Story Walk: Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer

Library Garden (behind the Bath House) 230 S. Rock Ave., Viroqua, Wisconsin

Stroll through the gardens behind the Bath House (across the street from McIntosh Memorial Library) and read this nature-inspired book, printed on panels for all to enjoy. The Story Walk is open for the duration of the Ridges & Rivers Book Festival.

The Story Walk is sponsored by the McIntosh Memorial Library.

Bush Craft Camp: Ages 0-5

Eckhart Park 499 W. Decker St., Viroqua, WI

Attend a Bush Craft Camp with Annika Mersmann for a ninety-minute storytelling tour through an imaginary day of living like a hunter-gatherer; learn about shelter building, fire making, foraging for food, primitive cooking, hands-on crafts, and much more. Discover how to meet survival needs and thrive while in the bush.

A Year at a Beaver Pond: Observation from One Little Dynamic Ecosystem

Bethel Home 614 S. Rock Ave., Viroqua, WI

Wildlife expert Al Cornell describes his detailed observations of birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, and insects after spending more than four hundred hours in a blind overlooking a beaver pond near La Farge. His book, A Year at a Beaver Pond, includes field notes and thousands of photos that tell the story of this dynamic little ecosystem.

Workshop: The Truth Hurts: On Clawing, Crying, and Crafting Your Way to Your Memoir with B.J. Hollars

Vernon County Museum and History Center 410 S. Center Ave., Viroqua, WI

This event is sold out. If you want to be put on our waiting list, please email ridgesandriversbookfestival@gmail.com.

Memoirist Mary Karr asks, “What would you write if you weren’t afraid?” Implicit in the question is that we’re all afraid of writing something. But what? And why? Join nonfiction writer B.J. Hollars for a conversation on writing within—and through—the complexities of our lives. How can we write toward our deeper truths, even when it hurts to do so? This two-hour interactive workshop will ask participants to engage with a variety of curated writing prompts geared toward crafting the opening pages of a memoir or short essay.

$40.00

Workshop: Writing from a Changing Place with Tamara Dean

McIntosh Memorial Library Program Room 205 S. Rock Ave., Viroqua, WI

Writing can help us reconcile with the changes confronting our favorite places and lead us to new ways of honoring, tending, and sharing those places. This workshop led by Tamara Dean will guide you through depicting a beloved landscape in a vivid, compelling way that will affect your readers deeply. You’ll leave the workshop with a draft that you can develop into a complete story, essay, poem, or longer work about the landscape that speaks to your heart. Open to writers with any level of experience working in any genre, and there will be plenty of time for questions.

$40.00

Bush Craft Camp: Ages 0-17

Eckhart Park 499 W. Decker St., Viroqua, WI

Attend a Bush Craft Camp with Annika Mersmann for a ninety-minute storytelling tour through an imaginary day of living like a hunter-gatherer; learn about shelter building, fire making, foraging for food, primitive cooking, hands-on crafts, and much more. Discover how to meet survival needs and thrive while in the bush.

Learning, Coping, and Surviving as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver

Bethel Home 614 S. Rock Ave., Viroqua, WI

Marty Schreiber will give a conversational presentation on caring for someone with this difficult disease. An audience Q&A will follow. Representatives from the Vernon County Aging and Disability Resource Center will be available to offer information on local resources.

Peace at the Last: Visitation with the Dying

Bethel Home 614 S. Rock Ave., Viroqua, WI

In this workshop, led by Paul Palumbo and Ruth Kittelson, you will experience the liturgy, have time to process that experience in a safely held space and explore the particulars […]

Bush Craft Camp: Ages 6-10 (Elementary School Students)

Eckhart Park 499 W. Decker St., Viroqua, WI

Attend a Bush Craft Camp with Annika Mersmann for a ninety-minute storytelling tour through an imaginary day of living like a hunter-gatherer; learn about shelter building, fire making, foraging for food, primitive cooking, hands-on crafts, and much more. Discover how to meet survival needs and thrive while in the bush.

Connections to Place

The Commons 401 E. Jefferson St., Viroqua, WI

Author Kimberly Blaeser says, “Perhaps artistic desire itself arises from the factors of place.” Join Blaeser and Quan Barry as they read from their work and reflect on their relationship to place and its impact on their writing.

Bush Craft Camp: Ages 11-17 (Middle/High School Students)

Eckhart Park 499 W. Decker St., Viroqua, WI

Attend a Bush Craft Camp with Annika Mersmann for a ninety-minute storytelling tour through an imaginary day of living like a hunter-gatherer; learn about shelter building, fire making, foraging for food, primitive cooking, hands-on crafts, and much more. Discover how to meet survival needs and thrive while in the bush.

An Evening with Spirit

The Historic Temple Theatre 116 S. Main St., Viroqua, WI

Join renowned psychic medium Mollie Morning Star for an unforgettable evening where the guests of honor are your loved ones in Spirit. During this group event, she will connect with random audience members and demonstrate her unique ability to provide evidence of continuing connections to those we love in the afterlife.