Our Peerless Staff

Nadine is an avid reader, especially dedicated to science fiction. She has a master's in Library and Information Science from St Kate's and is passionate about all things related to libraries & bookstores & reading. Born and raised on Madeline Island in Northern Wisconsin, Lake Superior has her heart. She lives in Minneapolis with her overflowing bookshelves and two cats, Pig and Burger.

Halee is a poet and teaching artist in love with wetlands, obscure birds, plants, and public transportation. You may find them supporting (haunting) even more local independent bookstores when not at Birchbark. Their favorite genres include speculative and historical fiction, Queer histories, abstract graphic novels, and poetry of all sizes and shapes. They are enthusiastic about supporting indie presses & global literature! Their favorite part of bookselling is recommending poetry collections to readers who are still skeptical of the genre. They are a first generation descendant of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe.

(Ojibwe) Anthony is a poet/bookseller/enthusiastic reader/alright cook. If you don't catch him working at Birchbark, you might find him around town at a poetry reading or holed up in a cafe writing his angsty goth heart out over a turkey sandwich. He believes the best poems start with a pen and paper. Sometimes he tries to write essays. These attempts are not always successful. He is a first generation descendant of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

Penny is the Receiving Manager at Birchbark Books. She's mostly behind the scenes but loves to talk to customers about what she's reading and listening to on Libro.fm!Outside of Birchbark, Penny loves to cook, hang out with her many pets and DJ Dungeon Synth music .

Nathan has been at Birchbark Books forever. He buys the books, manages the website, and generally handles the tech side of the biz. A denizen of the Northwoods, Nathan prefers to be outside whenever possible. He thrives in winter. He is a lover of music, literature, the dharma, and all the kind people who keep showing up. Also: grateful to be part of this incredible bookstore!

Ray (they/them) delights in crafting and sharing books with friends. When they are not assisting Carolyn at the web art store or selling books at the bookshop, they can be found drawing caricatures at fairs, making protest art, playing DnD, or flourishing outdoors!

(Ottawa) Zoe is an elementary school special educator moonlighting as a bookseller. On the rare occasion she isn’t working, she enjoys completing sudoku puzzles, making beaded earrings, watching reality tv singing competitions, and of course, reading. Come to her for suggestions about the next literary fiction you should read! She lives in St. Paul with her two beautiful and infuriating cats, Max and Chloe.

Tom (pictured right) grew up just outside of Minneapolis, and was a delighted customer of Birchbark for many years before joining the staff. He primarily enjoys fiction, history, and cultural and legal theory, but is always open to suggestions. He is an aspiring dog-owner, and an enthusiastic uncle of eight. 

Carmen is from the Pacific Northwest and has lived in Bde Ota since 2019. A surrealist portrait artist, Carmen draws inspiration from the books she reads - fiction and theory alike - and the macabre world around us. She is a novice taxidermist with over a dozen creature-kin in her ever-growing collection. If you see a girl scavenging dead birds with doggy bags, it is probably her.

Kate juggles our bills and everything else besides.