Nokomis area mailman writes his 15-year memoir

by Audra Otto

Do you recognize this man as your mail carrier without the uniform? Vincent Wcykoff s book about his experiences on his route has just been published and he will hold several book signings around the Twin Cities.

Our mail carriers come to our houses six days a week. Although we depend on them, we don't often get to know the men and women in control of our valuable personal letters, magazines and yes, bills.
A mail carrier in the Nokomis area, Vincent Wyckoff, was with a group of friends a while back, playing a game of "What would you do if you could do anything you wanted?" Wyckoff said he would be a writer, and family members encouraged him to go for that dream.

So Wyckoff wrote his memoir, "Beware of Cat: And Other Encounters of a Letter Carrier,"which reveals the person behind the uniform through a series of touching and humorous tales from his 15 years as a mail carrier in South Minneapolis, where he and his wife raised their three children.
Published by Borealis Books in St. Paul, "Beware of Cat" is Wyckoff's first book.
"While it's possible to learn many details of people's lives from the mail they receive, most of what I've discovered has come from talking to people," . Wyckoff says. "Walk through someone's life once a day, year after year, and you're bound to learn a few things."

Wyckoff launches his book tour on the evening of March 22 with a reading, followed by a book signing and reception. Information for the book launch and for additional readings and signings is given below.

•Thursday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Lyndale United Church of Christ, 810 West 31st St., (Lake & Lyndale) Mpls. 612-822-4611
•Wednesday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, Har Mar Mall, 2100 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul. 651 -639-9256
•Saturday, April 7 at 1 p.m. at Nokomis Library, 5100 34th Ave. S., Mpls. 672-630-6701