U.P. Notable Books Club

Season 6: Episode 5 --The UP Notable Book Club presents J.D. Austin speaking about his book "The Last Huck." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future UP Notable Book Club speakers! For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com www.amazon.com/Last-Huck-J-D-Austin/dp/1615998055 J.D. AUSTIN was raised in St. Louis, Missouri and has been moving gradually north since the age of fourteen. After dropping out of college in November of 2019, he worked as a kayak guide, a wedding server, bar security, lighting designer, stage carpenter, ski technician, and in the nursery department at a Home Depot. His fiction has appeared in The Incandescent Review and U.P. Reader Volume #7. The Last Huck is his first novel and his most recent book What You Find in the Woods is a collection of short stories about the Uppper Midwest.

Season 6: Episode 4 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Sharon M. Brunner speaking about her book "Michigan Indian Boarding School Survivors Speak Out." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future UP Notable Book Club speakers! For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com https://www.amazon.com/Michigan-Indian-Boarding-School-Survivors/dp/1615998020 SHARON M. BRUNNER has worked with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians as an Education/Disabilities Coordinator for the tribal Head Start Program and as an Education Coordinator for the Johnson O'Malley Program. Sharon served as a private consultant for the Department of Health and Human Services as a federal reviewer of tribal Head Start Programs in the U.S. and was a professor for the Bay Mills Community College, a tribal college. As a member of the aforementioned tribe, she served on the Child Welfare Committee for many years. Sharon has spent a good portion of my life either providing service or writing about Native Americans. On May 17th, 2025 she will be presenting a workshop on “Addressing the Needs of Native Americans in Literature.” at the 27th annual Spring Conference of the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association (UPPAA) at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette, Michigan.

Season 6: Episode 3 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Raymond Luczak speaking about his book "Animals out-There W-i-l-d: A Bestiary in English and ASL Gloss." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com https://www.raymondluczak.com/ RAYMOND LUCZAK (pronounced with a silent "c") is perhaps best known for his books, films, and plays. He was raised in Ironwood, a small mining town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Number seven in a family of nine children, he lost much of his hearing due to double pneumonia at the age of eight months. After high school graduation, Luczak went on to Gallaudet University, in Washington, D.C., where he earned a B.A. in English, graduating magna cum laude. He learned American Sign Language (ASL) and became involved with the deaf community, and won numerous scholarships in recognition of his writing, including the Ritz-Paris Hemingway Scholarship. He took various writing courses at other schools in the area, which culminated in winning a place in the Jenny McKean Moore Fiction Workshop at the George Washington University. Recent works include Compassion, Michigan: The Ironwood Stories, Chlorophyll: Poems About Michigan's Upper Peninsula and the anthology Yooper Poetry which has resulted in launching the critically-acclaimed Yooper Poetry Series, edited by Luczak.

Season 6: Episode 2 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Ann McGlothlin Weller. She is one of the surviving granddaughters of author William S. Crowe. She will be speaking about her grandfather's book "Lumberjack: Inside an Era in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future UP Notable Book Club speakers! For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com www.lumberjackbook.com Ann McGlothlin Weller. She is one of the surviving granddaughters of author William S. Crowe, together with Lynn McGlothlin Emerick, who were instrumental in editing the 50th Anniversary Edition in 2002. This Edition was re-released in 2024 as Lumberjack: Inside an Era in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - 70th Anniversary Edition. The book focuses in particular on the timber industry of the Manistique, MI region. For readers who are unable to get a copy of the book or are interested in a unique audiovisual treatment, we recommend the various short videos found on www.LumberjackBook.com WILLIAM S. CROWE, a 17-year-old boy, stepped off the deck of the steamer City of Ludington and found, as he later wrote, "a strange new world such as I had never seen nor dreamed of." It was exactly midnight on May 29th, 1894 when he landed in the port Manistique, MI at the head of Lake Michigan. Before this trip, which started in Pennsylvania, he had never seen a ship, a large body of water, a sawmill, or even a big tree. He knew no one else in this small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. William Scott Crowe, the oldest of six children was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania on September 23rd, 1875. His parents Mary Amelia ("Millie") White and Oliver Cameron Crowe were married in 1874 in New Castle. From the first position as time boy and office assistant, Will Crowe was soon promoted to head bookkeeper. In 1912, Crowe and Lou Yalomstein bought out the business and holdings of the Chicago Lumbering Company.

Season 6: Episode 1 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Nikki Mitchell speaking about her book "Ellie and the Midwest Goodbye." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future UP Notable Book Club speakers! For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com poison-apple-press.com NIKKI MITCHELL is a native of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and has a BA in English writing with an emphasis on journalism from Northern Michigan University. Before becoming a full-time children's book author in 2019, she worked for the Iron County Reporter. As a mom of a child with ADHD and autism, she continues to write fantasy tales with disabled characters and characters with ADHD, anxiety, and autism. Working with young writers is also a huge passion of hers, and she hopes to help inspire a lifelong love for reading and writing with her stories. To learn more about her work, visit www.poison-apple-press.com.

