West Concord, MN — Award-winning author Roger Barr, a 1969 graduate of West Concord High School, returns to his hometown on April 10, 2025, to read from and talk about his work.
Barr will appear at the West Concord Public Library, which is co-sponsoring the event with the West Concord Historical Society. Starting time is 2:00 p.m. The event is free.
“We’re excited to have Roger, one of our own, return to West Concord to share his writing journey and books with us,” said Colleen Hayne, president of the library board. “Roger is a storyteller you won’t want to miss.”
For Barr, it is a rare opportunity to share his work with a hometown audience.
“I’ve lived in St. Paul for many years, but I’m still a farm kid at heart,” Barr said. “Figuratively speaking, I’ve never quite cleaned all of the dirt out from under my fingernails. Farm values have guided my life and they appear in my work.”
Barr will talk about his 40+ year career as a writer, and explain the differences between writing fiction, non-fiction, plays and journalism. He will read a selection from his newest book, A Murder on the Hill: The Secret Life and Mysterious Death of Ruth Munson, a non-fiction account of the unsolved 1937 murder of St. Paul resident Ruth Munson. Published by Minnesota Historical Society Press, the book appeared on area best seller lists last summer and was a 2025 Minnesota Book Award nominee.
Barr will also read a selection from Farm Stories, an as yet unpublished work, which is actually set in the West Concord area.
“As a writer, I’ve always followed my heart,” Barr said. “That has resulted in an eclectic body of work.” He is the author of eleven published books, 36 published short stories, an award-winning play and countless newspaper and magazine articles. His other books include The Treasure Hunt, a novel about the annual treasure medallion hunt that takes place during the St. Paul Winter Carnival, and two collections of Christmas stories, Getting Ready for Christmas and The Christmas Promise. He has authored seven non-fiction books for young adults on such topics as the Vietnam war, Richard Nixon and Malcolm X. Barr’s short story “Puzzle Pieces” received the nationally recognized 2021 Hal Prize for short stories. His story “March Madness in a Small Town” won The Loft’s writing contest in 2013. His award-winning play Decoration Day has been produced several times.
Copies of A Murder on the Hill, The Treasure Hunt and the two Christmas collections will be available for purchase at the event.
