Greater Minnesota
Exploring the Land of Sky-Blue Waters
Published on 1. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-0-253-07379-2 (ISBN)
Description
A witty, wise, and affectionate journey to every corner of the North Star State. After years of living abroad, writer and poet Patrick Hicks returns to Minnesota only to find that his home state feels like a foreign country.
In the tradition of Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux, Greater Minnesota is an account of Hicks's discoveries. Half travelogue, half history, and fully delightful in its exploration of new places and people, this book follows Hicks as he ventures to the North Shore, the Iron Range, the Southwest, and even Up North in the dead of winter. As he travels the back roads of the state, he visits the Mayo Clinic, the SPAM Museum, ancient petroglyphs, the US Hockey Hall of Fame, the birthplace of Minnesota Public Radio, a world-class aviation museum hidden on the prairie, a lost forest, the humble start of the Mississippi River, and other stops along the way that are both surprising and intriguing.
Through conversations with people on his travels, Greater Minnesota brings the reader along as he searches for what it means to be a Minnesotan.
In the tradition of Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux, Greater Minnesota is an account of Hicks's discoveries. Half travelogue, half history, and fully delightful in its exploration of new places and people, this book follows Hicks as he ventures to the North Shore, the Iron Range, the Southwest, and even Up North in the dead of winter. As he travels the back roads of the state, he visits the Mayo Clinic, the SPAM Museum, ancient petroglyphs, the US Hockey Hall of Fame, the birthplace of Minnesota Public Radio, a world-class aviation museum hidden on the prairie, a lost forest, the humble start of the Mississippi River, and other stops along the way that are both surprising and intriguing.
Through conversations with people on his travels, Greater Minnesota brings the reader along as he searches for what it means to be a Minnesotan.
Reviews / Votes
"Greater Minnesota had me spellbound about my own home state. I had thought I knew all there was to know. How wrong I was. Patrick Hicks delivers to us a travel book, a compendium of fascinating facts, a mini-memoir, a love letter, a reportorial tour de force, and an ode to the Land of Sky-Blue Waters. All of it wonderfully written, all of it vividly painted in words. What a fine, fine book." - Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried"In Greater Minnesota, Patrick Hicks invites the reader to join him on an enjoyable 6500-mile road trip to various corners of the North Star State. In these fascinating essays, Hicks seamlessly blends history, local legends and lore, interviews, and his own personal insights into a delectable literary hotdish. Whether you're a lifetime Minnesotan or an outsider peering in, you'll find these essays both enlightening and entertaining. Meditative moments on Lake Superior, bustling lumber towns, the sound of a slice of SPAM hitting a frying pan, life-sized state fair princesses sculpted in butter - they're all here. So, hop into the passenger's seat with Patrick at the wheel. You're guaranteed to have a great ride." - Bill Meissner, author of The Wonders of the Little World
"Whether one is a first-time visitor to Minnesota or a long-time resident, this insightful, humorous, and informative volume of one man's journey through Minnesota history and experiences is indispensable. There's a treasure on every page." - J. Ryan Stradal, author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest
"A warmhearted and conversational ode to the Land of Sky-Blue Waters. Those of us who live here will recognize ourselves as easily as we do the places the author has brought to crackling life. Those of us who don't are likely to be inspired to pay a visit. Equal parts travelogue, history, and personal reflection, here's a book with something for everyone. Reading these pages felt like a homecoming. And an homage." - Peter Geye, author of A Lesser Light
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Bloomington, IN
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 152 mm
Width: 229 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
288 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-253-07379-2 (9780253073792)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2025
Indiana University Press
€24.49
Available for download
Person
Patrick Hicks grew up in Stillwater, Minnesota, and is an Irish American novelist, poet, and essayist. After living in Europe for many years, he now lives in the Midwest where he is the Writer-in-Residence at Augustana University as well as a faculty member in the MFA program at the University of Nevada Reno at Lake Tahoe. He is the author of over ten books, including The Commandant of Lubizec and Across the Lake.
Content
From the Land of Sky-Blue Waters
Stillwater
North Shore
Saint John's
The Iron Range
Southwest
Mankato
Up North
Southeast
The Great Minnesota Get-Together
Star of the North
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Stillwater
North Shore
Saint John's
The Iron Range
Southwest
Mankato
Up North
Southeast
The Great Minnesota Get-Together
Star of the North
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Acknowledgments