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Season%205%3A%20Episode%208%20--The%20UP%20Notable%20Book%20Club%20presents%20Sue%20Harrison%20speaking%20about%20her%20book%20%22The%20Midwife's%20Touch.%22%0A%0AThe%20Crystal%20Falls%20Community%20District%20Library%20in%20partnership%20with%20the%20U.P.%20Publishers%20%26%20Authors%20Association%20(UPPAA)%20presents%20author%20events%20with%20winners%20of%20the%20UP%20Notable%20Book%20List.%20%0A%0AMake%20sure%20to%20like%20and%20subscribe%20so%20you%20don't%20miss%20any%20future%20UP%20Notable%20Book%20Club%20speakers!%0A%0AFor%20more%20information%20please%20visit%20the%20links%20below%0Awww.UPPAA.org%20%0Awww.UPNotable.com%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fsueharrison.com%0A%0ASUE%20HARRISON%20was%20raised%20in%20Michigan%E2%80%99s%20Upper%20Peninsula%20and%20lives%20in%20Pickford%20with%20her%20husband%20Neil%2C%20a%20retired%20high%20school%20principal.%20A%20graduate%20of%20Pickford%20High%20School%20and%20Lake%20Superior%20State%20University%2C%20Harrison%20was%20named%20an%20LSSU%20Distinguished%20Alumna%20and%20served%20eight%20years%20on%20the%20University%E2%80%99s%20Board%20of%20Regents.%20She%20was%20an%20adjunct%20instructor%20of%20creative%20writing%20and%20advanced%20creative%20writing%20and%20worked%20in%20the%20public%20relations%20department%20as%20the%20University%20writer%20and%20acting%20department%20head.%0ASue%20has%20written%20six%20novels%20set%20in%20ancient%20Alaska.%20Her%20other%20novels%20include%20Sisu%2C%20a%20National%20Advanced%20Readers%20Book%2C%20and%20The%20Midwife%E2%80%99s%20Touch%2C%20which%20was%20selected%20as%20a%20semi-finalist%20in%20the%202023%20Society%20of%20Midland%20Authors%E2%80%99%20national%20literary%20awards%20adult%20fiction%20competition.%20It%20was%20also%20an%20Amazon%20top%20ten%20bestseller%20and%20named%20a%202024%20Upper%20Peninsula%20Notable%20Book.%20In%202023%2C%20she%20was%20inducted%20into%20the%20Upper%20Peninsula%20Literary%20Hall%20of%20Fame.%20

Season 5: Episode 7 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Peter Wurdock speaking about his book "A Nostalgic Lens: Photographs & Essays from Michigan's Upper Peninsula." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org   www.UPNotable.com  www.blueboundarybooks.com/index.php/purchase-books  PETER WORDOCK's journey is a captivating blend of artistic endeavors and deep connections to the landscapes of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. From his roots in Royal Oak, MI, to his studies in creative writing and music at Albion College and Berklee College of Music respectively, Wurdock's path has been rich with diverse experiences. His career took him through the vibrant world of music in Nashville before he rediscovered his passion for writing later in life. Through his articles and books, Wurdock intertwines prose and photography, offering readers a unique glimpse into the beauty and nostalgia of the Upper Peninsula. His accolades, including the Upper Peninsula Notable Book Award and the title of Upper Peninsula Laureate of Luce County, speak to the impact of his work. Wurdock's six books showcase his versatility as a writer, blending fiction, poetry, and non-fiction along with his beautiful photography. His deep affection for the Upper Peninsula and his cherished greyhounds shines through in his writing, inviting readers to embark on a journey of reflection and discovery. Living in Newberry with his two adopted greyhounds, Petie and Meerah, Wurdock continues to draw inspiration from his surroundings, crafting stories that resonate with readers and capture the essence of Michigan's rugged beauty.

The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org   www.UPNotable.com  www.amazon.com/Great-Seney-Fire-History-Walsh/dp/0578959089  GREGORY M. LUSK, a native Yooper, who grew up in lower Michigan and southern California, has two grown sons and now lives in Hancock, Michigan, with his wife, Sandra. He spent the long, dry summer of 1976 helping to suppress the largest, most costly forest fire that had burned in Michigan since 1908. In early August, he left his regular duties as a fire management specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in Marquette to work on the fire as the assistant Fire Boss for the State. His experiences several years earlier in Vietnam as a platoon leader were as valuable as his degree in forestry from Michigan Tech and his extensive training in forest fire behavior in the effort. The leaves had fallen, and the early winter snow was starting to fall by the time he got home. Long after he retired as the Upper Peninsula State fire supervisor in 1997, he dug out his news clippings, maps, and notes and began writing the history of the Great Seney fire. He was partly motivated by the aphorism that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"; with hopes that this account will help others remember this essential piece of Michigan history. "Greg Lusk is a native Yooper who had a front-row seat for the Seney Fire. Specifically, he left his job as a fire specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to become the Assistant Fire Boss for the State's suppression of the Seney Fire. As such, Lusk would need to call on both his experience as a seasoned veteran of Vietnam as a platoon leader as well as his degree in forestry from Michigan Tech to succeed. An inveterate and meticulous record-keeper, he unearthed his many boxes of official and unofficial documentation after his retirement to write The Great Seney Fire.

Season 5: Episode 6--The UP Notable Book Club presents Julie Buchholtz speaking about her book "Who Am I?." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org   www.UPNotable.com  www.juliebuchholtz.com  JULE BUCHHOLTZ lives in Brimley, Michigan with her husband, Larry, and canine companions. They are officially "empty nesters." Buchholtz earned both her Bachelor's degree in Education and Master's in Early Childhood Education from Central Michigan University. Julie has been in education in some form or another for much of her career. She currently works at Lake Superior State University. In her free time, she enjoys walking the shores of Lake Superior, making jewelry from items she finds along the beach, reading, writing, eating a really good dessert (creme brulee is her favorite), and practicing yoga. "Who am I?" wonders one little girl. And with those three words her mama takes her on a journey, discovering the ways she is connected to the plants and animals around her, her present and her past, her ancestors, and the land she lives on--the whole of Mother Earth. Who Am I is an indigenous perspective on the ways the threads of our lives are woven in Earth's tapestry, the things that came before--and all that is yet to be. A lyrical look at the interconnectedness of life and a mother's tender love. 

