Brian Duren Brian Duren

I will give a talk at Washburn Public Library on the evolution of my style from my first novel to my fourth, and on what I am attempting to accomplish as an artist. 

I hope you can attend my talk Thursday, June 5, at 6:00, at Washburn Public Library on the evolution of my style from my first novel, Whiteout, to my (recently completed) fourth, Day Brings Back the Night and on what I am attempting to accomplish as an artist. I gave this talk on January 30th at Nokomis Public Library, and it received a very strong ovation from the audience. Jane Boss, the librarian who helped organize the event and attended it, liked it so much that she communicated with other librarians in Hennepin and Ramsey counties to relay her enthusiasm for it. All three of my published novels will be available at a special price. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a drawing, and the winner will receive a free copy of one of my novels. 

Washburn Library is located at 5244 Lyndale Avenue S., Minneapolis, 55419

Read More
Brian Duren Brian Duren

I will give a talk at Nokomis Public Library on the evolution of my style from my first novel to my fourth and on what I am attempting to accomplish as an artist. 

I hope you can attend my talk Thursday, January 30, at 6:30, at Nokomis Public Library on the evolution of my style from my first novel, Whiteout, to my (recently completed) fourth, Day Brings Back the Night, and on what I am attempting to accomplish as an artist. All three of my published novels will be available at a special price. You will find below a link to the library’s event page here.

Read More
Brian Duren Brian Duren

Thursday, January 16, at 6:30, I will participate in a reading, organized by Literary Locavore, at Nokomis Public Library. The library is located at 5100 34th Ave. S., Minneapolis. 

I will join four other writers who are also participating in this event: Bill Burleson, Ed Sheehy, Steve Wilbers, and Vince Wyckoff. I will read a passage, featuring a scene in which the main character, Richard, still a young boy, is working in his father’s studio, where he learns to draw and paint. This is a blog entry, dealing with art and the novel,  that I wrote for the website of Guernica Editions: “Why Did I Write IVORY BLACK? Brian Duren on art, exploring through writing, and anti-war activism.”

https://guernicaeditions.com/en-us/blogs/guernica-editions-news-updates/why-did-i-write-i-ivory-black-i-brian-duren-on-art-exploring-through-writing-and-anti-war-activism

Read More
Brian Duren Brian Duren

I will again participate in Rain Taxi’s Twin Cities Book Festival, from 10:00 to 5:00, on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. 

I will again have a table in the Progress Center of the Minnesota State Fairgrounds where I will sign copies of Whiteout, Ivory Black, and The Gravity of Love and discuss my work with readers. I hope you can join me. I look forward to talking with you about my work. The Progress Center is located at 1621 Randall Avenue, St. Paul  55108.

Read More
Brian Duren Brian Duren

Reading of the Gravity of Love and of the opening from my novel-in-progress, Day Brings Back the Night at the Barnes & Noble in Roseville at 7:00. 

I will do a reading at 7:00, March 22, of The Gravity of Love and of the opening pages of my novel-in-progress, Day Brings Back the Night, at the Barnes & Noble located at HarMar Mall, 2100 Snelling Avenue, Roseville, MN 55113. The store will also have for sale copies of Ivory Black, my other novel published in 2023. I will arrive an hour before the reading to do signings of both books. I hope you can attend the reading and/or the signing. I look forward to talking with you about my work. 

Read More
Brian Duren Brian Duren

Reading of The Gravity of Love at Comma, a Bookshop, at 7:00 in Minneapolis. 

I will read passages from The Gravity of Love at Comma, a Bookshop, located at 4250 Upton Ave. South, in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis. Immediately following my reading, I will talk briefly about the evolution of my style from Whiteout and Ivory Black (which will also be available for purchase) to The Gravity of Love and Day Brings Back the Night, my novel-in-progress. 

Read More
Brian Duren Brian Duren

Signing at The Bookstore at Fitger’s, Duluth, 12:00 – 2:00

I will be signing copies of Ivory Black, Whiteout, and The Gravity of Love at Fitger’s from 12:00 to 2:00. Fitger’s is located at 600 East Superior Street, right on Lake Superior. 

NB: Shortly after the signing, a friend forwarded to me a copy of Fitger’s newsletter, in which the store manager, Jennifer Jubenville, made the following recommendation to customers: 

If your book club is looking for a good book to “dissect” and discuss then we’ve got a great suggestion for you! Ivory Black by Brian Duren is a multi-layered novel that deals with grief and guilt in a complex and emotional way. It’s 2005 and Dick Rayburn returns home from four months in the hospital with injuries and a whole lot of pain—both physical and emotional. Their son Jamie is missing in Iraq, and Dick and Valerie are at each other’s throats. As they’re waiting for news, Dick’s memories are triggered by things around the house and he reflects on his transformation from a young artist, graduate student, and left-wing activist to the war profiteer that Valerie resents and blames for Jamie signing up for service. Dick returns to painting as a means to cope with what he saw in Falluja and the person he feels he has become over the years. He processes the horrors of war and yearns to feel something beyond the pain. It’s a story that gets under your skin and you find yourself thinking of it again and again. 

Read More
Brian Duren Brian Duren

Reading of The Gravity of Love at Magers & Quinn Booksellers at 7:00.

Wednesday, August 30, at 7:00, I will do a reading hosted by Magers & Quinn, located at 3038 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, 55408. After the reading, I will have a conversation about The Gravity of Love with Cary Griffith, award-winning author of Cougar Claw and Killing Monarchs

Read More
Brian Duren Brian Duren

Reading of Ivory Black at Comma, a bookshop, at 7:00, in Minneapolis.

Wednesday, July 12, at 7:00, I will do a reading hosted by Comma, a bookshop, located in Linden Hills. The event will take place in the nearby Bremer Bank Community Space, located at 4278 Sheridan Ave. S., Minneapolis. After the reading, I will have a conversation about Ivory Black with Cary Griffith, award-winning author of Cougar Claw and Killing Monarchs

Read More
Brian Duren Brian Duren

Reading of Ivory Black at 1:00, at the California Building, in Northeast Minneapolis

Saturday, June 10, I will do a reading at 1:00 at the California Building, located at 2205 California Street N.E., in Minneapolis. The event will take place in the ON2 Gallery, on the second floor. This event is scheduled on the Second Saturday Open Studio Day, when the studios of the nearly 100 artists in the building are open to art lovers and prospective clients. 

Read More