U mag wants your fiction for contest

If you have any connection with the University of Minnesota -- practically any connection at all -- and like to write, you might qualify to enter the fiction contest sponsored by the university's alumni magazine. The competition is open to all students and alumni, and anyone who attended for a year is considered an alum. The deadline is next February, so you have time for lots and lots of drafts. The final judge will be the venerable Charles Baxter, professor of creative writing and author of the luscious "Feast of Love" and "The Soul Thief."

The winner will receive $2,000, and the winning story will be published in next summer's issue of Minnesota magazine. (Not to be confused with Minnesota Monthly, which is affiliated with Minnesota Public Radio.) Go here for rules: www.alumni.umn.edu/fiction.

Also ...

•"The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo is out in paperback. DiCamillo's newest novel for young people, "The Magician's Elephant," will be published in September by Candlewick Press.

•A book to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District has been published by the district. Written by Deborah Morse-Kahn, the paperback is packed with glossy color photos and historical photos. The title is not, um, grabby -- "The Nine Mile Creek Watershed District" -- but at least it's clear.

•Fran Tarkenton, the writer? The former Minnesota Vikings quarterback has written an autobiography. "Every Day Is Game Day" will be published by Triumph Books in August.

•The University of Minnesota Press has published "The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway: A Photographic History," by Don L. Hofsommer. Hofsommer is a professor of history at St. Cloud State University. The large-format paperback book is loaded with great old black-and-white photos of construction, of trains in motion (with steam), and of trains at rest (no steam), from the 1800s through today.

•A new book on Doc Graham of Chisholm, Minn. -- made famous in the movie "Field of Dreams" -- has been published by Blair Publishing. "Chasing Moonlight: The True Story of Field of Dreams' Doc Graham" is by Brett Friedlander and Bob Reising. They will be in Minnesota for a book signing at 6 p.m. July 7 at the Har-Mar Barnes & Noble in Roseville.

•Star Tribune Books never sleeps. Now on Facebook. Become a fan.