Season 5: Episode 4--The UP Notable Book Club presents Rod Sadler speaking about his book "Grim Paradise: The Cold Case Search for the Mackinac Island Killer." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  www.rodsadler.com  ROD SADLER worked as a police officer in Mid-Michigan for thirty years, retiring in 2012. He began researching his first book after discovering the story of a brutal 1897 murder in Williamston, Michigan, a town where he had spent his childhood. His great-grandfather served as the sheriff at the time of the murder, and he was integral part of the investigation. After returning to college late in his law enforcement career, he discovered his love for writing, and he decided to write about what he knows best...true crime. In Rod's books, you'll find an enormous amount of research into the murders he writes about. His attention to detail allows him to craft intriguing, detailed accounts of a series of Michigan murders.

Season 5: Episode 3--The UP Notable Book Club presents Jon C. Stott speaking about his book "Yooper Ale Trails: Craft Breweries and Brewpubs of Michigan's Upper Peninsula." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org   www.UPNotable.com  JON C. STOTT (Professor Emeritus of English, University of Alberta) has spent extended summers in the Upper Peninsula for over half a century. He is the author of five beer travel guides, including the award-winning Island Craft: Your Guide to the Breweries of Vancouver Island, as well as two other books about Michigan's Upper Peninsula: Paul Bunyan in Michigan: Yooper Logging, Lore, & Legends and Summers at the Lake: Upper Michigan Moments and Memories. He spends the cold, snowy months in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His beer blog www.beerquestwest.com includes frequent updates on the breweries he has visited.

Season 5: Episode 2--The UP Notable Book Club presents Tyler Tichlaar speaking about his book "Odin's Eye: A Marquette Time Travel Story." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org   www.UPNotable.com   www.marquettefiction.com  TYLER R. TICHELAAR has a Ph.D. in Literature from Western Michigan University and Bachelor and Master's Degrees in English from Northern Michigan University. He is the owner of Marquette Fiction, his own publishing company; Superior Book Productions, a professional editing, proofreading, book layout, and website design and maintenance service; and the former president of the U.P. Publishers and Authors Association. He is also considered a local expert on Marquette history and is proud to be a seventh-generation Marquette resident. Tyler began writing his first novel at age sixteen in 1987. In 2006, he published his first novel, Iron Pioneers: The Marquette Trilogy, Book One. Fifteen more books have followed. In 2008, Tyler won first place in the historical fiction category in the Reader Views Literary Awards for his novel Narrow Lives (2008). He has since sponsored that contest, offering the Tyler R. Tichelaar Award for Historical Fiction. In 2011, Tyler was awarded the Marquette County Outstanding Writer Award, and the same year, he received the Barb Kelly Award for Historical Preservation for his efforts to promote Marquette history. Tyler also writes on such diverse topics as nineteenth-century Gothic fiction and historical fantasies about King Arthur. Tyler remains engrossed in writing about Marquette and Upper Michigan as microcosms for the greater American story.

Season 4: Episode 9--The UP Notable Book Club presents Matt Hellman speaking about his book "The Biting Cold." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org   www.UPNotable.com   www.beaconpublishinggroup.com/matthewhellman  MATTHEW HELLMAN is an award-winning author who was educated as an Electrical Engineer but has worked most of his life in law enforcement. Probably because those two things go together like peanut butter and jelly... Always a fan of good writing, he is studying the craft and moving toward a retirement gig as an author. He enjoys the freedom of fiction and the ability to employ his creative mind in the horror genre. Matt's latest novel, "The Biting Cold" was recently awarded a U.P. Notable Book honor. His first novel, "Solomon's Seal", was published by Beacon Publishing Group (BPG) in November 2019. His novella, "The Hawthorne Blow", was published in January 2021. One of Hellman's short stories, "My Nameless Beast", is featured in the anthology, "Six Guns Straight From Hell 3", published by Science Fiction Trails Publishing in September 2020. This was all a well-thought-out marketing blitz by Hellman so that he had offerings covering the full spectrum of the human attention span. Matt lives with his wife and three great kids in Michigan's beautiful upper peninsula.

Season 5: Episode 1--The UP Notable Book Club presents Jennifer McGraw speaking about her book "The Unsolved Mysteries of Father Marquette's Many Graves." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org   www.UPNotable.com   https://islandbookstore.com/products/the-unsolved-mysteries-of-father-marquettes-many-graves-by-jennifer-mcgraw  JENNIFER MCGRAW writes non-fiction history focusing on the 1600s and the Michilimackinac region. Her latest book, The Unsolved Mysteries of Father Marquette's Many Graves, discusses his time in the Great Lakes area, his life at Sault Sainte Marie and Saint Ignace, his trip down the Mississippi, and his death. It then goes on to extensively cover the multiple times that he was buried and dug up as well as the evidence that led people to conclude that the remains they had found were him. It tells of the treatment given to his bones when he was dug up which included scraping the flesh from them, likely cremating that flesh, and disarticulating his skeleton to prepare his bones for transport. This book follows other books or booklets she has authored including Lawless Mackinac and The David Haynes Dig. She is also co-author of a collection of writings called The Reminiscences of David Corp (co-authored with Prentiss M. Brown, Jr.). 

