A LINDEN HILLS COLLAB

A local  author opted to highlight two Linden Hills locations for the publicity photos being used for the release of her new book – and two neighbors helped her make it happen.

Pallavi Dixit released her debut novel, “EDISON” in June 2024. She grew up in Edison, N.J., attended the University of Pennsylvania and University of Massachusetts, worked in the publishing industry in New York, and settled in Minneapolis after getting married. “My husband thought I would suggest settling down on the East Coast somewhere, but I just loved Minneapolis whenever I visited. And now we never want to leave!” said Dixit. “My husband and I moved to Linden Hills from downtown about 13 years ago, sort of on a whim. We didn’t have kids yet and one Sunday we thought it would be fun to drive around and go to open houses in some of the neighborhoods we were considering for the future. We stumbled upon a house here in Linden Hills and just fell in love with it. We put in an offer that day!”

One day, while writing at Rustica Bakery, Dixit approached a stranger to tell her how impressed she was that the woman was out with her one- and three-year-old children, and shared that she had children about the same age. Kim Richards had recently moved back to Minnesota and was excited to make friends, so they exchanged numbers. “Pallavi was immediately outgoing and positive and continues to be extremely generous with her compliments,” remarked Richards. “Whenever I have a conversation with her, I always leave feeling good about myself.”

“I met Kim about 10 years ago at Rustica Bakery and immediately adored her,” said Dixit. “I’m happy to say we’ve been friends ever since.”

Their kids have been in the same grades at Lake Harriet Lower and Upper, and Anthony Middle School. They have common friends in the neighborhood and also volunteer at the neighborhood-sponsored garden on Beard Avenue.

Richards has a photography background and has taken family pictures for the Dixit family and other friends, so Dixit asked if she might be up for taking her author photos. 

After growing in Sauk Rapids, Richards spent time in Wisconsin, Israel, New Jersey, and DC. She returned to Minnesota so her children could grow up near relatives, and moved into the Linden Hills neighborhood in 2019. “We wanted to be near the lakes, in a traditional neighborhood (think sidewalks, grid blocks, etc.) that is also walkable, and close to schools. We really appreciate the strong community in Linden Hills,” said Richards. “I love knowing my neighbors well, feeling my kids are safe to bike and explore independently, and having so many opportunities to be a part of an active community by volunteering, supporting local businesses, meeting people at parks, attending events, etc.”

She started photography in high school, where she fell in love with developing film and prints in a traditional ‘wet’ darkroom. She worked as a photographer in college and as a young adult for supplemental income with a wide range of experience from newspapers, magazines, weddings, sporting events, and fine art. 

Richards is inspired by plants, flowers and community. She likes street scenes that capture a moment and the botanical details of a flower. She isn’t currently working as a photographer, but would like to return to darkroom and fine art photography in the future. “I love that it’s tactile and challenges creativity with certain restrictions,” said Richards. “I am more immediately interested in combining my professional work in international conservation with local environmental efforts, specifically in schools.”

“She was so generous with her time and energy and went above and beyond to set up a shoot,” stated Dixit. “She thought about which spaces would have the best lighting along with interesting architecture and checked with both venues about availability.”

“Regarding site selection, I always look to local places first, and my top priority for photographs is natural light and simple backgrounds – the library and Rosalia meet both requirements,” said Richards. “I spoke with staff at both prior to our shoot and they were agreeable. We needed to be relatively quiet (very quiet at the library!) and respectful of the spaces, only making minor adjustments to furniture and working around patrons. We ended our shoot with a celebratory meal at Rosalia just as the early lunch crowd was arriving.”

Fellow neighbor Molly Reitsema came along to assist and entertain, making sure Dixit’s hair was behaving, and also taking care of any background-related things that needed fixing. “We had a great time!” said Dixit.

Reitsema and Dixit are block leaders for their section of Beard Ave., and they organize a pretty fun National Night Out event every summer. 

 

Dixit’s book, “EDISON” started with a desire to write something about the town she grew up in, which has an extraordinarily large Indian American population. “It’s kind of an amazing place with tons of Indian grocery stores, jewelry stores, video stores and restaurants in a one-mile stretch of road in this random suburb,” observed Dixit. “But then I had to figure out a plot and characters that would allow me to tell the story of the town, which led me to a Bollywood-inspired romance, peppered with Edison and Bollywood history. The entire process took more than 10 years, which included research, plot outlines, character studies, more research, and experimentation with tone and style – plus time off for having kids!”

The book publisher is Third State Books, an independent house that focuses on amplifying Asian American and Pacific Islander voices. Dixit connected with them after winning the Pages in Progress Prize from the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, of which Third State was a sponsor. 

She has done publicity events at the Barnes & Noble at Greenway Commons (right by Rustica Bakery), along with ones in New Jersey and Pittsburgh.

“I strongly encourage folks to purchase the book,” said Richards. “It’d make a great book club read featuring a local author.”