Spirit of Place: Literature of the Land and Sea

Nine national and regional award-winning authors will be featured in the third annual Washington Island Literary Festival, Sept. 18-20, hosted by the Trueblood Performing Arts Center.

With the theme of “Spirit of Place: Literature of the Land and Sea,” the three-day festival will feature workshops with authors, readings in the Rock Island boathouse, a dinner at the Historic Island Dairy, a Friday night reception in the Farm Museum’s barn, and a nature walk with outdoor poetry readings around Little Lake.

“We are proud to offer such a distinguished line-up of non-fiction and fiction writers, essayists and poets in such interesting venues,” said Elizabeth Wallman, event co-chair. “By focusing on the significance of place in writing, we have put together an exciting festival that will inspire a wide range of readers and writers. The intimacy of our venues allow for many opportunities for one-on-one discussions with the presenters.”

The keynote speaker is Hampton Sides, editor-at-large of Outside magazine and author of the recently published book, In the Kingdom of Ice. Other authors and their most recent book include Anne-Marie Oomen, Love, Sex, and 4-H; Alice D’Alessio, A Blessing of Trees; Lin Enger, The High Divide; John Hildebrand, The Heart of Things: A Midwestern Almanac; Kevin Miyazaki, Perimeter: A Contemporary Portrait of Lake Michigan; Don Kilpela, So You Want to Own an Oil Tanker; Danielle Sosin, The Long-Shining Waters; and Peter Geye, The Lighthouse Road.

Attendees may register by going to the Trueblood Performing Arts Center website, TruebloodPAC.com. Early registration is $75 (through Sept. 1) and $90 for regular registration. Workshops require an additional fee.