Local author returns to Area Voices, releases second Gichi Gami book

Robert Saxton spoke with the Area Voices program on December 11 about the publication of Return of the Manitous, the second installment in his Gichi Gami trilogy. The segment described how the series continues the lives of BJ Mackie and his sister Charley, and how the landscapes and communities of northern Minnesota inform Saxton's storytelling. The radio program included an audio segment for listeners, providing an accessible way for local residents to hear the author reflect on craft and place.

Saxton's visit matters to Beltrami County because it ties fiction to community identity. Local settings are more than background in his work, they are part of the narrative fabric that resonates with readers who live, work, and raise families here. For many residents, the author's focus on familiar places can spark conversations about belonging, history, and the lived experience of this region.

Arts events and author appearances also have tangible public health and social equity implications. Cultural engagement supports mental wellbeing, reduces isolation, and strengthens social bonds in rural communities that often face gaps in mental health services. Public radio and community programming offer low cost, widely accessible opportunities for creative participation, especially for people who cannot easily travel to urban cultural centers. Supporting those outlets helps sustain a form of community infrastructure that complements clinical services and civic supports.

There are policy choices linked to this kind of local cultural work. Investments in library collections, local bookstores, community radio, and school literacy programs expand access to literature and conversation. Ensuring that programming reaches people across Beltrami County, including those with limited transportation or income, advances equity and keeps community stories alive.

For Bemidji area readers and listeners, Saxton's appearance is an invitation to engage, to discuss narrative ties to place, and to consider how local arts contribute to collective wellbeing. The author and his work present an opening for neighborhood book groups, library events, and classroom conversations that center regional voices and foster stronger community connections.