Apr
24
to Apr 28

Rain Taxi Twin Cities Independent Bookstore Passport 2024

We are participating in this exciting annual event! You can pick up a free passport at Strive Bookstore during regular store hours - Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00am to 6:00pm (We will open the store on Sunday, April 28, 11:00am - 6:00pm) for the last day of passports). Visit as many independent bookstores as you can between April 24 and April 28 and get your passport stamped.

For more information and to find out how to enter for prizes, click link below to go to the Rain Taxi website.

Rain Taxi Website

View Event →

Apr
19

Unleash Your Imagination: Crafting Graphic Novels for Young Adults

Join us for an interactive workshop where you'll learn the art of crafting captivating graphic novels tailored for young adult audiences. From character development to visual storytelling techniques, we'll explore the essential elements that bring graphic novels to life. Dive into the creative process, discover tips for effective narrative pacing, and unleash your imagination as we delve into the world of graphic storytelling. Whether you're an aspiring illustrator or a seasoned writer, this workshop offers valuable insights to help you create compelling narratives that resonate with young readers.

Dr. Artika Tyner

As a motivational speaker, author and educator, Dr. Tyner helps people of all ages connect with their gifts and develop tangible tools for bringing forth sustainable, durable change in the family, workplace, community or school. 


View Event →
THIRD THURSDAYS OPEN MIC
Apr
18

THIRD THURSDAYS OPEN MIC

Help us welcome G. Gazelka

Sharing from their newly published book of poetry, Tender One.

G. Gazelka has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and is English faculty at North Hennepin Community College and Inver Hills Community College in Minnesota. Tender One is their debut chapbook. In 2022 and 2023, their poems and full-length manuscript Bodies in Transition received honorable mentions from the League of Minnesota Poets in the Trans and NonBinary Award, Keith Gann LGBT Award, and John Rezmerski Memorial Manuscript Competition. Their poems have recently appeared in Avalon Anthology and Rockvale Review.

While many of these poems no longer appear online, the poems in Tender One were originally written on a vintage Smith-Corona typewriter and posted to Instagram in 2015-2016. A few of these poems were given as gifts or staged as art pieces in and around coffee shops (sometimes with permission). They deal with themes of love, spirituality, and awakening.

G. Gazelka, if anything, is a writer and makes no claims to be an expert on religion. Their poetry is influenced by late modernist poet Elizabeth Bishop and beatnik writers Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. Their online tradition acknowledges contemporary poets Tyler Knott Gregson, Christopher Poindexter, JETO and the Streetniks, T.J. McGowan, Romlynn Ramos, and Isra Al-Thibeh. 

View Event →
Apr
10

Book Workshop with Author Heather Plett

Heather Plett Author of Where Tenderness Lives Presents Workshop

In support of the launch of her book, Where Tenderness Lives: On healing, liberation, and holding space for oneself, Heather Plett will offer a free workshop in which she will teach participants to develop their own tenderness practice. This practice will resonate with anyone who does trauma healing work, who is working on developing a more loving relationship with their own body, and/or who struggles with self-criticism or self-sabotage. Participants will leave with practical tools for an embodied, self-reflective, self-honouring practice that they can use every day.

Learn more about author at her website: https://heatherplett.com/media/

View Event →
Mar
13

Local Author, Tony Wentersdorf, Book Signing & Reading

Born in the Year Zero

A captivating memoir by the author, chronicling their life journey from post-war Germany to the United States and beyond. Published in 2020, the book delves into the author's experiences growing up in Germany, their immigration to the U.S. at a young age, educational pursuits in Ohio, and international adventures in Europe. Set in Minnesota since 1974, the memoir is enriched with personal photographs, spanning 139 pages and available for $14.95 at Strive Bookstore.

JOIN US AT STRIVE BOOKSTORE, 901 NICOLLET MALL, AND MEET LOCAL AUTHOR, TONY WENTERSDORF.