Season 4: Episode 8--The UP Notable Book Club presents Larry Jorgensen speaking about his book "Shipwrecked and Rescued." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org   www.UPNotable.com   https://shipwreckedandrescued.com  LARRY JORGENSEN first became fascinated with Michigan's Upper Peninsula and its unique history while writing and reporting for television news in Green Bay. However, his journey into that world of news had begun much earlier in northern Wisconsin where he worked while in high school for the weekly newspaper in Eagle River. Later he was employed by a newspaper publisher in Milwaukee, and then on to radio and television news in Texas and Louisiana, along with wire service and freelance assignments. During all those years he looked forward to return visits to the Keweenaw Peninsula. It was during one of those visits Larry discovered the tale of the wreck of the “City of Bangor”. It was learning of that little-known event that resulted in his decision to create this written account that he hoped to share the story of one of Lake Superior's most unusual shipwrecks.

Season 4: Episode 6--The UP Notable Book Club presents four authors from the Marquette Poets Circle speaking about "Superior Voyage." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  marquettepoetscircle.wordpress.com  Four Authors from the Marquette Poets Circle; Marty Achatz, Milton J. Bates, Lisa Fosmo, and Beverly Matherne talk about "Superior Voyage", the group's second anthology.The circle was formed in 2012 by Matt Maki, Claudia Drosen, and Janeen Pergrin Rastall to celebrate poetry and guide each member in finding his or her inner poet. In a true spirit of community, the circle has held workshops, Open Mic nights, and readings for more than a decade. Superior Voyage includes the work of no less than forty-two poets with each contributor fielding two to six entries. MARTY ACHATZ lives in Ishpeming, Michigan, with his wife and children. He has taught for NMU's English Department since 1998. He holds a Master's Degree in Fiction and an MFA in Poetry. His work has appeared in many journals, anthologies, the book-length collection The Mysteries of the Rosary, and two spoken word albums, Slow Dancing with Bigfoot and Christmas with Bigfoot. Marty served two consecutive terms as U.P. Poet Laureate and is currently President of the U.P. Poet Laureate Foundation. Marty is also the Adult Programming Coordinator for Peter White Public Library. MILTON J. BATES is the author of books about the poet Wallace Stevens, the Vietnam War and the Bark River watershed in Wisconsin. His poetry includes the collection Stand Still in the Light (2019) and two chapbooks, Always on Fire (2016) and As They Were (2018). He lives with his wife, Puck, in Marquette, Michigan. LISA FOSMO is an Upper Peninsula Michigan poet, from Escanaba. She has been published in various regional journals and anthologies of note. She currently serves as a judge for the National Poetry contests of the NSFPS, and is the newly elected Vice President of the U.P. Poet Laureate Foundation. She is the author of a full-length book of poetry Mercy is a Bright Darkness,, Golden Dragonfly Press (2023). BEVERLY MATHERNE, 2023 and 2024 U.P. Poet Laureate, is professor emerita of English at Northern Michigan University and the author of seven bilingual books of poetry; her latest, Love Potions, Teas, Incantations. Beverly served in NMU's Department of English as director of the Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing, director of the department's visiting writing series, and poetry editor of Passages North literary magazine. Widely published, she has received seven first-place prizes, including the Hackney Literary Award for Poetry, and four Pushcart nominations. Widely traveled, she has done over 360 readings across the U.S., Canada, and France―and in Wales, Belgium, Germany, and Spain.

Season 4: Episode 6--The UP Notable Book Club presents Ann Dallman author of "Cady and the Birchbark Box." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  www.anndallman.com  ANN DALLMAN has lifelong roots in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She started out as a newspaper reporter/photographer and later taught middle and high school English/Journalism/Reading, fifteen of those years on the Hannahville Indian Reservation in Wilson, MI. She holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism Education from the University of Wisconsin and a master's degree from Viterbo University. A freelance writer, she is now writing her third Cady novel. Ann served as Writer in Residence at Wild Acres Retreat Center in North Carolina and was awarded scholarships to study writing with author Susan Power/Split Rock Arts Institute/Minneapolis, MN and to Highlights Foundations sessions in Honesdale, PA.  Her Middle Grade novel, Cady and the Bear Necklace, a U.P. Notable Book, received: Historical Society of Michigan State History Award, Midwest Book Award, New Mexico-Arizona Book Award and was a Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist. The second book in the series, Cady and the Birchbark Box, is also a U.P. Notable Book and received the Historical Society of Michigan State History Award.

 Season 4: Episode 5--The UP Notable Book Club presents Eugene Milihizer author of "Dissecting Anatomy of a Murder" The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org   www.UPNotable.com   DEAN EMERITUS EUGENE R. MILHIZER participated in hundreds of appeals, tried scores of criminal cases, and served in multiple leadership positions as an Army Judge Advocate. For three years, he held a teaching appointment at the Judge Advocate General's School at the University of Virginia. In 2001, he joined the Ave Maria faculty and his course of offerings have included Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, National Security Law and Military Law. Dean Emeritus Milhizer has been an invited presenter at law schools across the country and his legal scholarship has been published in many prestigious law journals. In May 2006, he was appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and in April 2009, he was appointed Acting Dean of the Law School. In January 2010, he was appointed the Law School's second President and Dean, and he served in that position until his return to full-time teaching in the summer of 2014. During the summer of 2009, under his leadership, the Law School successfully accomplished the unprecedented feat of relocating from Michigan to Florida. 

