A Porch Sofa Almanac

by Peter Smith

For Peter Smith, the assignment from Minnesota Public Radio was simple: try to do something about Minnesota. So he began exploring the simple, everyday Minnesota things he came across and sharing them with listeners each Tuesday morning. The result is a hilarious, often wry, and always remarkable portrait of everyday life in the Land of 10,000 Lakes that will resonate with Minnesotans from the state's biggest cities to its smallest towns.

A Porch Sofa Almanac is the first collection of Smith's essays for MPR-stories that keep close to the ground and reflect on the common experiences of being a Minnesotan. Small-town football, stacks of Hudson Bay blankets in an antique store, ice fishing, and even those soggy gloves that emerge from melting snowbanks each spring. Following the calendar year, Smith's reflections are the perfect season-by-season companion for that chair by the fireplace, a bench by the campfire, a seat on the bus or train-or, of course, a porch sofa.

A Porch Sofa Almanac ultimately casts Minnesota in a wholly unique light. As Smith writes, "The entire state comes across as some wonderful, slightly quirky treasure unearthed at a church basement rummage sale." Much loved-perhaps a little rough around the edges-and absolutely ready to be shared.

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 2010

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Ryan Mac]

I enjoyed reading these essays from Peter Smith, some of which I remember hearing on Minnesota Public Radio. I would have preferred an audiobook of him reading the essays but it was still good. I heard his voice in my head as I was reading them.

[Kristin]

The title of this book attracted me--A Porch Sofa Almanac. I love a title that conjures up some good imagery and also manages to be descriptive. The title previews the playful tone of the book's contents, while also showing the reader a glimpse into to the unique nature of its meditations.

Meeting the almanac criterion, entries are organized by month, walking us through a Minnesotan's perspective on the seasons. We have everything from way-too-happy Packer's fans and Hudson's Bay blankets to homegrown tomatoes and sad little fiberglass boats for sale.

Each piece is only 2-3 pages long, which is a perfect break without requiring undue commitment. I found myself looking forward to a few insights and smiles each evening. Thank you Mr. Smith! I may even be re-reading this one.

[Julie M]

I liked Smith's short pieces on MPR better than reading them in a collection.

[CAG_1337]

Meh...This is a collection very short (2 page) essays meant to be funny, I guess. Maybe these would have worked as radio bits on NPR, but they didn't work as reading material.