2026 Twin Rivers Writers series

Twin Rivers is excited to launch our 2026 Writers Series! Join us as we sit down with writers to discuss their work, experiences, process, future, and more.

Each event will consist of a moderated conversation with the author and a Q&A with the audience. Mark your calendar with the dates below so you don't miss out on this exciting new series!

The 2026 Twin Rivers Writers series and this event were underwritten by the Bryan and Tami Paulsen Charitable Fund and the Carl and Verna Schmidt Foundation.

Laurie Hertzel

Tuesday, 8.18.26 6:00-7:30 PM
Shared Spaces at Emy Frentz, 523 S. Second Street, Mankato, MN 56001
www.lauriehertzel.net

In four decades of journalism, Hertzel has worked as a columnist, news reporter, feature writer, news editor, editor of special projects, magazine writer and editor, and, for 15 years, she was the books editor at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Minn. She has held fellowships from Duke University and the James Thurber House; and has won awards for her writing, including from the American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors and the Society for Features Journalism. In 2023 she was honored with the Kerlan Award, bestowed annually by the University of Minnesota.

Hertzel has published short fiction (including the Thomas Wolfe Prize-winning “Snapshots”) and has reported from the former Soviet Union and Cuba. Her memoir, “News to Me: Adventures of an Accidental Journalist,” won a Minnesota Book Award. She is co-author of "They Took My Father: Finnish Americans in Stalin's Russia,” and her new memoir, “Ghosts of Fourth Street,” was published this spring by the University of Minnesota Press.

She served two terms on the board of the National Book Critics Circle, and served as President and as Chair of the Autobiography Committee. Her work has been anthologized and has appeared in newspapers across the country, as well as in publications in Australia and Finland. Now retired from newspapers, Hertzel has reviewed books for the Star Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and elsewhere.

She has taught at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and at Ohio State University and now teaches in the low-residency MFA program at the University of Georgia in Athens.

FALL 2026 Community Read + Author Visit

AUTHOR ANNOUNCEMENT & BOOK GIVEAWAY - Fall 2026 - date coming soon!
AUTHOR VISIT - Tuesday, 10.6.26, 6:00-7:30
We are excited to be partnering with the North Mankato Taylor Library on our Fall Writers Series. Stay tuned for an announcement of our author!

DR. LIZ FIEDLER MERGEN

Tuesday, 5.19.26 6:00-7:30 PM
Shared Spaces at Emy Frentz, 523 S. Second Street, Mankato, MN 56001
www.lizfiedlermergen.com

Liz Fiedler Mergen is an entrepreneur, flower farmer, speaker, and USA Today bestselling author. After being unexpectedly widowed at 31 while pregnant with her second child, Liz rebuilt her life by planting flowers on her family’s farm in Central Minnesota. What began as a small healing project has grown into Sunny Mary Meadow Flower Farm, a thriving business that includes wedding and event florals, agritourism experiences, and education for farmers and entrepreneurs.

Liz first entered the publishing world five years ago when she self-published a children’s book inspired by the lessons flowers can teach us about patience and growth. In 2026, her memoir Flowers Bloom Anyway was traditionally published and quickly became a USA Today bestseller.

Today Liz speaks to audiences about resilience, entrepreneurship, and the courage to start before you feel ready. She is passionate about encouraging aspiring authors and entrepreneurs to pursue the ideas they can’t stop thinking about and to build something meaningful from the ground up.

She lives in Central Minnesota with her husband Brent and their daughters, where life still revolves around flowers, family, and the belief that even after difficult seasons, things can still bloom.

Purchase her book: Bookshop.org US

2025 TWIN RIVERS WRITERS SERIES

VISITNG AUTHORS INCLUDED:
Shannon Gibney | www.shannongibney.com
John Thavis | www.johnthavis.com
John Otis
J. Ryan Stradal | www.jryanstradal.com