Season 4: Episode 4--The UP Notable Book Club presents Hilton Everett Moore author of "North of Nelson The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  HILTON EVERETT MOORE is a published short story author who lives and writes at his remote cabin in the near wilderness of Baraga County in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He has held many positions in his life including: a stint as a kennel man for a Humane Society, a factory worker, later as a certified pipe welder in the oil fields of West Texas, and also as an assistant manager of a lumber company. Ironically in a chapter he would like to forget, a gut-wrenching failed attempt at owning a restaurant. After a midlife crisis he went back to college and received a Master's Degree in Social Work. Upon graduation, he was employed in the Michigan prison system as a Clinical Social Worker. Presently he enjoys writing in his cabin in the wilderness. He likes to fish with worms.. North of Nelson presents six gripping short stories set in the wilderness of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan will hold the reader spellbound as the various protagonists live, and sometimes perish, in this often harsh and rugged land. The mythical village of Nelson frames the life and plights of the various actors as they plunge headlong physically, psychologically, and metaphorically, into the treacherous waters of the Sturgeon River Country, where humans live precariously on the edge of a knife, and every mistake could be fatal. While this work is entirely fiction--it easily spans over a century-- the tales dig at, and lay bare, a slice of Americana, a neglected culture, which is rapidly atrophying in rural areas--not only across the Upper Peninsula, but in much of the rural north.

Season 4: Episode 3--The UP Notable Book Club presents Ian Schoenherr whose father John Schoenherr (1935 - 2010) illustrated the book "The Big Island: A Story of Isle Royale. The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  First published in 1968, this engrossing and beautiful picture book about wildlife on Isle Royale is available again thanks to the archivists at the University of Minnesota Press. JOHN SCHOENHERR won the 1988 Caldecott Medal for U.S. children's book illustration, recognizing Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, which recounts the story of the first time a father takes his youngest child on a traditional outing to spot an owl. He was posthumously inducted by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2015. Schoenherr may be known best as the original illustrator of the dust jacket art of Dune, a 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert that inaugurated a book series and media franchise. He had previously illustrated the serializations of the novel in Analog, an endeavor that secured him a 1965 Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist. Schoenherr was also very well known as a wildlife artist and children's book illustrator, with over forty books to his credit. Most of his black-and-white illustration work used the scratchboard technique, and he was long known as the only commercial artist who specialized in it. His paintings were often egg tempera, another unusual medium. Schoenherr also completed paintings for NASA. Schoenherr's knowledge of zoology was very useful in creating alien creatures. He was a member of the American Society of Mammalogists, the Society of Animal Artists, and the Society of Illustrators. "Julian May's children's book The Big Island: A Story of Isle Royale was originally published in 1968 but the timeless tale continues to educate and inspire young minds today. Isle Royale is considered one of the most remote National Parks and is located off the coast of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, in the waters of Lake Superior. The book tells the story of Isle Royale's most popular four-legged creatures, the moose and the wolves. The Big Island is a classic read for any budding young nature enthusiast and explores the concept of a balanced ecosystem. With an effective blend of local history and a love of nature, Julian May writes about how the moose and wolves came to live on the island. She also tells about how people first came to the island and about the time period that Isle Royale became a National Park. The book delves into the park rangers' various methods of intervention on behalf of the overcrowded and starving moose population. It also tells how the best solution was found when wolves arrived on the island naturally to establish a balanced environment. The Big Island provides readers of all ages some valuable insight into the predator-prey relationship of the moose and wolves of the island and their roles in the great circle of life. Stunningly realistic illustrations of moose, wolves, and other island wildlife cover the pages of this exceptional book"

Season 4: Episode 2--The UP Notable Book Club presents author Dorothy Paad speaking about her book Dorthey is Moving Mountains. The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  https://depbooks.com/books/  DOROTHY PAAD loves to create – whether it is a song, a dance, a theater production, or book. She doesn't let having Cerebral Palsy stand in her way! It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that Dorothy was inspired to write her first book hoping to inspire kids in a way she wishes she had been. Today, she continues to share her story so that others may realize their potential and never stop pursuing their dreams.  Dorothy puts her heart and soul into all that she does. Each of her books reflects important moments in her life and highlights the people who have supported her along the way. Among the many people that have inspired her work are her father, Eric and brother, Andrew, who served in the United States Air Force and United States Army respectively; and her best friend and role model, Alice, whom she calls, mom. In addition to her work in the writing and performing arts, Dorothy also works as an advocate for individuals with disabilities and caregivers as the spokesperson for the Caregiver Incentive Project. Her own in-home caregiver, Tracy, makes a valuable difference in her life — helping her to live her life to the fullest. In an effort to prepare future teachers for inclusive classrooms, Dorothy is also an Instructional Coach for the Northern Michigan University School of Education. She is the recipient of a MI-UCP (United Cerebral Palsy Association) Closing the Disability Divide Award and a volunteer with Lake Superior Life Care & Hospice. Dorothy is also a member of the Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association and Marquette Alger Reading Council.

Season 4: Episode 1--The UP Notable Book Club presents author Phyllis Michael Wong speaking about her book We Kept Our Towns Going: The Gossard Girls of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org   www.UPNotable.com  https://msupress.org/9781611864205/we-kept-our-towns-going/  Phyllis Michael Wong, a native of the San Francisco Bay area, would follow her father's sage advice of “listen, talk little, listen” in her roles as a historian; educator, including as a writing instructor and director of online learning; and 30-year member of the university-level academic world, including as First Lady at Northern Michigan University (2004-12) and San Francisco State University (2012-19). Among her favorite First Lady accomplishments is co-founding a One Book, One Community county-wide reading program at NMU. Michigan's Upper Peninsula is known for its natural beauty and severe winters, as well as the mines and forests where men labored to feed industrial factories elsewhere in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. But there were factories in the Upper Peninsula, too, and women who worked in them. Phyllis Michael Wong tells the stories of the Gossard Girls, women who sewed corsets and bras at factories in Ishpeming and Gwinn from the early twentieth century to the 1970s. As the Upper Peninsula's mines became increasingly exhausted and its stands of timber further depleted, the Gossard Girls' income sustained both their families and the local economy. During this time the workers showed their political and economic strength, including a successful four-month strike in the 1940s that capped an eight-year struggle to unionize. Drawing on dozens of interviews with the surviving workers and their families, this book highlights the daily challenges and joys of these mostly first- and second-generation immigrant women. It also illuminates the way the Gossard Girls navigated shifting ideas of what single and married women could and should do as workers and citizens. From cutting cloth and distributing materials to getting paid and having fun, Wong gives us a rare ground-level view of piecework in a clothing factory from the women on the sewing room floor.

