: A Spirited History of the Falls won the 2023 Minnesota Book Award for the Emilie Buchwald Award for Non-Fiction. Karen, a Minnesota native, became fascinated with the history of the Falls and its many forgotten stories that are indeed stranger than fiction. She also shares this little-known history on guided tours of the Falls in the summer – available through Hennepin History Museum. Autographed copies of her book are available in the museum’s store, or online on the museum website. 

FOOTNOTES 

1 “Arts Board History.” Minnesota State Arts Board, Minnesota State Arts Board, www.arts.state.mn.us/about/history.htm. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023.