November 12, 2011, Saturday - Publication Reading: Jill Breckenridge - Miss Priss and the Con Man at The Loft

Time: 7:00pm

Location:  The Loft, 1011 Washington Avenue South

Publication Reading: Jill Breckenridge - Miss Priss and the Con Man

In Miss Priss and the Con Man, published by Nodin Press, noted author Jill Breckenridge tells the story of her charismatic yet wildly unreliable father, whose pursuit of that elusive “big deal” led to financial disaster and a prison term. It’s a tale of silver mines, movie stars, booze and violence, told from the perspective of the little girl who lived through it all. Jill Breckenridge grew up in the West, but now lives and writes in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

She and playwright John Fenn raised a combined family of five children. A former director of The Loft Literary Center, she originated the Mentor Series, a program connecting national and local writers. Jill won the Bluestem Award, judged for her book of poems, How to Be Lucky. Her sequence of poetry and prose about the Civil War, Civil Blood, was published by Milkweed Editions. The book was nominated for the American Library Association’s Notable Books of 1986. Jill’s honors include a Bush Foundation Fellowship, two Minnesota State Arts Board grants and Loft-McKnight Awards in both poetry and prose. Jill holds an MFA in creative writing and a master’s degree in counseling psychology, with an emphasis on creativity.  Literary Punch Card eligible.