Heading north in June? The Bemidji Public Library is holding a weeklong festival of writers and writing, with readings, workshops, a poetry slam and a keynote address by writer and explorer Ann Bancroft.

A dozen writers -- including Lise Erdrich, Margi Preus, Nancy Carlson, Doug Wood and William Durbin -- will teach classes in poetry, memoir, and children's books (both writing and illustrating).

Events will be held across Bemidji, at the library, the Headwaters School of Music and at the high school. It's all free, although registration is required for the workshops and the poetry slam. The festival runs June 11-16 and you can find more information online at www.krls.org or by calling 1-218-751-3963.

Also ...

• Chapter Two Books in Hudson, Wis., will host former Sen. Russ Feingold at 7 p.m. June 7. He'll sign copies of "While America Sleeps."

• "The Fall of Alice K.," a novel by St. Paul writer Jim Heynen, will be published this fall by Milkweed Editions of Minneapolis. Heynen is the author of "The One-Room Schoolhouse," "The Man Who Kept Cigars in His Hat" and several other books.

• "Poems for Ordinary People" by Carol Allis has been published by North Star Press of St. Cloud. Allis will read at 7:30 p.m. June 6 at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis, at 6:30 p.m. June 8 at Valley Bookseller in Stillwater, at 1 p.m. June 9 at Excelsior Bay Bookstore and at 7 p.m. June 11 at Common Good Books in St. Paul.

• "Harvesting Ashwood," the second installment in a trilogy of speculative fiction by Cynthia Kraack, will be published in June by North Star Press. Kraack's debut novel, "Minnesota Cold," won a Northeastern Minnesota Book Award in 2010. She'll read with Faith Sullivan and Gail MarksJarvis at 7 p.m. June 7 at Common Good Books, 38 S. Snelling Av., St. Paul.

• "Atheist Voices of Minnesota: An Anthology of Personal Stories" will be published in August by Freethought House Press. The book includes essays about atheism by 36 Minnesotans.

• "Fallout," the third novel by Colin Nelson, has been published by North Star Press. Nelson's book release party will be from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis.