One Book Northland, a reading project of the Cloquet and Duluth public libraries, is poised to get under way next week. Local business entrepreneur and author Lucie Amundsen's book "Locally Laid: How We Built a Plucky, Industry-Changing Egg Farm-From Scratch" is this year's selection. The book has captured media attention throughout the Upper Midwest and beyond, with Amundsen being interviewed by National Public Radio last year.
Amundsen will speak at noon Thursday, May 4, at Cloquet Public Library and the library’s book club will discuss her book at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 9. She will also speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, at Fitger's in Duluth.
Amundsen and her husband, Jason, are the owners of Locally Laid Egg Company in Wrenshall. The chickens on their small farm are pasture-raised, providing an alternative to commercial eggs. Amundsen's engaging book describes the trials and successes of starting a small business venture and the challenges of day-to-day operation. Alternately funny, suspenseful, informative, caustic, and inspiring, the book has proven to be a readers' favorite.
For those who might wonder how a book about raising chickens happens to be so well written, Amundsen holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in writing from Hamline University. She has also pursued a freelance writing career.
The often humorously related events do not detract from a serious goal: The Amundsens hope to change the way eggs are produced in America. Healthier chickens, the Amundsens say, lay healthier eggs. Their hens and those of partner farmers in Minnesota, Iowa, and Indiana, forage on pasture land, unlike more than 90 percent of U.S. chickens.
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"Locally Laid" was released in paperback from Penguin Random House in February and is available at the library and through interlibrary loan. Copies will be available for purchase at the author's public appearances.
Amundsen's talk at Cloquet Public Library is funded by money from Minnesota's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
