Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann (Johnson) Nelson
Minnesota-based Humorists and Authors
These two 100 percent
Norwegian-Lutheran farm girls present programs -- together or
individually -- for churches, civic organizations, farm associations,
festivals,
Sons of Norway lodges, and any other group they think sounds decent.
After performing for three weeks at the Medora Musical
in 1998, their popularity moved beyond the Upper Midwest and now they
entertain from Washington DC on the East Coast to Washington State on
the West Coast. When they perform together they are known as Those
Lutheran Ladies. Performances by these middle-aged women are
heartwarming and nostalgic but also very, very funny. The basic theme
in their programs is that of growing up Scandinavian-Lutheran in
Midwestern farming communities
in the '50s. This same theme is carried out in the nine books they have
co-authored and published.
Janet Letnes Martin and Suzann Nelson met at Augsburg College during
Freshman Week of 1964, two farm girls transplanted into the heart of
Sin City to attend a Norwegian-Lutheran College. They found themselves
surrounded by hippies and heathens, pizza parlors and neon lights, and
all sorts of riffraff.
Until they moved away to college the only noises
interrupting their peaceful and tranquil lives were church bells once a
week, combines during harvest, roosters crowing way too early in the
morning, the noon whistle from town and the nightly whistle of
the Great Northern speeding through
town. Martin is a native of Hillsboro, ND and Nelson grew up at
Evansville, MN. They both attended Our Savior's Lutheran Church, in
different states. Both
had grown up in quiet Norwegian-Lutheran communities feasting on
wholesome, bulky white foods: Cream and Bread, Cream Peas on Toast, Glorified Rice, and
lutefisk, lefse, rømmegrøt, potet
klubb, and anything made with their favorite ingredient, lard!
At first they had a hard time finding these
foods at college but once they did, they discovered that these white,
bulky foods were good bonding agents and they have been friends ever
since. Whenever they get together a coffee pot and computer are close
by, and they have lots of ideas for more books
and products "in the hopper."
In 1998 they were awarded the Minnesota Book
Award for Humor and an independent publishers' award for "Growing Up
Lutheran."
A musical comedy, Church Basement
Ladies, based on this book opened in the Twin Cities September,
2005 and will run through December, 2006.
Martin and Nelson plan to
continue writing books, designing more humorous products, (see Cloth Stuff) and
performing until lumbago sets in and their daughters say, "Enough's
enough, then!" and put them in a home.
Attention Sons of Norway members: Check out the August 2007 issue of Viking Magazine for a feature article on 'Those Lutheran Ladies'. On the magazine cover are two confirmands and the girl with the stars coming out of her stomach is Suzann Nelson, co-author of many books and owner of this web site.
Speaking Information
For
many years Suzann and Janet have given programs individually and
together. When performing together they are known as 'Those
Lutheran
Ladies." For the time being, Suzann is taking a moratorium from
speaking engagements and program performances. Janet, however,
continues to travel throughout the states giving humorous programs
based on growing up Norwegian Lutheran on a farm in the Midwest. To
obtain information about booking Janet for a program, email her
at lutheranladies@aol.com or
phone her at 651-437-3179.
communities
in the '50s. This same theme is carried out in the nine books they have
co-authored and published. 