For thrity-six years, Don Boxmeyer wrote about St. Paul and Minnesota, first as a reporter for the St. Paul Dispatch and St. Paul Pioneer Press, and for two decades as a columnist for the Pioneer Press. During that time, he traversed the city and state and gained an intimate knowledge of its people, places, and traditions. A Knack for Knowing Things brings together in book form the best of his writing and demonstrates his talents as a master storyteller with plain-spoken, intimate prose.

After more than fifteen years of covering hard news,...