The Biggest Literary Hidey-hole on the Block
by Sheena K. Fallon
Development Coordinator
As a writer and grad student I seek out the free or nearly-free gems in the Twin Cities, and luckily, not all of these deals involve happy hour pints of Schell’s and baskets of fries. My favorite free venue in Minneapolis is the Central Library downtown, on Nicollet Mall. The new library opened in 2006, and with fireplaces and comfy chairs, it’s a great place to spend a winter afternoon. But there’s more to the library than the books.
The Talk of the Stacks is a free reading series at the library. Coming this spring are David Plotz, the Slate’s new editor, and Tom Robbins, author of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, among others. There are recorded archives of past lectures, including M.T. Anderson, Chip Kidd, the U of M’s own Charlie Baxter, and, of course, Garrison Keillor. Want more? The library also has listings of readings at local bookstores.
In special collections, you can click through pictures and be transported to another era. Two of my favorites are the digitized propaganda posters in the World War II collection, and the Minneapolis Photo Collection.
If you’re one of the many writers whose “steady� teaching gig pays those steadily incoming bills, take advantage of the library’s list of databases available to cardholders in Minneapolis or a Hennepin County suburb. In the Gale Virtual Reference Library, access a virtual copy of Reference Guide to Short Fiction, which provides essays on authors like Updike or others you might teach in an undergrad or advanced high school fiction writing course. Or, if you’re looking to expose your students to Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, look for Nonfiction Classics for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Nonfiction Works which has a full-text essay about Ms. Dillard and many other authors. Whomever you want to study, Lit Finder supplies the full-text of many poems, essays, and short stories.
And, if you find yourself at the Central Library on a snowy afternoon and you see a curly-haired girl looking out the digi-camo glass instead of typing on her neglected laptop, make sure to say hello.