Grand Marais hosts first-ever North Shore Readers & Writers Festival

North Shore Readers and Writers Festival Nov. 5-8

The first annual North Shore Readers and Writers Festival: A Minnesota Voice, will be held in Grand Marais, Thursday, Nov. 5 through Sunday, Nov. 8. The festival will include workshops, craft seminars, special event panel discussions and reading panels, and an address by keynote author Lorna Landvik.

Author Lorna Landvik [left] and broadcast journalist Cathy Wurzer [right], will be leading seminars at the festival. |Submitted — Author Lorna Landvik [above] and broadcast journalist Cathy Wurzer [right], will be leading seminars at the festival. |Submitted

“The community of Grand Marais has long been known for its love of the arts, including the written word, and for providing a place of inspiration and retreat for writers and artists,” says Linda Kratt, executive director for Visit Cook County.

Well-known authors Lorna Landvik, Faith Sullivan and Judith Guest will share their techniques during, “The Method to our Madness” discussion, teaching writers how to achieve well-crafted, saleable stories, fiction or non-fiction. The seminar takes place on Thursday, Nov. 5 from 7-8:30 p.m., with a question-and-answer period to follow.

Friday’s events include Laurie Hertzel, senior editor for books at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, leading the discussion, “The Art of the Book Review.” The workshop will take place from 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Cathy Wurzer. |Submitted — Cathy Wurzer will also lead a seminar at the festival. |Submitted

On Saturday, participants will join Catherine Watson, former travel editor for the Star Tribune, as she highlights the travel memoir during the craft seminar “Telling the Traveler’s Tale,” from 10:40 a.m.-12:10 p.m. The travel memoir is one of the oldest forms of literature and Watson will talk about the genre’s more than 2,000-year history, along with tips on how to sharpen travelers’ tales. Then, MPR broadcast journalist Cathy Wurzer will share how she told the story of educator and musician Bruce Kramer’s struggle with ALS in her recent book, “We Know How This Ends: Living While Dying,” from 4:45-6 p.m.

“We look forward to hosting an event that celebrates the literary arts across the spectrum, from reading to publishing. We are pleased to offer sessions with over 20 authors and book professionals as we focus this year’s festival on the contemporary Minnesota book scene as well as the history of the literary arts on the North Shore,” says Ruth Pszwaro, program coordinator for Grand Marais Art Colony.

For more info on the event, or to sign up, visit www.grandmaraisartcolony.org.