Five Twin Cities writers talk about children's literature, banning books and barriers for BIPOC writers

Kao Kalia Yang at the East Side Freedom Library Tuesday afternoon. ] AARON LAVINSKY • aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com The real-life bench that is featured in St. Paul author Kao Kalia Yang’s award-winning children’s book, “A Map Into the World,” now has a home in a St. Paul Library. Yang’s elderly neighbor, Bob Schally, would sit on the bench with his wife, Ruth, watching the seasons change. After Ruth died, Kalia’s children connected with Bob in a special way, inspiring her book. After Bob passed away, his family decided to give the bench to Yang — and she in turn gave it to the library so that it can be for the public. We photograph Yang with the bench on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 at the St. Paul Freedom Library in St. Paul, Minn. (Aaron Lavinsky, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)