"Price of adoption: $65Price of emergency vet in Golden Valley: $1,200Price of UMN Vet Hospital and intensive care: $3,600Price of having Minnesota's second-best folk singer take me out at 6 a.m.and hold me up while I poop: “Priceless!”"Merry Christmas, your $5,000 alarm clock, Blackie"P.S. And yes, maybe I picked you."

The late author's previously-unpublished memoir was "gently edited" by his former student and longtime friend, author Will Weaver

“I was full of hate, poison, and I wanted to spit it out.” ~ Mauricio Lasansky

"Like the love of manoomin, it's not a story that can be told by just one person."

"If we don't actually understand the people behind the statistics, how can we make change? How can we build empathy? How can we create a community of people who love and care for each other?"

"The idea drives up and it's like, 'Get in the car. Don't worry about it; I'm driving.' With this book, I definitely felt I was in the trunk."

"Imagine your child as a swarm of bees"

"What is it I'm claiming or belonging to?"

"We're still writing, singing, creating — and we have been, for a long time."