River City Books Anniversary Celebration April 9, 2005

River City Books, located at 306 Division Street in downtown Northfield, will be celebrating its third anniversary with special events from April 10-17. All the events are free and open to the public.

River City Books will celebrate its third anniversary by offering daily sales, drawings and refreshments. As part of the weeklong celebration, the store will present events, author readings and book signings featuring authors with Northfield ties.

Joseph Mbele, professor of English at St. Olaf College, will give a reading and signing of his new book, ?Africans and Americans: Embracing Cultural Differences,? at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 11. Mbele will present several humorous stories about distinguishing the cultural divide between Africans and Americans.

Mbele also will present a reading of his book, ?Mantego Folktales,? at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 16. The book is a collection of 10 folktales from Southern Tanzania, featuring epic heroes, tricksters, outlaws and other captivating characters. A birthday cake celebration will follow at noon and Marie Fritz Perry will present a reading of her book, ?A Gift for Sadia,? at 1 p.m. on the same day. Beth (Lavin) Kendrick, a 1998 Carleton College graduate and acclaimed ?chick lit? author of ?My Favorite Mistake? and ?Exes and Ohs,? will present a reading and book signing at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 14.

River City Books is a general interest bookstore in downtown Northfield. Home to a large selection of Carleton and St. Olaf clothing and gifts, it also carries a wide variety of quality literature, such as McSweeney?s Publishing titles. Throughout the year, they sponsor numerous events for the Northfield community, bringing in celebrated authors for book signings and discussions. This summer, the bookstore also will sponsor a Harry Potter Bash to celebrate the release of the popular series? sixth book.

For more information or disability accommodations, call River City Books in Northfield at (507) 646-7754.