For Immediate Release…
Contact: Victor Volkman
(734) 417-4266
President@UPPAA.org
www.UPPAA.org
Reading local authors has great informational and educational value and contributes toward cultural enrichment. Continuing into their second year of book selections, the U.P. Notable Books Club is hosting a series of discussions with authors of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to engage community members with local authors. All residents of the U.P. are invited to participate with no cost or obligation. To date, 15 authors have already appeared in the program and many of their appearances can be seen on the http://video.UPPAA.org channel.
From June 9, 2021 to January 12, 2023, eight additional authors will do Zoom talks with readers, both revealing new background details as well as answering reader questions about their work. Readers can buy these eight books, or check them out from their local library in order to discuss with the authors. Many are available in eBook editions at the Great Lakes Digital Library thanks to the efforts of Superiorland Library Co-op. Authors participating in year three will include
- Ellen Airgood — “Tin Camp Road”
- Joanna Walitalo — “Woodburnings: .Highlights from the First Five Years “
- Phil Bellfy — ” U.P. Colony: The Story of Resource Exploitation in Upper Michigan”
- Raymond Luczak — “Once Upon a Twin: Poems”
- Terri Martin — “The Home Wind”
- Karen Dionne — “The Wicked Sister”
- Carole Hare — “Legend of Kitchi-iti-kipi”
- Sharon Kennedy — “The Sideroad Kids: Tales from Chippewa County “
The complete event schedule is available online at www.UPNotable.com, click on the “Join Book Club” button
“What inspires me the most about our club is the positive feedback from Local Authors and Patrons alike,” says Evelyn Gathu, Director of the Crystal Falls District Community Library, who is the creator and organizer of the club. “After every book club meeting we have, I get emails from patrons thanking me for creating the club.” She tells that the library circulation has definitely increased because of the book club, indicating an increased love of reading the works of local authors in the community.
UP Notable Books Club authors: Karen Dionne, Phil Bellfy, and Sharon M, Kennedy
Why local authors are less read, on the whole, than those widely publicized in mainstream media seems a matter of presumption or prejudgment. And Gathu agrees: “I think some people do not believe that books written by local authors are as good as those produced nationally, and this book club is really helping to deflate that stigma!” She tells that she had read in the local paper that the first ever U.P. Notable Books List was created by the editors of the U.P. Reader and UPPAA (Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association). This led her to contact UPPAA President, Victor R. Volkman, and he was thrilled with the idea of local authors interacting with the readers in the community. More information about the U.P. Notable Book list, U.P. Book Review, and UPPAA can be found at www.UPNotable.com
About the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA)
Established in 1998 to support authors and publishers who live in or write about Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, UPPAA is a Michigan nonprofit association with more than 100 members, many of whose books are featured on the organization’s website at www.uppaa.org. UPPAA welcomes membership and participation from anyone with a UP connection who is interested in writing and publishing books.
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