This mystery character’s legend spread far and wide in the 19th century and grew from the true life adventures of an intrepid and determined American.
They would often appear in a canoe, dressed in eccentric clothing, with small and precious items to barter for a meal or a handful of coins.
Children learned the story of this mystery character and it was so colorful and imaginative that eventually the tale was told in both picture books and adult novels.
The legacy of this mystery character’s mission can still be found in America’s hills and valleys.
Can you name the mystery character? When you have it, email me at kmiller@mpr.org. I’ll answer all guesses until 5 p.m. on Monday.
Summer Reads for 2026 with MPR News' Emily Bright in Duluth on June 11
Join MPR News host Emily Bright as she discusses the top 2026 Summer Reads with regional bookstores. Attendees will discover top summer titles across genres, hear insider recommendations on what to read next and connect with other book lovers. Our bookseller panel for the evening will include: Zenith Bookstore, Amazing Alonzo Bookstore and Foxes and Fireflies Booksellers.
Email sstroozas@mpr.org to have your literary event added to the list.
🤔 What's the newsroom reading?
When I saw the cover of "Heart the Lover" by Lily King, I was immediately intrigued. I put it on hold at the library (like everyone else apparently) and after several months of waiting for my copy, I was ready to dig in. I had read Lily King before and adored "Writers & Lovers." Little did I know until halfway through reading, "Heart the Lover" is a prequel and sequel to "Writers & Lovers." I decided to do a reread of "Writers & Lovers" when I finished.
I do not often read books a second time. It has to be something I really enjoyed. The first time I read "Writers & Lovers" I was 23 and living in Chicago. The main character was 31 (In my head, old. I am humbled by this thinking now.) and a writer dealing with the sudden loss of her mother, working on her book transcript and deciding between two very different men.
Now, at almost 28, I saw the book through a different lens and how well it paired with "Heart the Lover." Casey, the main character, moved into different versions of herself as she aged but the love and loss she endured stayed with her, even when she thought she was long past it.
King writes: "You know how you can remember exactly when and where you read certain books? A great novel, a truly great one, not only captures a particular fictional experience, it alters and intensifies the way you experience your own life while you’re reading it. And it preserves it, like a time capsule." That's exactly how I felt reading. I may have changed and grew older, but the book was frozen in time. And I still remember what store I bought it from and where I read it and feeling like a new chapter of my own life was just beginning.
A new Minnesota queer history book is coming out just in time for LGBTQ+ Pride month. "Remember the Main" is by Plymouth author Meg Gorzycki
and tells the story of Minnestoan Bob Jansen who oepned the gay bar in 1983 that became a social hub for LGBTQ+ people in the Twin Ports and the Iron Range.
Are you a local author, bookstore or literary lover? Send your book news to sstroozas@mpr.org and we'll add it to the newsleter.
Natalie Haynes joined host Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas to talk Medea’s essential juxtapositions and what ancient myths have to say to modern culture. They also talked about how Haynes’ time doing stand-up comedy informs her writing.
It's hot, school’s out, put your PTO in — summer’s here! NPR's Brittany Luse is back for It's Been a Minute's annual summer books episode. From wanderlust to first time love, there’s something for everyone.
With all that's required to reach “dream destinations” these days, another option is to walk to your local public library instead and pick up one of these new books out in June set across time and place.
The Literary Arts Fund announced Thursday that the Loft Literary Center, Graywolf Press and the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop are among 40 recipients that will share $7.7 million.
The Iranian-French cartoonist and filmmaker was perhaps most well-known for the graphic memoir, and subsequent film, about her life during the Iranian revolution in 1979.