Season 3: Episode 9--The UP Notable Book Club presents author Terri Martin speaking about her book The Home Wind. The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  www.terrilynnmartin.com/  Terri Lynn Martin and her husband moved to Upper Michigan nearly 22 years ago and have no desire to live anywhere else, in spite of the 250+ inches of snowfall each winter. Terri is currently a regular contributor to UP Magazine (Porcupine Press) where she finds an outlet for her humorous stories. Anthologies of these stories can be found in her books: Church Lady Chronicles: Devilish Encounters(2021) and High on the Vine (2022). Terri has also published a middle-grade children's novel, The Home Wind, which was released in the spring of 2021 and received the 2022 U.P. Notable Book award. She will have a full length novel: Moose Willow Mystery out in the fall of 2022.  Jamie Kangas struggles with turbulent emotions caused by the death of his father, who perished in a logging accident--an accident for which Jamie blames himself. While his mother works as cook in a logging camp, Jamie is run ragged as chore boy. The grinding dreariness fades when Jamie meets a Native American boy, Gray Feather, who carries a burden of his own. The two boys become close friends as they face the challenges of a harsh environment and prejudiced world. And as trees fall to the lumberjack's blade, Jamie hears the ghostly words of his father, warning of future catastrophe. 

Season 3: Episode 8--The UP Notable Book Club presents author Sharon Kennedy speaking about her book The SideRoad Kids: Tales from Chippewa County. The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  www.authorsharonkennedy.com  SHARON M. KENNEDY resides on the land of her youth near the country town of Brimley in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She's surrounded by childhood memories and a way of life that is no more. Instead of relying on intricate plots and schemes, her stories are driven by the characters and their interactions with each other, their teachers, and their parents. The authenticity and innocence of the kids will remind adults of days gone by. Ms. Kennedy writes a weekly newspaper column for The Sault News and the Cheboygan Tribune. She authored Life in a Tin Can, a random collection of previously published columns. Sharon's most recent book, View from the SideRoad: A Collection of Upper Peninsula Stories was just released. Her work also appears in all seven issues of the U.P. Reader. The SideRoad Kids follows a group of boys and girls as they enter the sixth grade in a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula during 1957 - 58. This meandering collection of loosely-connected short stories is often humorous, poignant, and sometimes mysterious. Laugh as the kids argue over Halloween treats handed out in Brimley. Recall Dorothy's Hamburgers in Sault Ste. Marie. Follow a Sugar Island snowshoe trail as the kids look for Christmas trees. Wonder what strange blue smoke at Dollar Settlement signifies. Discover the magic hidden in April snowflakes. Although told by the kids, adults will remember their own childhood as they read about Flint, Candy, Squeaky, Katie, and their friends.

Season 3: Episode 7--The UP Notable Book Club presents author Carole Hare speaking about her book The Legend of Kitch-iti-kipi. The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  www.carolehare.com  CAROLE HARE graduated from high school in Manistique, Michigan and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in business education from Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. She taught school for three years in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa. She later received her master's degree in counseling from Northern Michigan University. Carole worked as a counselor for twenty-seven years, twenty-three of those as a school counselor and teacher in Marquette Area Public Schools. After retiring, she moved back to Manistique to live near her elder father. She currently is employed as a child and family counselor at the Manistique Tribal Center and spends much of her free time researching and learning more about her Native American ancestors. She has two successful adult sons, two amazing daughters-in-law, and five adorable grandchildren who reside in Seattle, Washington, and St. Petersburg, Florida. "The Legend of Kitch-iti-kipi, by Carole Lynn Hare, is a retelling of the eponymous myth as passed down through generations of Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa (Ojibwe) Indian band. The author, whose Native American name is Miskwa Anang Kwe, has an intimate connection to this legend. Although packaged in a slim 24-page chapbook format, The Legend of Kitch-iti-kipi tells a gripping story and includes several illustrations by Manistique-area artist Ryan Gilroy.

Season 3: Episode 6--The UP Notable Book Club presents author Karen Dionne speaking about her book The Wicked Sister. The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  Karen Dionne's Website  Karen Dionne's award-winning novels set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula wilderness have been translated into dozens of languages and landed on bestseller lists around the world. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly calls The Wicked Sister “A devastating, magic realism–dusted psychological thriller... Dionne paints a haunting portrait of a family hurtling toward the tragic destiny they can foresee but are powerless to stop,” selecting it as one of the best books of the year. She comes by her knowledge of the U.P. wilderness by dint of her having built and lived in a cabin off-the-grid near St. Ignace for three years with her husband and infant daughter. Karen has been active in the writing community for over twenty years. She co-founded the online writers community Backspace, organized the Backspace Writers Conferences in New York and the Salt Cay, Bahamas Writers Retreat, and served on the board of directors of the International Thriller Writers. Her previous book, The Marsh King's Daughter, was named a 2018 Michigan Notable Book, took home the Barry and the Crimson Scribe Awards for Best Novel, The Marsh King's Daughter will soon be released as a movie starring Daisey Ridley ("The Force Awakens") and Ben Mendelsohn.

