Award-Winning Author Marcie Rendon to Tour Kitchigami Libraries

Nine-day tour will include stops in Wadena, Park Rapids and Bemidji.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 6:20pm

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A dreamy, impressionistic scene of a library interior, with soft, blurred shapes of bookshelves, reading chairs, and the silhouettes of people, all bathed in warm, glowing light, conveying a sense of quiet contemplation and the power of storytelling.Rendon's upcoming library tour will bring her compelling Native American storytelling to communities across northern Minnesota.Wadena Today

Award-winning author, poet, playwright and community arts activist Marcie Rendon, a member of the White Earth Nation, will be touring Kitchigami Regional Libraries from April 20 to April 29. Her work has earned numerous honors, including the McKnight Foundation's Distinguished Artist Award, the Pinckley Prize for Debut Crime Fiction, WLA Children's Book Award and the Minnesota Book Awards. Rendon is widely known for her award-winning Cash Blackbear mystery series, which features a young Ojibwe woman as the protagonist.

Why it matters

Rendon has dedicated much of her work to amplifying Native voices and stories, providing a rich cultural perspective through her compelling storytelling. The tour will give communities across northern Minnesota the opportunity to engage with Rendon's impactful writing and learn more about Ojibwe culture and experiences.

The details

The nine-day tour will include stops in 11 communities, with Rendon visiting libraries in Wadena, Park Rapids, Cass Lake, Walker, Blackduck, Bemidji, Pequot Lakes, Crosslake, Longville, Pine River and Brainerd. At each location, Rendon will engage with local readers and share her work.

  • The tour will take place from April 20 to April 29, 2026.
  • Rendon will visit the Wadena City Library on Monday, April 20 at 1 p.m.
  • Rendon will visit the Park Rapids Area Library on Monday, April 20 at 1 p.m.
  • Rendon will visit the Cass Lake Community Library on Tuesday, April 21 at 3:30 p.m.
  • Rendon will visit the Walker Public Library on Tuesday, April 21 at 5:30 p.m.

The players

Marcie Rendon

An award-winning author, poet, playwright and community arts activist who is a member of the White Earth Nation. Rendon is widely known for her award-winning Cash Blackbear mystery series, which features a young Ojibwe woman as the protagonist.

Kitchigami Regional Libraries

A regional library system serving northern Minnesota, including the communities of Wadena, Park Rapids, Cass Lake, Walker, Blackduck, Bemidji, Pequot Lakes, Crosslake, Longville, Pine River and Brainerd.

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What they’re saying

“As Native people, we have known that in order to survive we had to create, re-create, produce, re-produce. The effect of the denial of our existence is that many of us have become invisible. However, not (everyone) can still that desire, that up-welling inside that says sing, write, draw, move, be… we can sing our hearts out, tell our stories, paint our visions…we are in a position to create a more human reality.”

— Marcie Rendon, Author

The takeaway

Rendon's tour of Kitchigami Regional Libraries provides an opportunity for communities across northern Minnesota to engage with an acclaimed Native American author and learn more about Ojibwe culture and experiences through her impactful writing and storytelling.