Join author and editor Keith Lesmeister as he shares rural stories with unique perspectives. Using The EastOver Anthology of Rural Stories: Writers of Color, Keith will discuss the art and sweat of creating an anthology and will share his broad experience as a writer, editor, and publisher living in Decorah, Iowa.
Marcy West, the former executive director of the KVR, reads from her book, which introduces the magnificent Kickapoo Valley Reserve and provides a fascinating overview of how this amazing property is permanently protected through a unique agreement with the Ho-Chunk Nation and the State of Wisconsin.
Children’s author and journalist Dean Robbins presents an entertaining and inspiring multimedia program based on his picture-book biographies You Are a Star, Martin Luther King, Jr., The Fastest Drummer: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith!, The Shape of Things: How Mapmakers Picture Our World, and The Fastest Girl on Earth!: Meet Kitty O’Neil, Daredevil Driver. Emphasizing audience participation, Robbins helps kids understand how they can become real-life heroes themselves.
Tom Mosgaller, co-author of Pulling Together: A Handbook for Community Change, shares success stories from Southwest Wisconsin featured in this essay collection and explains the framework needed to guide people in the process of community change. The book captures the stories and lesson learned by real people seeking positive change in their communities, and gives inspiration and practical guidance to get things done while being an antidote to the politics of polarization that pull us apart. Pastor Michele Engh of Viroqua, one of the storytellers featured in the book, will also share her story.
Join author and Driftless Area farm boy Brian Reisinger for a discussion of his book on the economic and cultural crisis that is threatening our very food supply. Land Rich, Cash Poor is the critically acclaimed untold history of the disappearing American farmer that has started a national conversation about our food, economic security, environment, health, and more. Called “an anthem to the family farm in America” by the AP Book Review, Land Rich, Cash Poor weaves the hidden history driving this crisis with the author’s own family’s four-generation fight for survival on their Wisconsin farm. Reisinger reveals the truth about the challenges facing family farms in Wisconsin and across the country—and how to chart a brighter future.
Maggie Ginsberg will read from her debut novel, Still True, winner of the Wisconsin Library Association's 2023 Literary Award for Fiction. She'll talk about how nearly twenty years of working in journalism informs her fiction and helps her create characters and places that feel real—and why that matters.
Ian and Elisabeth Baird perform a dramatization of a beloved children’s classic.
Long before modern Dark Sky initiatives, some Driftless area residents resisted the electric lights that would ruin their nighttime freedom and ease among shadows. Using the essay “Night Vision” from Shelter and Storm: At Home in the Driftless, Tamara Dean explores rural electrification and night vision technology through the stories of nonconformists who over the past century have embraced or sought to conquer the darkness.
Women have long been left out of orchid history. This talk will take you around the world in search of beautiful flowers and powerful women throughout time.
Drawing from his new essay collection, author and journalist Dean Robbins offers a unique perspective on legendary figures with often surprising connections to Wisconsin, including the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jackie Robinson, and Oprah Winfrey. With revelatory anecdotes, humorous details, and poignant storytelling, Robbins establishes Wisconsin as a notably influential state: a crossroads for people who changed the world.
Ian and Elisabeth Baird perform a dramatization of a beloved children’s classic.
Join author Amy Pease as she discusses her gripping debut novel, Northwoods, a layered mystery that explores how far people will go to protect the ones they love. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Wisconsin's lake country, the story follows a troubled sheriff's deputy investigating the death of a teenage boy, while confronting his own demons from military service. Pease will share her journey crafting this emotionally resonant thriller, including how she developed its rich cast of characters, built suspense across multiple timelines, and tackled sensitive themes like PTSD, addiction, and family trauma. She'll discuss how setting plays a crucial role in mystery writing and how she used the stark beauty and isolation of the Northwoods to amplify the story's mood and themes. Join us for an engaging conversation about writing, redemption, and finding light in dark places.