English Department presents: Minnesota Writers Series March 23

March 08, 2017

The Anoka-Ramsey Community College English Department is hosting the Minnesota Writers Series, with guest writer and Minneapolis resident Ryan Berg, author of No House to Call My Home: Love, Family and Other Transgressions, Thursday, March 23, 7 to 8:30 pm.

Minnesota Writers Series
No House to Call My Home: Love, Family and Other Transgressions
Ryan Berg
Thursday, March 23
7 to 8:30 pm
Cambridge Campus Rm G202
The event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

In No House to Call My Home, Berg immerses readers in the gritty, dangerous and shockingly underreported world of homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (and/or questioning (LGBTQ) teens in New York. As a caseworker in a group home for disowned LGBTQ teenagers, Berg witnessed the struggles, fears and ambitions of these disconnected teens as they resisted the pull of the street, tottering between destruction and survival.

No House to Call My Home won the 2016 Minnesota Book Award in General Nonfiction and the 2016 NCCD Media for a Just Society Award. 

One of the main themes of No House to Call My Home is that families and communities too often reject those who struggle with issues of sexuality and gender-identity. According to English Faculty William Breen, having Berg on the Cambridge Campus gives the college an opportunity to provide support and to create conversation around these issues.

“Not only is Ryan Berg a strong advocate for LGBTQ and homeless youth, but he’s also a brilliant writer,” said Breen. “In No House to Call My Home, he presents powerful, real life stories and compelling characters we can’t help but care for. The book is raw, heartbreaking and beautiful. I look forward to hearing him talk about his craft and the writing process.”

Berg is a writer, activist and program manager for the ConneQT Host Home Program of Avenues for Homeless Youth. He’s received the New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship in Nonfiction Literature and was a Lambda Literary Foundation Emerging Writer’s Fellow. His work has appeared in Ploughshares, Slate, Salon, The Advocate, Local Knowledge and The Sun. Berg has been awarded artist residencies from The MacDowell Colony and Yaddo.

Next year, 2018, marks the 30^th anniversary of the Minnesota Writers Series on the Cambridge Campus. More information will be available at AnokaRamsey.edu closer to the date.

For more information about Ryan Berg and his novel, visit nohousetocallmyhome.com

For more information about Anoka-Ramsey Community College’s English Department, visit AnokaRamsey.edu/academics/departments-faculty/english/