Prairie Lights

Native Iowan and Iowa Writers’ Workshop alum Charles Holdefer will read from his novel, Don’t Look at Me.  “Don’t Look at Me is a literary mystery, a journey of discovery, and a testament to the power of art. Witty, lyrical, and wise, this ​is one of the most entertaining novels of this—or any—year.” —Curtis Smith,

Pushcart Prizewinner Charles Holdefer is the author Don’t Look at Me, Bring Me the Head of Mr. Boots, George Saunders’ Pastoralia: Bookmarked (nonfiction), Magic Even You Can Do and The Contractor, which was an ABA “Book Sense Pick” and was translated into several languages. His short fiction has appeared in the New England Review, North American Review, Chicago Quarterly Review, and Litro. His other books include (fiction hybrid). He has taught at the University of Poitiers, in France, for many years, and is now based in Brussels.

Former Wisconsin Poet Laureate Max Garland will read from his poems of grace, resilience, and healing remembrance; Into the Good World Again. “A new book from Max Garland is always a cause for celebration, and Into the Good World Again delivers all the pleasures that readers expect from this poet—vivid, evocative imagery, musical language, inventive metaphors, and original, striking observations. But these poems are also full of wisdom, something only poets of the first rank–of which Max Garland is one–provide. And the wisdom in this remarkable collection is hard-earned, deeply felt, and often profound.”—Larry Watson

Max Garland’s previous award winning books include The Word We Used for It, The Postal Confessions, and Hunger Wide as Heaven. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Michener Foundation, the Bush Foundation, and inclusion in Best American Short Stories. He is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.