The November NorthWords includes:
Notes from the Board Room
You do not need to be attacked by a grizzly bear to come up with a good story … and I’m pretty darned sure that young Alex Messenger, the Duluth author of The Twenty-ninth Day, would in no way recommend that as a viable writing career plan.
And yet, an attack by a bear in the Canadian tundra was indeed the catalyst for Alex’s first nationally published book in 2019. As the title implies, though, the bear attack was one day of the long adventure, and as I recently read Alex’s account of his journey with others, portaging and canoeing across expansive tundra lands, I was struck not so much by his encounter with a grizzly – which goes quite fast despite its linger consequences – but rather I was smitten with his painting of the landscape, the camaraderie and the underlying excitement and accomplishment … all using only words.
For us as writers that certainly doesn’t not seem too far-fetched a concept, but Alex is also a photographer and he brings that practiced eye to his writing, along with his full paintbox of senses to weave us into the landscapes and waterscapes with him.
He uses that same practiced set of senses to his new and first fiction work, The Ice on the Lake, to underscore the life’s story and disappointment of an old man in Duluth, both hiding from and savoring life on an afternoon on the chilly ice of Lake Superior.
It’s Alex’s craft and crafting that so uplifts me. This month we get a chance to both meet and hear a young local writer breaking the national book ice (may I use that metaphor without shame?) with some warm offerings and insights about his work AND we get to celebrate, live and in person, the winners of this year’s 2026 Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards!
I want you to take out your calendar right this minute and mark off all of the afternoon for Saturday, Nov. 21, 1-4 p.m. at the Great Hall in The Depot. We will have tables by booksellers and authors, catered sweet and savory snacks by Bellisio’s Catering, plus a talk by Alex culminating in the announcement of the First Place and Second Place winners for the four categories of this year’s NEMBA awards. We literally – and literarily – have more than 30 nominations within those categories this year!
The entire event this year is once again FREE. That is thanks to a generous grant from The Depot Foundation, as well as support and donations from the St. Louis County Depot, Friends of the Duluth Public Library, Bellisio’s Catering and on-going support from our sponsoring booksellers: The Bookstore at Fitger’s, Zenith Bookstore, Foxes and Fireflies Booksellers, Honest Dog Books and Apostle Islands Booksellers.
Watch for the follow-up presentations by some of the winners later this winter – again thanks to The Depot Foundation Grant.
– Konnie LeMay, chair on the Lake Superior Writers Board
Lake Superior Writers News & Events
Virtual Writers’ Café
November 14, 2026 from 9:30am-11am over Zoom
Pour a cup of coffee or tea and join us at 9:30 am – 11:00 am for a meetup with fellow writers the second Saturday of each month. We’ll chat about our current writing projects, learn about upcoming events and opportunities for writers, and share the ups and downs of our writing lives. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or a newbie, we’d love to have you join us.
North Eastern Minnesota Book Awards (NEMBA) Celebration
November 21, 2026 from 1pm to 4pm at the The St. Louis County Depot, 506 W Michigan St, Duluth, MN
Lake Superior Writers, in proud partnership with The Depot Foundation, will present an afternoon celebrating the literary arts and authors of our northern region. The Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards celebration will be from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21 in the Great Hall of The St. Louis County Depot with authors signing books, regional bookstores, a presentation by a local author and the official announcement of this year’s 2026 NEMBA awards. The keynote speaker for the afternoon will be Duluthian Alex Messenger, an author, adventurer, photographer and volunteer search-and-rescue operator. The event is FREE thanks to grant support from The Depot Foundation and kind donations.
Literary Events
Special Event! Jennifer de Mooy in conversation with Clinton Dexter-Nienhaus: Water, Carbon, Time
November 5, 2026 from 7pm-8:30pm at Zenith Bookstore, 318 N. Central Ave., Duluth, MN
You are invited to a very special event with environmental writer Jennifer de Mooy on Thursday, November 5th 7 PM at Zenith Bookstore. She will be in conversation with Clinton Dexter-Nienhaus, Head Naturalist at Sax-Zim Bog. They will discuss Jennifer’s new book Water, Carbon, Time: Exploring Peatlands in a Warming World. This will be a fascinating conversation since Sax-Zim Bog is discussed in her book. Please invite all your friends who love nature, the outdoors, bogs, and Sax-Zim Bog! Jennifer will personally sign her book after the discussion. If you can’t make it, you can order a personally signed copy to pick up after the event. This event is FREE, but please RSVP on our website to help us with planning.
https://zenithbookstore.com/events/6576420261105
Book Release & Signing
November 7, 2026 from 11am-1pm at Foxes & Fireflies Booksellers 1401 Tower Ave Superior WI
Jackie Bennett is releasing the third book in the Great Lakes Mystery series titled Erie’s Escape. Come meet the authors and get signed copies of the new installment!
