Culture, craft, and ecology of the Northland. Funded by the University of Minnesota Imagine Fund for Arts, Humanities, and Design. https://bookofthenorth.carrd.co/https://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3mihlf25s5k25From last week, Dr. Twu and our partners at the Duluth Fiber Guild, teaching how to spin fibers into usable material!01 Apr 2026 20:57 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3mihlf25s5k25https://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3mgbd2udtn22aBefore speaking at UMD, Dr. Alex Korte stopped into one of Dr. Twu’s classes to talk about and show off some deer hides and their use in parchments! Additionally, Dr. Twu showed how to make quills ready for writing.04 Mar 2026 22:22 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgbd2udtn22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3mfkm72lask2eLast month, Dr. Twu gathered UMD students and members of the community for a workshop about Bookbinding! Participants learned the techniques of binding and even brought home a notebook of their own making!23 Feb 2026 21:34 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfkm72lask2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3mf63iw23fk2hFor the next few weeks, a display on the fourth floor of the Kathryn A. Martin Library at UMD will host items and information about the Book of The North! Be sure to check in on the progress our amazing team and community has already done, here at these displays!18 Feb 2026 22:04 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3mf63iw23fk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3meytoyxji22oThursday next week, UMD will welcome esteemed ecologist and creator of HARK! Handmade Paper to speak on her decades long experiences as a papermaker. Her contributions to the Book of The North are invaluable, a testament to the power of community that without, the project would not be possible.16 Feb 2026 20:00 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3meytoyxji22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3mem3bmx2kk2yWe are proud to announce that UMD’s own Dr. Krista Sue-Lo Twu (Associate Professor, English, Linguistics & Writing Studies), has been selected as the 2026 recipient of The Medieval Academy of America’s CARA award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.11 Feb 2026 18:12 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3mem3bmx2kk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3me2xa2whek2hEnvelopes weren’t mass produced until the 1840s, so before that, a variety of letterlocks were used to keep the contents of a message private. The paper would be folded almost like origami, and once the seal and paper were opened, it would be impossible reseal the same way.04 Feb 2026 22:44 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3me2xa2whek2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3matef3lasc2fFlax for its fibers Milkweed in the paper Oak Galls with the iron Buckthorn in the ink Walnuts just the shells Wool to pad the box Hematite plus the galls Beeswax in the binding Tansy a pretty yellow Ink of many colors And with Quills as the pen Book of The North will be complete! Happy Holidays!25 Dec 2025 18:02 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3matef3lasc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3mam67hjo7k2xEverything is done by hand on the Book of The North, like stripping milkweed fibers for the paper making process! #minnesota #flax #flaxseed #book #medievalstudies22 Dec 2025 21:23 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3mam67hjo7k2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3ma2hvr4o5c2qSome experiments with ink, finding which colors and which materials to use. We print books by the millions today but recreating the ancient methods of book craft requires careful consideration for every aspect!15 Dec 2025 20:29 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma2hvr4o5c2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m7tari46rc2zAs another wonderful semester comes to an end here at UMD, we’d like to take a moment to congratulate all of the students, faculty, and staff on another amazing year. Starting the 25th, we’ll be having a very fun daily post running for over a week, stay tuned!12 Dec 2025 23:33 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7tari46rc2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m6ifgl225c24On any given day at UMD, you’ll find students learning, professors teaching…and Dr. Twu carding wool in their down time! Work on the Book of The North is constant, even as we head into these colder months! #minnesota #minnesotan #uofm #umd #umdcahss #education #nature #flax #flaxseed #umdbulldogs25 Nov 2025 22:31 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6ifgl225c24https://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m5wcp5jtc22bAn important method of making ink from the 2nd century BCE to the 1800s used oak galls as an ingredient. We’ve started some blogs about ink! Learn how to make ink yourself in a recipe, everything can be find in our bio and story!18 Nov 2025 17:55 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5wcp5jtc22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m5hogwutx22oFlax, flax, flax! Last month was our flax day! Volunteers and members of the team were out in the autumn sun, working the flax from the retted fibers into the usable, soft fibers that will be critical in crafting the Book of The North.12 Nov 2025 22:15 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5hogwutx22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m52zaca4p22dLapis Lazuli, Iron Oxide, Walnuts, Oak Galls, more photos from our ink making workshop last month! So many different and strange materials go into the Book of The North, there’s too many to count!07 Nov 2025 21:23 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m52zaca4p22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m4vsy6xaic2uOctober was an incredible month for the Book of The North! Our team and community harvested nettles and flax, learned to make ink out of all sorts of things, wrote beautiful