Minnesota's Own Calendars - Sharon Mazurek

Minnesota's Own Calendars


by Sharon Mazurek

Minnesota’s Own Calendars are back again this year.  The calendars are completely made in Minnesota — the design, photography, printing and even the paper they’re printed on.

The 2012 line includes Minnesota Barns, Birding, Fishing and The North Shore. Sharon researches the content and ensures that every detail has a Minnesota connection, such as: informative captions, tidbits (such as when to unpack your long johns), weather facts, an Ole & Lena (or Sven) joke and an original recipe.

 

But, the spectacular imagery is the main attraction. The photography of Minnesota photographers Doug Ohman, John Gregor, Val Doherty, Bill Lindner and Mike Sweet are featured in the calendars.

In addition to being locally produced, they are also produced with the environment in mind. Recycled paper, soy inks and printed at Bolger who boasts 0% production waste make these calendars a great gift for “green” consumers.

BIOGRAPHY

Minnesota’s Own Calendars is the creation of graphic designer, Sharon Mazurek. Sharon has over twenty years experience in designing for such clients as 3M, Blue Cross Blue Shield, John Deere and Microsoft. During this time she has designed calendars for John Deere and the Basilica of St. Mary, both projects she enjoyed immensely and considered designing her own for friends. 

After discovering that almost all Minnesota calendars are made in China, she started her own calendar business in 2009. Her concept was to design a line that is made locally and includes content that truly reflects the unique culture of Minnesota. The business brings together local designers, photographers, artists and printers to create an exceptional. Sharon’s hope is that they will have locals and visitors alike enjoying Minnesota a new way!

WEBSITE
http://www.mncalendars.com/

PURCHASE

• Amazon 
• http://www.mncalendars.com/
  

PUBLISHER
MAZ Creative, LLC

Birds in Our Backyard - Adele Porter

Birds in Our Backyard

by Adele Porter

A prairie chicken dancing to the beat, a Red-Winged blackbird flashing his snazzy wing patches to attract a female, a grouse growing its own “snowshoes,” and American robins traveling north in the spring share at least one characteristic—they all call Minnesota home at some point during the year. Birds in Our Backyard invites young ones into the lives of these winged wonders.

Season by season, kids discover which birds they might see, how far they have traveled, where they build their homes, and what they like to eat. Able guide Adele Porter and award-winning nature photographer Bill Marchel bring to life the world of birds—the colors, the sounds, the wonder of flight. Learn about wild and urban habitats, clever practices in building nests and caching food, and migrating and mating rituals.

Birds in Our Backyard is the perfect companion for a walk in the woods, a picnic in the park, or breakfast at the kitchen window, encouraging budding birders and naturalists to take a closer look at our feathered friends and the world we share with them.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Adele Porter is a science educator and author fortunate to have a career that combines her curiosity and passion for science and dedication to children. The Wild About series of children and young adult books was inspired by the students of all ages that she has worked with during 20 years as an educator.

When not teaching or working on a book, Adele writes educational materials for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the US Forest Service, and various publications. Being a member of the National Science Teachers' Association and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators helps to keep her informed.

When asked what she enjoys the most about being an author, the answer is easy - meeting the readers of the Wild About books and hearing about their enthusiastic outdoor adventure stories! Another fun part of being an author is guiding readers to participate in citizen science projects.

Minnesota is her favorite state and where she learned to canoe and kayak, cross-country ski, and roast marshmallows until they have crunchy brown bubbles on the outside and melted deliciousness inside. What she treasures most is spending time with her family and friends.

PHOTOGRAPHER BIOGRAPHY

Bill Marchel is a full-time wildlife and outdoor photographer and writer from Fort Ripley, Minnesota.  His photo files contain over 120,000 images that include over 100 magazine cover photos to such magazines as Audubon, Field & Stream, National Wildlife, and Ducks Unlimited.  His writing appears in a weekly column titled Afield for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. 
 


UPCOMING EVENTS

Book signings: 

• Saturday, March 24, 2012, 1:00 - 3:30 pm: Book Cliffs in Wabasha
• March 2012, Date TBD: Red Balloon Bookshop
• April 2012, Date TBD: Creative KidsStuff

Author program information: http://adeleporter.com/educatorsparents/authorprograms.html

Adele also offers a new set of winter classes via Skype - her take on Skype an Author. Since the great outdoors is her main "office", these will be done on location in a natural area.

WEBSITE

http://www.adeleporter.com
Blogs: http://adeleporter.com/abouttheauthor/authorblog.html  and  http://adeleporter.wordpress.com/

PURCHASE

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• http://adeleporter.com/orderbooks.html
• Minnesota Historical Society Press: http://shop.mnhs.org/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=2955
• Adventure Publications, Inc.: http://www.adventurepublications.net/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jqemdri8

PUBLISHER

Minnesota Historical Society Press
Adventure Publications, Inc.

OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

• Wild About Minnesota Birds, 2007 *Midwest Independent Publishers Book Award 2007, Children/Young Adult Nonfiction 
• Wild About Wisconsin Birds, 2009 
• Wild About Michigan Birds, 2009 
• Wild About Northeastern Birds, 2010 
• Wild About Cooking for the Birds, 2010
  

Jan Dunlap - Murder on Warbler Weekend

MURDER ON WARBLER WEEKEND
A Bob White Birder Murder Mystery

by Jan Dunlap

ISBN-13: 978-0878393213

North Star Press

For birder Bob White, May in Minnesota means three things: counseling high school students with spring fever, coaching the girls' tenth grade softball team, and finding every warbler species during spring migration. But when his mother discovers a body while they bird together on Mother's Day, disturbing items get added to Bob's seasonal list, among them murder, gambling addictions, dirty politics and controversial land deals. And then there's that possibility - thanks to one of his students - that he might be wearing an orange jumpsuit while he makes license plates in the state pen. In this second outing of the Bob White Birder Murder Mystery series, Bob quickly finds himself chasing more than warblers as he searches for a killer who's even closer to home than he realizes.

LAUNCH DATE
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009 at 7 pm
Once Upon a Crime in Minneapolis

BIOGRAPHY
Jan Dunlap is a writer, teacher and birdwatcher, who crafts her Bob White Birder Murder Mystery series with humor and realistic detail. A mother of five grown children, she holds two master's degrees - one in English Studies and one in Theology - and teaches college English online for two universities. She lives in Chaska, Minnesota with her husband Tom.

PURCHASE
Amazon.com
Borders bookstore
Barnes& Noble bookstores
Select independent stores

OTHER BOOKS BY JAN
The Boreal Owl Murder
(first novel in Bob White Birder Murder Mystery series).

AWARDS and REVIEWS
Dunlap’s debut The Boreal Owl Murder received a silver medal in the 2008 Midwest Book Awards, along with nominations for the Minnesota Book Awards and the Northeast Minnesota Book Awards. Armchairinterviews.com said that “Dunlap’s quick wit and quick pace makes this book a delight to read,” and gave it a four-star rating. Midwest Book Review gave the book five stars, and noted “The plot is fast paced, the denouement fun.” North Star Press reports that book sales have been brisk to birders and mystery lovers alike.

WEBSITE
http://www.jandunlap.com/