Local writers will give Minnesota State Fair a literary flair

It has to be said: For one day, there will be more writers at the Minnesota State Fair than you can shake a stick at.

Wednesday is Read & Ride Day, which begins with reduced admission for anyone who shows a valid library card, and goes on to feature writers, books, comics, poetry, songwriting and other literary activities.

The action will be at Carousel Park (in front of the grandstand), where folks from Rain Taxi Review, SubText Bookstore, and the mystery writers group Sisters in Crime will spend the day along with a host of library-loving volunteers.

The littlest readers can play with Legos and jigsaw puzzles, collect free bookmarks (designs change every hour), traverse an obstacle course and win free copies of "Moo!," by Minnesotans David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka.

Older readers can chat with more than a dozen mystery writers, including Susan Koefod, Erin Hart, Allen Eskens, Kristi Belcamino and Tom Combs. (They're from Sisters in Crime, which clearly has been infiltrated by some brothers.)

Rain Taxi Review has a full day of activities planned, from poetry writing at 9 a.m. with John Colburn to poetry tarot at noon with Paula Cisewski to songwriting, collaborative comic book-writing, and animal poetics. Writer and hip-hop artist Dessa will autograph her Rain Taxi chapbook, "A Pound of Steam," from 1 to 2 p.m.

Folks from the Minnesota Book Awards will be there, too, and will invite fairgoers to suggest names to add to an interactive online map of Minnesota writers.

Laurie Hertzel • 612-673-7302