Season 3: Episode 5--The UP Notable Book Club presents authors Brad Blair and Tim Ellis speaking about their book Great Lakes Monsters and Mysteries. The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  https://yoopernaturalhaunts.com/  eagleradio951.com/creaking-door  saultstemarie.com/events-calendar/michigan-paranormal-convention/  TIM ELLIS is a veteran paranormal investigator, who has traveled the country looking for the strange and weird, and in 1999 started the Upper Peninsula Paranormal Research Society with Brad Blair and Steve LaPlaunt. He is the co-host of Creaking Door Paranormal Radio, former host of TAPS Family Radio, co-founder of the Michigan Paranormal Convention, and co-author of the Paranormal hit books, Yoopernatural Haunts and Great Lakes Monsters and Mysteries. He has been featured in documentaries and numerous publications, including USA Today, The Detroit Free Press, and Lake Superior Magazine.   BRAD BLAIR is the co-host of Creaking Door Paranormal Radio, veteran paranormal researcher and author. In 1999 he founded the Upper Peninsula Paranormal Research Society with Tim Ellis and Steve LaPlaunt. Brad has investigated claims of paranormal activity across the US and other Countries, including England, and Cuba. He has contributed to numerous books and documentaries on the paranormal, has appeared in various publications, and is co-founder of the Michigan Paranormal Convention. In their latest book, Ellis and Blair expand their area of interest, stretching their paranormal research across the entire great lakes region, and enveloping more than just ghosts and cryptids. (A cryptid, for those who don't know, is a creature for which there is no physical or scientific evidence, but still has people who believe it exists. The most popular of these being the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot.) "They take an approach with this book that makes it stand out from others I've read in the same genre, by mixing the historical research they've done with seemingly unbelievable tales. I've lived my whole life here and never heard some of the stories, which I really appreciated. I like being able to learn a little bit about the actual history of the area while I'm trying to scare myself silly.

The UP Notable Book Club presents author Raymond Luczak speaking about his book Once Upon a Twin. The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List.  Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future UP Notable Book Club speakers! For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com www.raymondluczak.com www.youtube.com/deafwoof RAYMOND LUCZAK (pronounced with a silent "c") is perhaps best known for his books, films, and plays. He was raised in Ironwood, a small mining town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Number seven in a family of nine children, he lost much of his hearing due to double pneumonia at the age of eight months. After high school graduation, Luczak went on to Gallaudet University, in Washington, D.C., where he earned a B.A. in English, graduating magna cum laude. He learned American Sign Language (ASL) and became involved with the deaf community, and won numerous scholarships in recognition of his writing, including the Ritz-Paris Hemingway Scholarship. He took various writing courses at other schools in the area, which culminated in winning a place in the Jenny McKean Moore Fiction Workshop at the George Washington University. In 1988, he moved to New York City. In short order, his play Snooty won first place in the New York Deaf Theater's 1990 Samuel Edwards Deaf Playwrights Competition, and his essay "Notes of a Deaf Gay Writer" won acceptance as a cover story for Christopher Street magazine. Soon after Alyson Publications asked him to edit Eyes of Desire: A Deaf Gay & Lesbian Reader, which, after its appearance in June 1993, eventually nabbed two Lambda Literary Award finalist nominations (Best Lesbian and Gay Anthology, and Best Small Press Book). He hasn't stopped since! In 2005, he relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he continues to write, edit, and publish.

The UP Notable Book Club presents author Phil Bellfy speaking about his book "U.P. Colony". PHIL BELLFY, PhD, is the Editor and Publisher of the Ziibi Press, Enrolled Member of the White Earth Band of Minnesota Chippewa, Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Indigenous Border Issues (CSIBI), and Professor Emeritus of American Indian Studies, Michigan State University. He has been involved in environmental issues, at the Tribal, international, national, state, and local levels for over 45 years. He is also a Lay Advocate, qualified and admitted to practice Tribal Law in the Courts of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Bellfy is also the author of Indians and Other Misnomers: A Cross-Reference Dictionary of the People, Persons, and Places of Native North America, Three Fires Unity: The Anishnaabeg of the Lake Huron Borderlands, and the editor of Honor the Earth: Indigenous Response to Environmental Degradation in the Great Lakes, 2nd Ed. You'll be joined by readers from around the Upper Peninsula in a lively question and answer session with the author. " Beginning in the 1600s, French, then British, and finally American John Jacob Astor, made millions shipping out furs without returning the tiniest fraction to the areas from which those furs came (and taking full advantage of the Native American population in the process). Once Michigan became a state, “downstate” interests dominated the Upper Peninsula. While many small companies began the copper and iron booms, they were eventually bought out (or died of themselves), creating monopolies controlled by out-of-area boards of directors who invested the money they “earned” in the U.P. in other operations elsewhere, then left when copper, iron, and timber played out, leaving the U.P. destitute. Bellfy demonstrates the same pattern in one city, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and shows how the lack of other industries brought to the area do develop its resources affected the process. The author also shows how the pattern of exploitation continues today in a 2021 updated conclusion to his original thesis". Read the complete review by Deborah K. Frontiera at U.P. Book Review. For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org  www.UPNotable.com  www.modernhistorypress.com/store/Phil-Bellfy-c125290277 

