By Laurie Hertzel

Forty years ago, New Rivers Press was born in an old barn in New York State. Bill Truesdale contracted lead poisoning picking through type to set the first books by hand. He recovered, moved the press to Minnesota and along with Emilie Buchwald of Milkweed Editions and Scott Walker of Graywolf Press, began a strong and enduring tradition of nonprofit literary presses in the Twin Cities. He continued to publish five or six books a year by new and emerging authors, many of whom went on to national acclaim -- Charles Baxter, Debra Marquart, Heid Erdrich.

Truesdale died in 2001, and the press went into hiatus until 2003, when it moved to Minnesota State University, Moorhead, where it is now a teaching press. Books are published each fall, designed by graphics students, edited by MFA candidates, and promoted by marketing students. Fiction writer Alan Davis, who also edited the anthology "American Fiction" for New Rivers, is senior editor, and photographer Wayne Gudmundson is press director.

A 40-year anniversary party will be held Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Loft, 1011 Washington Av. S., Minneapolis. "Our history until 2001 was in the Twin Cities, so for our anniversary we thought it'd be logical to schedule this event at the Loft," Davis said. "We'll celebrate the press, and Bill Truesdale's legacy."

Sixteen New Rivers authors will read, including Davis, Erdrich, Marquart and poet Tim Nolan. The public is invited.

Also ...

• Three Star Tribune writers have recently published books. Lee Svitak Dean, editor of the Taste section, has written "Come One, Come All: Easy Entertaining With Seasonal Menus" (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 311 pages, $29.95). The cookbook brings together 150 seasonal recipes, many of which first appeared in the Star Tribune. Dean will sign books at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Borders Books in Minnetonka. Music critic Jon Bream has written "Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin" (Voyageur Press, 288 pages, $40), a history of the rock band. And metro reporter Curt Brown has written "So Terrible a Storm" (Voyageur Press, 320 pages, $25), the story of the deadly Thanksgiving 1905 storm on Lake Superior. Brown will be at Common Good Books, 165 N. Western Av., St. Paul, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20. He'll also be at Northern Lights Books and Gifts, 307 Canal Park Drive, Duluth, at 1 p.m. today, and at Split Rock Lighthouse at 3 p.m. Monday.

• Minnesota writers Faith Sullivan, Sheila O'Connor, Heid Erdrich, Wang Ping and Shannon Olson will read from "Riding Shotgun," an anthology about mothers, at 7 p.m. Friday in the Great Hall at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. Their appearance is part of Northfield Reads!, a community-wide book club.

• Tomie dePaola, internationally known writer and illustrator of children's books, will be in the Cities this weekend. On Saturday, he'll be at the Red Balloon, 891 Grand Av., St. Paul, at 10:30 a.m., and at Wayzata Community Church, 125 E. Wayzata Blvd., at 2 p.m.; and on Sunday he'll be at Creative Kidstuff, 3555 69th St., Edina at noon, and at Barnes & Noble Har-Mar in Roseville at 3:30 p.m.

Laurie Hertzel • 612-673-7302