Enjoy snacks and discussion. Link to event: https://www.facebook.com/share/16Nppemz5yM/
Zenith Kids’ Storytime – Gratitude & Gatherings
November 8, 2026 from 11am-11:30am at Zenith Bookstore, 318 N Central Ave., Duluth, MN
Join Ms. Kathy and Ms. Sheri for our November Kids’ Storytime! Our theme will be Gratitude & Gatherings. We’ll read books, sing songs, make a fun craft, and have a tasty snack. This event is FREE and open to everyone, but it is geared towards 1st grade and younger. Please bring a friend!
An Evening with Cookbook Author Crystal Schlueter: End of the Road Cookbook
November 10, 2026 from 7pm to 8:30pm at Zenith Bookstore, 318 N. Central Ave., Duluth, MN
Please join us for a wonderful evening on Tuesday, November 10th at 7 PM as we welcome award-winning cookbook author Crystal Schlueter. Crystal will share her new cookbook of regional recipes, End of the Road Cookbook: Traditional Favorites from the Iron Range. This is your chance to find a new recipe for the holidays or an everyday meal to impress your family! We’ll also be able to sample a recipe or two from the cookbook. Invite a friend for this pre-holiday night out. This event is free, but please RSVP on our webpage for planning purposes.
Iron Range native Crystal Schlueter collects and perfects traditional preparations, often with her own contemporary twist. While highlighting the “Five Ps” of regional cooking—Cornish pasties, Croatian pigs in a blanket, Italian porketta, Slovenian potica, and Finnish pulla. Crystal also explores the variety of salads (loosely defined) that often appear at community gatherings, the hearty soups that satisfy, the fish and venison and wild rice dishes that are as local as it gets.
https://zenithbookstore.com/events/6608620261110
Meet MN Book Award Winner: Laurie Allmann – Places, everyone
November 12, 2026 from 7pm-8:30pm at Zenith Bookstore, 318 N. Central Ave., Duluth, MN
You are invited to an evening with Minnesota Book Award winner, Laurie Allmann. Laurie will share her new poetry collection, Places, everyone: Poems on Thursday, November 12th at 7 PM. She will read from her book, share about her writing and life, and will answer questions from the audience. Laurie’s books will be available for sale at the event and she will personally sign them. Please RSVP on our website for planning purposes.
Laurie Allmann’s new poetry collection, Places, everyone: Poems, embodies its central premise: that every place in nature is an expression of a complex and beautiful set of relationships built over time. It also offers a hint of the wry and engaging tone that often surfaces in her free verse as she relates scenes from the daily lives of individual creatures—Blanding’s turtles, crayfish, long-eared owls—and their intimate connections with the landscapes they call home. These are poems about swans and evolution, silent movies and Tuvan throat-singers, frogs, dogs, and the act of poetry writing itself.
https://zenithbookstore.com/events/6612620261112
Holiday Boozy Book Fair at Ursa Minor
November 14, 2026 from 11am to 4pm at Ursa Minor Brewing, 2415 W Superior St., Duluth, MN
It’s that time of year again – time for our Ursa Minor Holiday Boozy Book Fair! Remember when you were a kid and it was book fair time? You browsed all the latest and best books to read and then picked out your favorites? Well, Zenith is here to do that again! We’ll be at Ursa Minor Brewing on Saturday, November 14th 11-4 PM with a specially curated selection of books and gifts for you to browse and purchase. There will be books for all ages! So get your holiday shopping list ready and stop into Ursa for a tasty beverage and pizza while you shop!
Animal Storytime with Sarah’s Serpentarium!
