Oleb Books Set to Release “Voices of Resilience"

Continued fear and uncertainty, economic disruption and disbelief. These are just a few of the lingering effects of the federal immigration crackdown that happened in Minnesota in late 2025 and early 2026.

Most of the 3,000 agents that descended on the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes to round up those the President of the United States called “The worst of the worst" are gone, but it will be a long time before what they did in Minnesota is forgotten. Recognizing the power that storytelling about the situation will have in the future, Metro State University Writing Professor Belo Cipriani put out the call to Metro students to submit stories for an anthology he wanted to publish.

More than 216 works of memoir, poetry and fiction were submitted. A total of 31 submissions were eventually selected for the book “Voices of Resilience,” which officially launches on Saturday, April 11, 2026, during a book launch party on the Metro State University campus in St. Paul.

The event will be held at (Metro State Library/Eco Lab room 302), which is located at (645 7th Street East St. Paul, MN 55106). Beginning at 1 p.m., there will be a reading by authors from the anthology followed by a discussion panel composed of the authors.

Of the 31 authors, all are current Metro State students enrolled in either undergraduate or graduate studies. Also, many of the authors identify as having a disability. People may attend the book reading via Zoom by visiting Hautedish.metrostate.edu

About the Publisher

Dr. Belo Miguel Cipriani is a Metro State writing professor and the founder of Oleb Books, a St. Louis Park-based publishing house for writers with disabilities. Since its founding in 2018, the company has released six books by and about people with disabilities.

Oleb Books’ latest title is the anthology, “Voices of Resilience.” The book features 31 stories written by college students about what they experienced during the federal government’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota.

In 2024, Oleb Books released “Accessing Parenthood: Stories by and About Parents with Disabilities,” which includes nine stories about growing up with invisible disabilities, what it’s like to parent a child from a wheelchair or when you are deaf, and what happens when the tables are turned and one’s parent can no longer care for him or herself and needs help from an adult child.

Oleb Books has also published “Managing Digital Inclusion: A Case Study” by Belo Miguel Cipriani. The book examines the misconceptions other companies have about the true meaning of digital inclusion and the barriers some small companies face when it comes to wanting to comply with the law. It also provides recommendations for small business owners, technology companies, designers, policy makers, and research institutions on how to do a better job serving people with disabilities.

“Face Up: A Collection of Outlaw Poems” by Suzanne Nielsen, explores recurrent themes of physical illness, depression, and addiction as the author demonstrates self-awareness gleaned from a life lived fully. The poetry volume won the 2021 Oleb Books Poetry Prize.

“Firsts: Coming of Age Stories by People with Disabilities,” is an anthology that shares the authors’ first adventures, their first heartbreaks, and the first time the unexpected treaded into their lives. From body transformations to social setbacks, to love affairs and family trauma,
“Firsts” collects the most thought-provoking and exciting stories of our time by people with disabilities.

“Blind: A Memoir” by Belo Miguel Cipriani chronicles the two years immediately following the assault that claimed his sight. At the age of 26, Cipriani found himself learning to walk, cook and date in the dark. Armed with visual memory and his newly developed senses, Cipriani shows readers what the blind see. He narrates the little-known world of the blind, where microwaves, watches and computers talk, and where guide dogs guard as well as lead.

For more information about Oleb Books and any of the publishing company’s titles and authors, please visit the Oleb Books website at Olebbooks.com or email info@olebbooks.com.

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