Crossing Arts distributes creativity kits

The Crossing Arts Alliance will distribute creativity kits from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 13, to anyone who wants a little bit of creative fun.

Kits will be available on tables in the front of Crossing Arts in downtown Brainerd. In case of inclement weather, the distribution will take place indoors. These kits have two art projects, a coloring sheet and more. Creativity Kits are free to the public. Kits are limited. First come, first served.

The creativity kits are sponsored by Lynda Everson and hosted by the Crossing Arts Alliance members and supporters.

This month's creativity kit distribution will feature bags with artwork created by Larry Christensen, Patricia Lintner, Aiyana Beaulieu, Martha Davidge, Chase Vreeland and Lisa Jordan.

For more information contact the nonprofit art center at 218-833-0416 or info@crossingarts.org.

Pequot Lakes native named Minnesota Book Award finalist

Pequot Lakes native Fredrick Soukup’s debut novel “Bliss” was named a finalist for the 2021 Minnesota Book Awards’ Novel and Short Fiction category.

Soukup is one of four finalists and the winner will be announced at a virtual ceremony April 29.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be a finalist alongside such talented and influential writers,” Soukup stated in a news release.

The three other Minnesotan authors to be named a finalist include “The Night Watchman” by Louise Erdrich, “Sharks in the Time of Saviors: A Novel by Kawai Strong Washburn” and “The Things You Left” by Raki Kopernik. Each year, the Friends of The Saint Paul Library host the awards, which celebrate writers throughout Minnesota.

“Bliss” is Soukup’s debut novel from Regal House Press. The story is a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, in which societal constructs, not families, complicate the relationship between the novel’s main characters. The compelling and thought-provoking work will appeal to socially conscious readers who wish to honestly explore these dynamics themselves, the news release stated. The book is available in paperback from Regal House Publishing and major outlets for $15.95.

Soukup’s second novel, “Blood Up North,” is forthcoming from Vine Leaves Press in Spring 2022.

Soukup is a St. Paul-based literary fiction author, who is known for his quick and vivid prose. Soukup is from Pequot Lakes and is a graduate of St. John’s University. He was a semifinalist for the 2017 American Short Fiction Prize and shortlisted by C&R Press for their 2019 Book Award. His debut novel “Bliss” was named a 2020 Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist and received a 2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards bronze medal for the Great Lakes Region Best Fiction.

Deerwood author publishes second novel

Author Doug Mayfield of Deerwood recently released his second novel titled, “The Saint Patrick’s Day Hero” published by Grendel’s Fen Press.

The story is about a group of people, one in particular, who struggle to find meaning in the aftermath of a campus shooting, the author stated in a news release. Pacific Review calls the novel “powerfully relevant,” and Midwest Book Review describes it as a story having “genuine intellectual heft.”

The book is available wherever books are sold, including Brainerd’s Crossing Arts Alliance.

Mayfield’s first novel, “Angle of Declination,” was published in 2012.

1/3: The book cover of Pequot Lakes native Fredrick Soukup’s debut novel “Bliss." Submitted Photo

2/3: he Crossing Arts Alliance distributes monthly creativity kits. Submitted Photo

3/3: Fredrick Soukup