Posted: 2/20/07
Minnesota author delights with stories from the farm
Will Weaver speaks at Spring Grove Public Library
By Andrew Miller
Interim News Editor
Will Weaver was not looking forward to breaking the news to his father.
His dad wanted him to become a veterinarian. But Weaver had other plans for his college years.
The young Weaver gathered up his courage and headed out into the field of his familyís dairy farm where his dad was working. The bad news Weaver had to deliver: heíd decided to pursue a degree in English.
"He looked at me, kind of took off his cap and said, ëSon, we already know English,í " Weaver said.
"Thatís a true story," he added with laugh.
And, as they say, the rest is history. Weaver, 56, is now a published author with two short story collections and a handful of novels to his credit.
Weaver visited the Spring Grove Public Library the evening of Feb. 15 to discuss his writing and share stories from life on the farm.
A native of northern Minnesota, Weaverís fiction tends to focus on rural subject matter. His debut novel, "Red Earth, White Earth," was about a native Minnesotan returning to his hometown due to conflicts between farmers and Native Americans.
His latest collection of short stories, "Sweet Land," was recently produced as an independent feature film. In his talk at the library, he read excerpts from "Barns of Minnesota," published in 2005, a coffee table book for which he wrote the text.
"My goal always is to be candid ... to be honest about our lives and our people," he said of his literary output.
Weaver stressed the idea that rural communities should support their hometown artists.
"Sometimes we get the feeling that our entertainment, our literature and our movies should come from far away," he said.
"Our stories, our music, our art is as good as anyoneís and we need to take ourselves seriously."
Weaver made several stops in southern Minnesota last week, and said he was in awe of the local scenery. He thought the stretch of highway between La Crescent and Hokah was particularly breathtaking.
"That has to be the prettiest road in the state," he said. "I can only imagine what itís like in the spring.
Weaver is formerly a creative writing teacher at Bemidji State and now writes full-time. Heís currently working on a series of auto racing novels for teens.
Spring Grove Public Library Director Milly Halverson presented Weaver with a Spring Grove t-shirt and a six-pack of Spring Grove Soda.
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