Books in the Barn 2023
a wide-ranging look at new work from contemporary writers
Books in the Barn 2023 is a two-part reading series that offers a wide-ranging look at the work of contemporary writers. Celebrating culture and nurturing community each reading is followed by a Q&A session with the author. Books will also be available for purchase and signing. Featured authors participate in engagement activities in the Red Wing community, providing further opportunities to share their work with a broader audience.
Featured Authors
Friday, October 27, 2023
A 2014 Anderson Center Artist-in-Residence, Jonathan Escoffery is the author of the linked story collection, If I Survive You (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), a New York Times and Booklist Editor’s Choice, an IndieNext Pick, and an International Bestseller.
The book follows Jamaican immigrant Trelawny and his family as they make their way in Miami, in linked stories that leap between perspectives and tone. If I Survive You was named a ‘best’ book of 2022 by Entertainment Weekly, People, TIME, Oprah Daily, NPR, Literary Hub, The New Yorker, L.A. Times, The Boston Globe, and elsewhere.
Sheri Brenden
Thursday, November 16, 2023
Sheri Brenden is a former research librarian who worked for two of Minnesota’s largest law firms and, as a reporter, for the St. Cloud Daily Times.
Break Point tells the story of how two Minnesota teenagers took on the unequal system of high school athletics, setting a legal precedent for schools nationwide before the passage of Title IX. This scrupulously reported book is at heart the story of the girls whose pluck and determination—and heartache—led to a victory much greater than any high school championship.
This event will also feature Sheri's sister Peg Brenden, one of the two athletes at the center of Break Point's story.
This event is happening in partnership with the Minnesota Humanities Center and their Minnesota Writers Series.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.