The author is an accomplished writer and poet, having received a university poetry prize for a sonnet titled "Metamorphosis" and published works in various Twin Cities literary magazines such as Writers' Cramp, Growing Voices, and Mined. In addition to Born in the Year Zero, the author has self-published three other memoirs, one focusing on their time in a residential treatment center for the mentally ill. Active in supporting disabled artists through Very Special Arts Minnesota for 20 years, they have also been involved with NAMI as a speaker in their In Our Own Voice program since 2014 due to their struggles with major depression and anxiety since college. Looking ahead, the author aims to continue their creative pursuits in music, teaching, writing, and advocacy work for the mentally ill.

View Event →
Author Book Talk
Feb
13

Author Book Talk

Come join T.C. Moore and friends for the launch of his debut book, Forged. Forged weaves together stories from the author's over twenty years of experience with urban, multiethnic ministry all over the US, principles from Scripture, and his own experience as an ex-gang member turned church planter and pastor to propose a way of approaching faith in community that rejects hierarchical, bureaucratic structures in favor of formative, inclusive friendships that last.

View Event →
Rewriting the  Rules
Feb
7

Rewriting the Rules

Meet author, Miles Asberry Wallace and be among the first to get your hand on his new comic book! Miles will share his author experience and sign copies of his comic book.

View Event →
Donuts with Dad Party
Nov
4

Donuts with Dad Party

Join us at Strive Bookstore, 901 Nicollet Mall, for a fun-filled day of donuts, art, dancing, and reading for the whole family! This free community event is a great opportunity for fathers and daughters of all ages and abilities to bond and create memories that will last a lifetime.

View Event →
Third Thursdays Spooky Movie Night
Oct
19

Third Thursdays Spooky Movie Night

We can’t wait to see you for our 2nd Third Thursdays event at the bookstore!

Movie night featuring “Get Out” from Director Jordan Peele

Also we will have copies of “Out There Screaming” an anthology of new horror stories by all Black authors, edited by Jordan Peele.

See you soon!

View Event →
Dec
2

The Life of a Black Author

Author, Crown Shepherd will share strategies for successfully marketing your book, from her experiences in the book publishing industry.

Did you know that only 5% of published authors are Black? The book publishing industry is historically white-centered and to this day less than 5% of book publishers are Black. Where does that leave you as a Black author?

Join Crown the Writer as she explains what it takes to market your book and promote yourself in a market that does not see how much Black authors matter.

This information session is sponsored by Strive Community Publishing, where we work to inspire community collaboration in publishing stories to heal, teach, learn, and earn while building an ecosystem that embodies a rich Black culture and heritage.

BONUS! All attendees will be entered in a drawing for a free "Black Authors Matter" T-shirt (pictured) from Cush City, the home of Black Authors Matter TV.

Get Free Ticket Here

View Event →
Nov
18

Amplifying Black Narratives: The Creation of Black Narratives

Join writers Sheletta Brundidge, Larry McKenzie, and Sagirah Shahid in a discussion with moderator Dara Beevas in the third installment of the Friends Forum’s Amplifying Black Narratives series.

In this conversation, the authors and Beevas will discuss how age and individual experience influence their work, reflect on how authors find their narrative and encourage the community to find their voice — while reinforcing the message that when we uplift Black voices, we all benefit.

Register Here

View Event →
Oct
28

Amplifying Black Narratives: Black Publishers and Bookstores

Join the Friends of the Libraries for a panel discussion featuring: Writer Mélina Mangal: Rekhet Si-Asar, Executive Director of In Black Ink: Dionne Sims, Founder of Black Garnet Books; and moderated by Kate McCready of the University of Minnesota Libraries.

The panel will discuss the challenges faced by black authors, librarians, independent publishers, and bookstore owners in getting books by black authors on the shelves and ultimately in the hands of readers.

SocialMedia-EventPost-AmplifyingBlackNarratives-Oct28 (1).png
View Event →
Oct
22
to Oct 23

2021 National Black Book Festival

Join Strive authors Donna Gingery, Arielle Grant, Kevin Jenkins, and Colnese Hendon at this Facebook Live Event. The authors will each give a 10-minute interview on Saturday, October 23, 2021 starting at 5:30pm. Check out the video for more information about this exciting event.

View Event →