November 15, 2026 from 11am to 11:30am at Zenith Bookstore, 318 N. Central Ave., Duluth, MN
Join Zenith Bookstore for a very special November story time. Sarah will bring some of her friendly critters from her Serpentarium in Superior! She will also read a fun, related story. This will be an entertaining and educational time for all ages. So, invite a couple of friends! Please RSVP on our website page for planning purposes.
https://zenithbookstore.com/events/6658620261115
Book Launch: Mark Munger’s The Sadness of Doves
November 18, 2026 at 6:30pm at August Fitger Room of the Fitger’s Complex in Duluth
LSW Member and Duluth author, retired judge Mark Munger, is pleased to announce the release of his new historical novel, The Sadness of Doves, a generational saga set in the Balkans.
The book will be launched on November 18th at 6:30pm in the August Fitger Room of the Fitger’s Complex in Duluth. The evening, featuring free appetizers, free admission, and a cash bar will feature readings from the book by the author, a discussion of the story and characters led by Award Winning Author Linda LeGarde Grover, music by the folk duo John and Lori Hatten, and a chance for attendees to ask the author questions.
Zenith’s Small Business Saturday!
November 28, 2026 from 10am to 7pm at Zenith Bookstore, 318 N. Central Ave., Duluth, MN
You are invited to Zenith Bookstore as we celebrate Small Business Saturday! We’ll have the best books of the season PLUS specially curated books for those on your holiday list. We’ll also have authors, games, treats, free books, a contest, and we’ll donate part of our day’s proceeds to a local charity. Check out our website and Facebook page for more details.
Opportunities
U.P. Reader #11 Submissions Now Open
Deadline: November 10, 2026
Share Your U.P. Story in U.P. Reader 2027
Writers, poets, historians, and storytellers: U.P. Reader 2027 is now seeking submissions! Since 2017, this annual anthology has celebrated the remarkable voices and stories of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—from its people, places, history, and natural beauty to the unique spirit of life “Up North.”
We welcome fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, humor, memoir, essays, history, and other engaging work that captures some aspect of the U.P. Whether your story is rooted in the past, reflects life today, or imagines the future, we want to hear from you.
Help us continue bringing Upper Michigan literature to readers throughout the region and beyond.
Submission guidelines, deadlines, and complete details are available at upreader.org.
Your voice belongs in the U.P. Reader. Share your story with us!
Finding Your Flash in Writing
Monday, November 16 and Wednesday, November 18, 2026 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the Jim Dan Hill Library on the University of Wisconsin – Superior Campus
Facilitator: Haley Lawson
In this two-week course, we will focus on the fundamental building blocks of story by examining “story beats” in both literary classics and by reading flash fiction examples. We will look at genre and literary fiction, allowing you to find your voice within. After examining examples, you will have a variety of prompts to craft a narrative (or come ready with your own idea, ready to edit!). This class will give you the opportunity to work in pairs, editing and distilling your piece down to its core. After several rounds of revision and discussion, you will leave with a piece ready to pitch.
Non-Member Cost: $40
Registration link: cvent.me/xxWAGG
KUDOS – News about our members
LSW Member and Duluth author, retired judge Mark Munger, is pleased to announce the release of his new historical novel, The Sadness of Doves, a generational saga set in the Balkans.
The book will be launched on November 18th at 6:30pm in the August Fitger Room of the Fitger’s Complex in Duluth. The evening, featuring free appetizers, free admission, and a cash bar will feature readings from the book by the author, a discussion of the story and characters led by Award Winning Author Linda LeGarde Grover, music by the folk duo John and Lori Hatten, and a chance for attendees to ask the author questions.
Jessica Roeder‘s flash fiction “They Named the Streets for Virtues So Girls Had Nowhere Else to Go” appeared in JMWW. You can read it here: https://jmwwblog.wordpress.com/2026/09/30/flash-fiction-they-named-the-streets-for-virtues-so-girls-had-nowhere-else-to-go-by-jessica-roeder/
Are you a Lake Superior Writer member? Share your good news with us!
Lake Superior Writers Blog
Lake Superior Writers invites members to submit guest posts for possible inclusion on our blog. Please visit our blog information page for more details.
Our blog currently features “Anytime a movie or piece of art makes you feel something, that’s probably the height” – An Interview with John Hoban by Lucas Powell
