Where was Waldo?
July 1 to 31

Once again, Grand Rapids families searched local businesses for the elusive Waldo. Those who found him in 20 locations were eligibe to enter a Grand Prize drawing at a party at Beagle and Wolf Books. Here are the prizes, and some of the party guests.

Katie Carpenter and Susan Cushman

The Wait:  Love, Fear, and Happiness on the Heart Transplant List 

Katie Carpenter, the Bemidji actress who recently played in Blithe Spirit at Long Lake Theater, and author Susan Cushman were in the store to bring alive the diary entries from The Wait. The Wait is the true story of Jennifer Bonner, who was born in 1966 with congenital heart problems. Cutting edge medical procedures allowed her to live a normal life for a number of years.

While a student at Carleton College, Jennifer again faced heart failure and was put on the heart transplant list. The Wait is the touching story of the year she spent on the list. Her story was presented through a dramatic presentation. We had information available about becoming an organ donor.

Roger Thompson presened a program and signed copies of No Word for Wilderness: Italy's Grizzlies and the Race to Save the Rarest Bears on Earth.

The rarest bears in the world live fifty miles outside of Rome. Hear Roger’s account of their eye-opening story, and a great experiment in rewilding.

P.S. Write Back Soon:
The Lost Art of the Letter—a writing workshop with Sheila O’Connor

Once, the letter held our experiences, hopes, secrets, and desires. Letters arrived from other places or were passed between people quite near. They were our way of sharing with another the hidden landscape of the heart. In this workshop, we had fun returning to the letter. We experimented with ways we can use the letter form to share our stories, whether our receiver is real or imagined. Drawing on her experience writing her recent novel-in-letters, Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth, writer and teacher Sheila O’Connor lead workshop participants through a series of writing activities designed to experiment with the letter form. Participants had to bring paper and pen, and a creative spirit.

Book signing

Sheila O’Connor also read from her latest book, Until Tomorrow Mr. Marsworth, and signed copies of the book.

The 12th Annual July 4 Pie Baking Contest and Auction
July 4

We support the Park Rapids Library with pie! Beagle and Wolf Books hosts the John Michael Lerma annual pie baking contest and auction. All proceeds go to the Park Rapids Area Library.

Prizes are provided by the Friends of the Library.

This annual event is a great way to have a yummy dessert without having to bake, and all in support of a worthy cause!

An afternoon with Ahmed Ismail Yusuf
June 19

We partnered with the League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area to present “An afternoon with Ahmed Ismail Yusuf.” Mr. Yusuf discussed his personal immigrant story from Somalia to America and his new book, The Lion’s Binding Oath. Refreshments were served. 

Ahmed Ismail Yusuf arrived in America from Somalia as a high-school dropout, unable to speak English, and unsure of his actual age. He has lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota since 1997. Today he has two college degrees and is the author of Somalis in Minnesota and Gorgorkii Yimi, a collection of stories in Somali. In February 2018, The History Theatre of St. Paul, Minnesota produced his play, “A Crack in the Sky,” a memoir about how Yusuf found inspiration in Maya Angelou and Malcolm X during his early days as an immigrant to the U.S.

Yusuf’s most recent work, The Lion’s Binding Oath, documents a country coming apart yet reveals its deep pride and a quiet hope despite the instability. Yusuf hopes that his work shines a light on both the immigrant journey as well as the Somali people and the legacy of his homeland.

League of Women Voters Park Rapids Area (LWVPRA)is a non-partisan volunteer organization whose mission is to encourage informed and active participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy which includes supporting activities to preserve the nation’s natural resources. Programs are always free and open to the public. 

Author Fest June 16 Author Fest is our annual celebration of Minnesota creativity. This year we had 28 Minnesota authors signing books at the American Legion. There were readings throughout the day by Jill and Deane Johnson, Doug Wood, Cary Griffith, Laura Hansen, Amy Thielen, and Lorna Landvik.

Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo

Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo presented a program and signed copies of Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers.

Independent Bookstore Day is a one-day national party that takes place at indie bookstores across the country on the last Saturday in April. Every store is unique and independent, and every party is different. At our party we offered:

Eric Bergeson signed copies of his book, Successful Gardening on the Northern Prairie—just in time to plan gardens.

The Hometown Launch of Stray City, by Chelsey Johnson!!! Chelsey read from the book, signed copies, and chatted with friends and well-wishers.

Exclusive books and literary items produced just for Independent Bookstore Day were for sale.

We provided a free book with every purchase. Free audio books were given to encourage guests to try out Libro.fm.

Pianist Paige Leeseberg entertained.

Interactive Storytime
April 18

Businesses throughout Park Rapids supported the Week of the Young Child by opening their doors to children and their caregivers, offering special activities for them. We had an interactive storytime: we read My Pet Wants a Pet, shared some fun activities, and had a drawing for a copy of the book!

Chili Challenge
March 7

“Doggone Good Chili” was our entry in the annual Chili Challenge, an event to benefit the Hubbard County Food Shelf. Each “dollop” of chili at the American Legion was $1, and helped a great cause.

Our chili recipe, renamed to honor Tripod, the store dog, can be found in Stock the Crock, which is available in the store.