Presented by Magers & Quinn Booksellers
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
6 pm Doors + Music by AirLands // 7 pm Event with Q&A moderated by Allison Kaplan + book signing
All Ages
$15 ($20. 21 w. taxes/fees) Advance General Admission (event admission only)
$20 ($23 w. taxes/fees) At The Door General Admission
$45 ($55.38 w. taxes/fees) Advance General Admission (includes a copy of How I Found Myself in the Midwest)
Ticket purchases are final and non-refundable
Facebook RSVP
A conversation about Steve Grove’s debut memoir, moderated by Allison Kaplan, followed by a book signing.
How I Found Myself in the Midwest: A Memoir of Reinvention is a passionate testimony to the power of moving forward by going back home, written by a Midwestern native who shares hope in going local.
Come when doors open to enjoy live music by local indie rockers AirLands!
A passionate testimony to the power of moving forward by going back home, a Midwestern native shares hope in going local.
“A must-read book about finding meaning and purpose in your own backyard.”
—Katie Couric
Just after turning forty, Steve Grove left Silicon Valley as a Google executive to move to his home state of Minnesota with his wife and fellow tech exec, Mary Grove, and their one-year-old twins. Gone from the Midwest for two decades, Grove returned home with fresh eyes. Yearning to put down new roots, he traded his career at Google for a position in state government with Governor Tim Walz. Far from working at a fast-paced tech company, Grove’s shift to leading a large government bureaucracy brought a sequence of struggles and triumphs vividly portrayed with both humor and affection.
But this story of reinvention takes on new urgency when crisis strikes, as the coronavirus pandemic and the tragic murder of George Floyd unfolds just miles from his newfound home, thrusting Grove’s work into an unexpected spotlight. Tasked with distributing billions in aid, rolling out pandemic restrictions, redeveloping neighborhoods, and navigating deep divisions in a state long proud of its exceptionalism, Grove’s journey through crisis brings new insights about himself and his new community. His experiences of the political, geographic, and racial divisions in his home state yield surprising discoveries about what also binds us together.
From making new friends and building a family to reconciling with his past and exploring his faith, Grove’s journey to find purpose by going local provides a roadmap for anyone looking to discover what gives meaning to their life. Along the way, Grove shares insights about a part of the country that many people ignore at their peril, and why he is optimistic about America’s future. How I Found Myself in the Midwest will move and inspire you, no matter where you choose to call home.
Steve Grove is CEO and publisher of the Minnesota Star Tribune. Previously, he was Minnesota’s commissioner of employment and economic development. Before moving back to his home state, Grove built a career in Silicon Valley as an executive at Google and YouTube, most recently as the founding director of the Google News Lab and previously as YouTube’s first head of news and politics. A graduate of Claremont McKenna College with a master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School, Grove also worked as a journalist for The Boston Globe, ABC News, and the Northfield News, his hometown newspaper, and has served as an advisor to the White House and State Department on counterterrorism strategy. Steve and his wife Mary are the cofounders of Silicon North Stars, a nonprofit that helps underserved youth find career pathways in technology. They are the proud parents of eight-year-old twins, a yellow lab, and two farm cats. For more information visit, stevegrove.com.
Allison (Ali) Kaplan is vice president of content for MSP Communications’ Cities Media Group, which includes Twin Cities Business, where she serves as editor in chief. In this dual role, Ali oversees digital strategy and new initiatives for both TCB and sister publication MplsSt.Paul Magazine. She leads the Twin Cities Business editorial team, including print and events. Ali hosts a TCB podcast about business leadership and innovation called By All Means. She also hosts Shop Girls, a radio show/podcast on myTalk 107.1 and is the co-founder of Mother Of, a digital platform for mothers of the bride and groom. Ali is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She now serves on the school’s Board of Visitors.
AirLands is the ongoing project of Minneapolis singer-songwriter Kevin Calaba, accompanied by a rotating collective of inspiring Minneapolis musicians. Blending indie rock and space folk, AirLands draws on influences like Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, The National, and Radiohead to craft a sound that’s as introspective as it is expansive — sometimes off-kilter, other times reaching far into the unknown.
Live shows feature an all-star lineup: Scott McPherson on drums (Mason Jennings, Elliott Smith), Eric Julio Carranza on guitar (Jest, Molly Brandt, PRINTS), Dan Lawonn on bass (Jeremy Messersmith), and Dean Sabinski (Red Lovely) on synths. Together, they create a sonic journey that might not always return to where it began, AirLands has just released Strange Beast, a new record co-produced with Brett Bullion. Current obsessions: Princeton Offense, Christmas jazz chords, Timberwolves basketball, perfect song sheets, Vibranium, deceleration, an Oasis reunion (car crash or not), and Christian Lee Hutson’s Paradise Pop.
