Sisters Who Read and Lead, a fundraiser for the Loft Literary Center, will feature Minneapolis writers and sisters Louise Erdrich and Heid Erdrich, who will lead a discussion and read from their new works.

Heid Edrich, a poet, will read from "Cell Traffic," her new collection, and Louise Erdrich will read from "The Round House," her new novel, which will be published in October.

The event will begin with drinks and hors d'oeuvres at 5 p.m. May 2 at Open Book, 1011 Washington Av. S., Mpls. Tickets are $100 and available by phone at 612-215-2582 or through e-mail: hholman@loft.org

Also ...

• "Stolen Prey," by John Sandford, will be published in May by Putnam. It's the 22nd installment in the Lucas Davenport series. Sandford (the pen name of John Camp) lives in Stillwater. He'll sign books at 12:30 p.m. May 15 at Barnes & Noble on the Nicollet Mall, and at 7 p.m. May 16 at Once Upon a Crime Bookstore, 604 W. 26th St., Mpls.

• "Body of Evidence," the latest collection from the Laurel Poetry Collective, will be launched at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Loft at Open Book, 1011 Washington Av. S., Mpls. The collection includes work from 20 Minnesota poets, including Ann Iverson, Margot Fortunato Galt, Deborah Keenan and Regula Russelle.

Dml -, Star Tribune
Louise Erdrich

• Geoff Herbach's second young adult novel, "Nothing Special," will be published by Sourcebooks Fire in May. It's a sequel to his acclaimed "Stupid Fast." Herbach lives and teaches in Mankato.

• "The Obsidian Blade: The Klaatu Diskos Book One," by Pete Hautman, has been published by Candlewick Press. Hautman is the author of "Godless," winner of a National Book Award. He divides his time between Wisconsin and Minnesota.

• "Woodworking FAQ: The Workshop Companion," by Spike Carlsen, has been published by Storey Publishing. Carlsen is the author of "A Splintered History of Wood," and curates the monthly Writers on Writing sessions in Stillwater. He'll launch his new book at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Stillwater library.

• The Guggenheim Fellowships were announced last week. As previously noted, Twin Cities poet Jim Moore is a recipient. So, too, is Minneapolis-born novelist Arthur Phillips, author of "Prague" and "The Tragedy of Arthur." The full list can be found online here: www.startribune.com/a1217.