Literary calendar for week of June 18

TIM BURKETT: Introduces “Enlightenment is an Accident,” 7 p.m. Thursday, June 22, Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.

NANCY CROCHIERE: Discusses her novel “Graceland,” about a soap opera star convinced she is dying who wants to visit her favorite place, Elvis Presley’s Graceland, driven by her granddaughter, to whom she promises to reveal the secrets about her long-lost father. But the young woman’s mother doesn’t want secrets revealed and has to stop the journey of grandmother and granddaughter as they travel from Boston to Memphis meeting free-range ferrets and Elvis-impersonating frat boys. 6 p.m. Thursday, June 22, Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul.

JULIA FINE: Presents “Maddalena and the Dark,” in conversation with Kat Howard. 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.

MINNESOTA MYSTERY NIGHT: Hosts a conversation between Thekla Fagerlie-Madsen, a technical writer-turned-novelist, and Timya Owen, an icon of the Minnesota mystery writer scene. Fagerlie-Madsen, who lives in western Wisconsin, teamed up with retired Cleveland police officer Karl Bort to write three books in the Det. Nicholas Silvano crime thriller series. Timya has worked in the corporate nonprofit world and was in broadcast sports production. She is a board member and past president of the Twin Cities chapter of Sisters in Crime. For many years she programmed the monthly mystery book club Bookstube at the Bierstube in Hastings. She is working for the state of Minnesota as an inspector for the Office of Combative Sports. 7 p.m. Monday, June 19, Axel’s Restaurant, 1318 Sibley Memorial Highway, Mendota. The event is free but seating g is limited. Call 651-686-4840 for reservations.

JASON MIKLIAN: River Falls, Wis., high school graduate, now a conflict/crisis/human rights researcher, visiting from Colombia, discusses his book “The Vortex: A True Story of History’s Deadliest Storm, an Unspeakable War, and Liberation,” based on the social science/geopolitical crimes surrounding the 1970 Bhota cyclone disaster. In conversation with Dan Woll. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, River Falls Public Library, 140 Union St., River Falls.

READINGS BY WRITERS: Final event of the season hosts poets Kate Lucas, Sherrie Fernandez-Williams, Tracy Youngblom and Katrina Vandenberg. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, University Club. 420 Summit Ave., St. Paul

STEVEN RINELLA: One of the country’s most famous outdoors writers and New York Times bestselling author, host of MeatEater podcast, signs copies of his new children’s book, “Catch a Crawfish, Count the Stars: Fun Projects, Skills, and Adventures for Outdoor Kids.” 5 p.m. Monday, June 19, Scheels, 8301 Flying Cloud Dr., Eden Prairie, in partnership with Next Chapter Booksellers. Pre-purchasing a ticket is encouraged. Go to nextchapterbooksellers.com/event.

RICHARD THIEME: Discusses “The Mobius Vector” with Jennifer Granick. 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 21, virtual event presented by Magers & Quinn. Go to magersandquinn.com/event.

What else is going on

Lisa Van Drasek, curator of the Kerlan Collection of Children’s Literature at the University of Minnesota, offers tips for parents to keep kids interested in reading during the summer. Her suggestions include incorporating reading with outdoor activities and using free resources such as Ebooks Minnesota, a free online e-book collection. She also offers a list of good books divided by readers’ age groups. See her entire summer reading strategies at twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/talking-summer-reading-strategies-u-m.

Little Free Library continues to expand its programs with launch of the Indigenous Library Program that will increase book access in Indigenous and tribal communities to hep improve literacy and ignite a love of reading by providing Little Free Library boxes and books to applicants. The initiative is led by LFL program manager Alia Miracle (Ho-Chunk tribe of Winnebago) and supported by an advisory group that includes Valarie Janis of the Lakota College Woksape Tipi Library (Bay Mills Anishinaabe), LFL national board member and fiber artist Margaret Wood (Navajo and Oklahoma Seminole) and others who belong to or serve Indigenous communities. The Indigenous Library Program grant packages come with two starter sets of books: one with 25 BIPOC-centered titles and the other with 26 books based on the Indigenous experience.