Courtney Kocak, a Jackson, MN-born and Los Angeles-based podcaster, comedian, screenwriter, and author talks with us about the southwestern Minnesota prairie, the business of writing, and how she prioritizes her art above everything else. Kocak's debut memoir Girl Gone Wild is out on April 1 (no foolin') from Trio House Press.

Girl Gone Wild

courtneykocak.com

Deborah's recommendation:

Courtney's podcast The Bleeders

Paul Gruchow's essay "What the Prairie Teaches Us"

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.readminnesotabooks.com

Christopher Johnston, author of Where You Come from Is Gone, speaks with us about deciding to start his novel with action, Tim O'Brien's influence on his work, and stinky mink.

Where You Come From Is Gone

@cjtravelr on Instagram

Christopher Johnston on Facebook

Christopher Johnson on Substack

Website: https://www.christopherjohnstonbooks.com/

Recommendations:

Writing Excuses podcast

Deborah's podcast workshop at The Loft Literary Center on April 18

Thanks for listening to Read Minnesota Books!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.readminnesotabooks.com

Economist Misty Heggeness joins us to discuss her book Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy, the economic consequences of Operation Metro Surge, and the long road to gender equity.

Swiftynomics

Misty Heggeness at Magers & Quinn Booksellers on April 9, 2026

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.readminnesotabooks.com

We speak with Christian historical romance author Tracie Peterson about the long history of Minneapolis charity and how the first hospital in Minnesota inspired Faithful of Heart, the first book in her generational series set in Minnesota. Peterson tells us about her fascinating location-based research process and how she crafts three(!) page-turning books per year.

A Minnesota Legacy book series from Bethany House

@traciepetersonauthor on Facebook

traciepetersonbooks.com

Nobles County Historical Society

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.readminnesotabooks.com

Romance author Dana Hawkins joins us to talk about Minnesota bakeries and her new book, I Will Always Love You (Maybe) from Storm Publishing.

I Will Always Love You (Maybe)

Cold Spring Bakery

@d.hawkinsauthor on Instagram

Dana Hawkins website

Tropes and Trifles, a Twin Cities Romance-Specialist Bookshop

Thanks for listening to Read Minnesota Books!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.readminnesotabooks.com

Is it a Minnesota podcast without a 1991 Halloween Blizzard story? Professor Andrew Elfenbein speaks with us about his first year in Minnesota, his work and colleagues at the University of Minnesota, and his humorous MM romantasy The Quyre (Tales of the Pine Rapids Fairies Book 1) from Dreamspinner Press.

The Quyre

Andrew's Substack

Andrew Elfenbein on Facebook

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

Immigrant Defense Network trainings

Thanks for listening to Read Minnesota Books!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.readminnesotabooks.com

In the first episode of Read Minnesota Books, host Deborah Copperud interviews award-winning Minnesota author Kao Kalia Yang about her new picture book, The Blue House I Loved, from University of Minnesota Press.

The Blue House I Loved

Yang's Letter From Minnesota on LitHub

Birch Bark Books, Louise Erdrich's Minneapolis bookstore

Wild Rumpus bookstore in Minneapolis

@kaokaliayang on Instagram

Kao Kalia Yang's website

Thanks for listening to Read Minnesota Books!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.readminnesotabooks.com

When you think of Minnesota, do you think 10,000 lakes? Or 10,000 books?

If you like to read, you should totally subscribe to Read Minnesota Books, a brand-new podcast and newsletter from the North Star State. You can listen to author interviews, reading recommendations, and publishing news. 

Why books? Why now? Because book coverage is disappearing. Jeff Bezos just dumped The Washington Post’s robust books section. The Minnesota Star Tribune used to publish pages of book reviews. But they stopped hiring freelancers and shrunk their book section down to just one page, once a week. At a time when we need books more than ever to counteract the Big Tech executives who want to sell us out to artificially intelligent robot overlords.

Subscribe to Read Minnesota Books on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.readminnesotabooks.com