Black artists are invited to join the jubilee! You have until 4/30 to sign up here!

Meenal Patel's new picture book, Where Do Stories Live?, is available to preorder at your local indie bookstore and wherever books are sold. If you preorder at Wild Rumpus Books you will get extra preorder goodies – your book will be signed, a 10x8 inch art print, and a bookmark! 

Payal Doshi’s LOST IN THE CRYSTAL CAVES is out! You can order it here.

Payal Doshi’s Race to the Floating Islands releases July 7, 2026—but you can preorder now and add it to your Goodreads TBR.

Sun Yung Shin is the winner of the 2026 Kay Sexton Award for her significant contributions to and leadership in Minnesota’s literary community. She will be honored at the 38th annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 6.

Nicholas DeShaw was interviewed on Native Roots Radio. Check out their broadcast to hear what he had to say!

Sign up for Sun Yung Shin’s amazing newsletter here!

Author Sarah Warren’s nonprofit Picture Book Parade will begin its new season of story strolls and author visits at the Midtown Farmers Market on May 2nd. Check out www.picturebookparade.com for details!

Vanessa Lee Christensen will be a Picture Book Parade featured author from 11-12am on Saturday, May 2nd at the Midtown Farmers Market (2225 East Lake Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota). She will meet fans and sign books. The first 10 readers to visit the author tent will get a free book! Click here for details!

Join Art Coulson at the Midtown Farmers Market on May 2nd from 10-11am for a story time, art project, and book signing. The first 10 readers will get a free copy of his book! All the Stars in the Sky will be on display as a story stroll from 9-noon. Visit www.picturebookparade.com to find out more.

Joins Derek Francis at the Minnesota African American History Museum and Gallery for a film screening of Separate Not Equal - Minnesota Integration and a reading of Our First Bus Ride. Click here for event details.

Payal Doshi will join Nicole D. Collier for a conversation about writing for young readers.This free, virtual event takes place Thursday, May 7th, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST. Register here.

Members of the collective will do read-alouds and book giveaways at Shannon Gibney’s cookout!

Meenal Patel has a bunch of book and art events coming up:
MAY 9-10: Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Art Fair
MAY 16 AT 10:30: Wild Rumpus Books Story Time
MAY 31: Celebrate Minnesota AAPI Creative Voices, Hosted by Emiko Rainbow at Broken Clock Brewing in Minneapolis
JUNE 6 AT 10:30: Red Balloon Bookshop Story Time

Payal Doshi will be on tour with her newly launched books. Check out her upcoming (mostly free) events:
May 2nd: Wild Rumpus Books launch and storytime | May 3rd: Writing Workshop for Kids at Cream and Amber Books | May 16th: Launch and storytime at Red Balloon Bookshop | May 30th: Flint Hills Festival storytime and book giveaway | May 31st: MN AAPI Creative Voices Celebration at Broken Clock Brewing | June 6th: Book stroll and storytime at the Midtown Farmers Market

Shannon Gibney will celebrate the release of her newest children’s picture book, Where Is My Sister? on May 20 at 6:00 PM at Red Balloon Bookshop. Gibney will be joined in conversation by fellow author Kao Kalia Yang. The event is free and open to the public. Register here. 

Save the date for AAPI Creative Voices, a free, family-friendly  event celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander artists, storytellers and creatives.

Date: May 31st | Time: 3:00-4:30PM 

Locations: Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative in Northeast Minneapolis

Hosted by Emiko Rainbow. This event is supported by the MRAC Creative Connections Grant.

MN BIPOC KidLit Creators were at the International Festival of MN (formerly Festival of Nations)! More than 70 nations and ethnic communities were represented to celebrate the vibrant diversity of Minnesota and the world.

Where We Come From, co-authored by collective members Shannon Gibney and Sun Yung Shin (along with friends of the collective Diane Wilson and John Coy) was featured as a story stroll connecting Wild Rumpus and Comma, a Bookshop on Independant Bookstore Day.

Sarah Warren made some noise with students at Bruce Vento Elementary during an action-packed school visit this month!

Collective members sold books and connected with readers at the Rewind Book Fair at the MN State Fairgrounds.

Shannon Gibney was part of a fantastic panel and did a reading at the Loft Literary Center’s Catch the Fire event.