scripts in medieval styles, but most importantly, came together as a community.05 Nov 2025 19:48 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4vsy6xaic2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m4gvbuoapc2tAlongside learning how to make ink, students and parents also had the opportunity this month to attend a workshop on medieval calligraphy, with our very own Dr. Twu!30 Oct 2025 21:19 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4gvbuoapc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m474mfcev22pEarlier this month, some volunteers gathered to harvest oak galls for the Book of The North! Though the leaves here in northern Minnesota have changed and are falling, the day was green and beautiful. These galls will be used in some of the ink that will be in the book.27 Oct 2025 19:09 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m474mfcev22phttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m3sn2ivqtc2mMarked by a wide variety of usage and style, Italic scripts such as Cancelleresca (Chancery) and Mercantesca (Merchant) developed in 14th century Italy for use among merchants, notaries, and public servants. The last of our font blog posts in now live! https://www.bookofthenorth.com/post/cancelleresca-formata-corsiva-italica22 Oct 2025 19:59 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3sn2ivqtc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m3nlsubgnc2kLast Friday, Dr. Elizabeth Hebbard and Dr. Twu gave a very special presentation and workshop on the process of medieval ink creation! Thank you to everyone who was able to attend! We are so honored by any and all community participation in this project.20 Oct 2025 19:53 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3nlsubgnc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m3fxfjvags23Walnuts and thorn berries will play a crucial roll in creating the ink for the Book of The North. Last Thursday, we sat down with Dr. Twu to see how it’s made, from the tree to the page. Dr. Twu also did some writing in Bâtarde, a font for use in the book, to test the ink to beautiful results.17 Oct 2025 18:59 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3fxfjvags23https://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m3aqxypxok2eLouise Young lives along the Amnicon River in a Finnish community known as Outer Mongolia and is a Flax expert, ecologist, and fiber artist on the Book of The North! And this Saturday, join Louise and others for Flax Day! https://www.bookofthenorth.com/post/biography-louise-young15 Oct 2025 17:21 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3aqxypxok2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m33zetrjyc2kIn the later middle ages, Bâtarde (also called “Secretary”) originated in the late 13th century for accurate record keeping. Learn the history of the another medieval font in our 4th of 5 blog posts on fonts and writing! www.bookofthenorth.com/post/b%C3%A2... https://www.bookofthenorth.com/post/bâtarde---secretary13 Oct 2025 20:08 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m33zetrjyc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m2pii4idyc2fMy name is Justin Ciletti, and I am one of two student managers of the UMD Land Lab! I study environmental science, and I hope to go to graduate school for soil science to continue my agricultural education. The second biography blog post is live, check it out on our website! Link in bio!08 Oct 2025 20:34 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2pii4idyc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m2mxvbz3f223Friday next week, October 17th! The Book of The North will be hosting two events l, free and open to the public, at the UMD Kathryn A. Martin Library! At 1:00 PM, join Dr. Elizabeth Hebbard in an ink making workshop! At 5:00 PM, learn about the Bayeaux Tapestry, also by Dr. Hebbard! Join us!07 Oct 2025 20:32 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2mxvbz3f223https://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m2cjmgfqhk2uWould you like to know more about the fiber materials and fiber work that will go into the Book of The North? Next Monday, you can join us and learn at the Fiber Guild Studio in West Duluth! The talk will run from 6:30PM - 8:00PM! The address is 2701 W Superior St, Suite 210, Duluth, MN. Join us!03 Oct 2025 16:50 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2cjmgfqhk2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m2cioclics2vApologies, a correction on this post, nettles will be used for creating the paper for the Book of The North! [contains quote post or other embedded content]03 Oct 2025 16:33 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m2cioclics2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3m25jwaet5c2cMy name is Abby Magruder and I am a senior at UMD finishing a B.S. in Biology. I have been working at the Land Lab for 2 years and this year I co-managed the farm! The first of many biography blog posts is now live, as is the official Book of The North website! https://www.bookofthenorth.com/post/biography-abby-magruder01 Oct 2025 17:12 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3m25jwaet5c2chttps://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3lzyshb6o7223The milkweed is growing out of control! Mark your calendars, next week, Wednesday, October 8th, the UMD Landlab will be hosting a milkweed harvesting event that is open to everyone! That includes you! The event will run from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM. The address is 3568 Riley Rd, Duluth, MN, 55803!29 Sep 2025 20:01 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzyshb6o7223https://bsky.app/profile/bookofthenorth.bsky.social/post/3lzr22igm222xFrom our very own Dr. Twu, some lessons on flax fibers and processing. These fibers will play a critical role in the crafting of the Book of The North. Using medieval techniques, flax and many other natural materials will be used in to create this symbol of Minnesotan culture and ecology.26 Sep 2025 17:56 +0000at://did:plc:mphcchsqb65i6xs3stepifie/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzr22igm222x