"Minnesota Bug Hunt," by Bruce "the Bug Guy" Giebink and Bill Johnson, has been published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press. The picture book contains Johnson's startlingly close-up photos of all kinds of lovely and disgusting bugs, and Giebink's tips on where to find bugs and what cool things they can do.
The authors will be at Red Balloon in St. Paul at 10:30 a.m. Saturday and at Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis at 1 p.m. on May 18. An exhibit of Johnson's photographs, "Night Creatures: Insects After Dark," is on display through April 28 at St. Paul's Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in Como Park.
Also …
• Red Dragonfly Press has published Freya Manfred's latest collection, "The Blue Dress." The lovely slender chapbook carries a cover illustration by Manfred's sons, Bly Pope and Rowan Pope. She will read at 7 p.m. April 18 at Common Good Books, along with Louis Jenkins and Connie Wanek, and at 7 p.m. April 22 at the Awareness Project, 2081 Main St., River Falls, Wis., with other poets.
• Geoff Herbach's latest YA novel, "I'm With Stupid," will be published in May by Sourcebooks Fire. Herbach, who teaches at Mankato State University, is the author of the much-honored "Stupid Fast."
• Howard Mohr's classic book, "How to Talk Minnesotan," updated and revised, will be published by Penguin Books in June.
• Jim Northrup's short-story collection, "Walking the Rez Road," has been rereleased in a 20th-anniversary edition by Fulcrum Publishing. Northrup, who lives on the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation, is an award-winning writer and author of a syndicated column, Fond du Lac Follies.
• Steve McEllistrem's first book, "The Devereaux Dilemma," has been published by Two Harbors Press. McEllistrem is a lawyer, writer and editor and one of the hosts of KFAI-FM's "Write On! Radio" show. His book is the first in a planned science-fiction trilogy. He'll launch the book at 7 p.m. May 23 at Common Good Books in St. Paul.
