Janet Preus is a writer, playwright, songwriter and theater reviewer. She’s been a teacher of English, speech and theater and directed dozens of plays, musicals and light opera productions.
She’s won national awards for songwriting, and as a reporter and editor, she won state awards in broadcast and print journalism. She lives in her cabin in the north woods, where she’s working on getting up a full production of a new musical, writing short-form pieces, and hiking or skiing in the woods every day she can. "The Thirteenth Crime: The Story of Skewed Justice in Frontier Otter Tail County " is her first book, release in April 2025, Rocket Science Press, Winona, MN.
RECENTLY ... I've enjoyed performing original songs at Open Mics around the area. I had a great time as the featured performer at The Watershed in Walker in August, and hosted the Headwaters Coffee House Open Mic in September. Last winter I participated in a songwriters circle, Loonbird Cafe, at Table for 7, Bemidji with three other singer/songwriters. Memories of Nashville! I'm now preparing, with a wonderful group of theater practitioners and enthusiasts, for a full production of "Water from Snow" in early April 2025 at Rail River Folk School in Bemidji.