|
October 13, 2025
The Mary Ann Key Book Club returns in 2026 with our title announcement on February 7. Save the date for our next exciting author event at Minneapolis Central Library on Wednesday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m.
See a list of our past titles.
In the meantime, the Mary Ann Key Book Club newsletter will highlight additional books recommended by Myron Medcalf.
(YouTube, Duration - 06:20)
Percival Everett is Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California and the author of more than twenty books, including Assumption, Erasure, I Am Not Sidney Poitier, The Water Cure, Wounded, Glyph, and James; three collections of short fiction; and one book of poetry.
He was previously the recipient of the Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and the 2006 PEN USA Center Award for Fiction.
His 2024 novel, James, was a finalist for the Booker Prize and won the Kirkus Prize, the National Book Award for Fiction, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
He lives on his ranch in the mountains outside Los Angeles with his wife, novelist Danzy Senna, and their sons, Henry and Miles.
Honor Hispanic Heritage Month in October and read books found on these recommended reading lists celebrating Latino Culture. Honra el mes de la herencia hispana en octubre y lee libros en estas listas de lectura que celebran la cultura latina.
Author Talk: Victoria Blanco
Thursday, October 23, 6:30-7:30pm
Washburn Library
Join local author Victoria Blanco as she discusses the writing process of and reads excerpts from her book, “Out of Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance.” Recognized as a 2025 ALA Notable Book and a 2024 Booklist Editors’ Choice title, “Out of the Sierra” follows a displaced family of the Rarámuri people of Chihuahua, Mexico, as they persevere through colonization and numerous 21st century hardships while still maintaining their language and cultural traditions.
Author Talk: Stories From Saint Paul Almanac
Sunday, November 16, 1-3pm
Sumner Library
Join us for stories that illuminate the tenacity, grit, pleasure, and grace of the human experience. Authors folaṣade adesanya, Stephani Booker, Holly Day, Betsy Leach, Bryana Saldana, Debra Stone, Joey Vossen, and Clarence White will present from the newly published "Saint Paul Almanac Volume 14: Illumination," an anthology of prose and poetry by Minnesota writers.
Wise Fools: Fun with Yiddish Folk Tales
Saturday, December 6, 2-2:30pm
Hosmer Library
Join award-winning performer Shari Aronson of Z Puppets Rosenschnoz for a taste of Yiddish culture through songs, stories, and a puppet or two! We’ll go from kvetching (complaining) to kvelling (rejoicing), with a lot of laughs in between.
If you have suggestions for future book selections for the Mary Ann Key Book Club, please send them to us! Suggestions should align with the goals of the book club and center Black, Indigenous, People of Color, or marginalized communities, and be published in 2025 or scheduled for 2026.
About the Mary Ann Key Book Club
The book club was inspired by a Star Tribune column written by Myron Medcalf – the great-great-great-grandson of Mary Ann Key.
“I’m honored to partner with Hennepin County Library to launch the Mary Ann Key Book Club, named after the matriarch of my family, who was enslaved in Georgia in the 1850s. Purchased for $1,000 at the age of 14, Mary Ann Key persevered. Her body was in bondage, but slavery never stole the freedom of her heart, mind and soul. This book club is about focusing on the truths of the past, our challenges in the present and the possibilities of the future…”
– Myron Medcalf
This program is supported by Friends of the Hennepin County Library. Their generous financial support is helping to provide greater access to print and eBook copies of the featured books. Media partner: Star Tribune.
|
