'Overburden' tour comes home to Hibbing Public Library Feb. 18

I'll be doing a reading/lecture and signing for my new book "Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range" at the Hibbing Public Library at 6:30 p.m. this Wednesday, Feb. 18. (Click on "Book News" for more information about the book).

The presentation is free and open to the public. This is the first time I've done the full road show in Hibbing, a town that enjoys a fair amount of exploration in the book. It's the town of my birth and the town where I have worked since I graduated from college. A colleague keeps telling me that you can't be a hero in your hometown, but I do hope that I can provide an entertaining evening and a thought-provoking discussion about the past, present and future of Northern Minnesota's Iron Range.

Among the interesting Hibbing tidbits in the book:

• Hibbing is the site of Minnesota's only known duel (pistols).
• Hibbing officials paraded a dead fugitive down main street in the early 20th century.
• Hibbing is the hometown of Bob Dylan.
• Hibbing enjoys a complex relationship with the institution of war. War times are always economically flush while peace comes with an economic price.

All this and much more at 6:30 this Wednesday night at the Hibbing Public Library. Pick up a copy online or at most Range bookstores and Minnesota Barnes and Noble locations. Check out the Hibbing Public Library's blog for specifics about my lecture.