The UP Notable Book Club presents author Joanna Walitalo speaking about her book Woodburnings: The first Five Years.  Note: This epesode talks about images that were shown durning the presentation. To see these pictures please visit the UPPAA Youtube channel or visit Joanna Walitalo's website to see more. https://jwalitalowoodburning.com/  https://youtu.be/DixKE7do3pM  JOANNA WALITALO grew up in Oil City, Michigan where she took art classes at Bullock Creek Schools taught by Mr. Matherne and Mr. Myers; both very talented artists, and teachers with endless patience. She earned a BS degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from Central Michigan University, and took art classes at the Midland Center for the Arts, where she had the opportunity to study under Armin Mersmann. While studying at CMU, she took art classes form Dietmar Krumrey II and Michael Volker. From there, she moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where she earned a Master of Forestry at Michigan Technological University. A strong love of the outdoors, and wild places, has led her to incorporate her passion for art with her professional education in order to bring the beauty of wildlife and wild places closer to the general public through scientifically accurate artwork. By far, the artist that influenced Joanna the most throughout her life has been her mom, Barb Rogers, who taught art at Coleman Middle School, MI, for many years, and always encouraged and guided Joanna to incorporate art into all her endeavors. Today, Joanna continues to live with her loving husband James, and son Little James, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, working as an artist and illustrator. "The art book is divided into chapters of Early Work, Wildlife (birds, trees and flowers, other wildlife, fish) Portraits and people, Pets (often commissioned and more dogs than cats), Puzzles, Mystic, as well as “spotlights” on people who influenced the art. One quickly sees that this artist has a wonderful style that she applies to a wide variety of topics. Her realism and attention to detail lets us see moods and personality in the eyes of her subjects—human or otherwise. While she may do several variations of one subject or theme, each is unique in terms of details and the type of wood used.

The UP Notable Book Club presents author Ellen Airgood speaking about her book "Tin Camp Road". Ellen Airgood grew up on a farm in Michigan's thumb, where her favorite things to do were read books, ride horses, swing in her tire swing, and write stories. She almost left the University of Michigan after her first year to go back home and farm, but did return to school after her parents offered to cosign the loan for the new fencing she'd need to raise beef cattle on their eighty acres, the only crop they considered feasible. (She was a vegetarian at the time.) She graduated with a Bachelor's Science from the School of Natural Resources and Environment and now lives on the shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula, where she writes and owns a diner along with her husband. She is the author of three novels published by Penguin Books, including Michigan Notable Book and Midwest Bestseller, South of Superior the award-winning Prarie Evers, a Bank Street Best Book for middle-grade readers. Her work also appears in The Way North: New Upper Peninsula Writings, Here: Women Writing on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and the upcoming Bob Seger's House. Learn more at https://www.ellenairgood.com/ TIN CAMP ROAD: Set against the wide open beauty of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a wise, big hearted novel in which a young single mother and her ten-year-old daughter stand up to the trials of rural poverty and find the community they need in order to survive. Laurel Hill and her precocious daughter Skye have always been each other's everything. The pair live on Lake Superior, where the local school has classes of just four children, and the nearest hospital is a helicopter ride away. Though they live frugally, eking out a living with Laurel's patchwork of jobs, their deep love for each other feels like it can warm them even on the coldest of nights. What more do they need?  

The UP Notable Book Club presents author Mary Doria Russell speaking about her book "The Women of the Copper Country". Widely praised for her meticulous research, fine prose, and compelling narrative drive, Mary Doria Russell is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Sparrow, Children of God, A Thread of Grace, Dreamers of the Day, Doc, and Epitaph. Dr. Russell holds a PhD in biological anthropology. She lives in Lyndhurst, Ohio. In July 1913, twenty-five-year-old Annie Clements has seen enough of the world to know that it's unfair. She's spent her whole life in the mining town of Calumet, Michigan, where men risk their lives for meager salaries—and have barely enough to put food on the table for their families. The women labor in the houses of the elite, and send their husbands and sons deep underground each day, dreading the fateful call of the company man telling them their loved ones aren't coming home. So, when Annie decides to stand up for the entire town of Calumet, nearly everyone believes she may have taken on more than she is prepared to handle. Yet as Annie struggles to improve the future of her town, her husband becomes increasingly frustrated with her growing independence. She faces the threat of prison while also discovering a forbidden love. On her fierce quest for justice, Annie will see just how much she is willing to sacrifice for the families of Calumet.

The UP Notable Book Club presents author Mikel B. Classen speaking about his book "Points North: Hidden Campgrounds, Natural Wonders, and Waterways of the Upper Peninsula" Mikel B. Classen has been writing and photographing northern Michigan in newspapers and magazines for over thirty-five years, creating feature articles about the life and culture of Michigan's north country. A journalist, historian, photographer and author with a fascination of the world around him, he enjoys researching and writing about lost stories from the past. Currently he is managing editor of the U.P. Reader and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association. In 2020, Mikel won the Historical Society of Michigan's, George Follo Award for Upper Peninsula History. Classen makes his home in the oldest city in Michigan, historic Sault Ste. Marie. He is also a collector of out-of-print history books, and historical photographs and prints of Upper Michigan. At Northern Michigan University, he studied English, history, journalism and photography.

Jane Kopecky reveals the nearly-forgotten story of Camp Germfask, where some of the most ardent war-resisters among World War II conscientious objectors were held for 13 months in 1944 and 1945. Opponents of the war and conscription on a variety of religious, pacifist, or political grounds, these recalcitrant dissenters dared imprisonment as they refused to cooperate with rules of Selective Service. Instead of jail, they ended up in what some men called the Alcatraz of CO camps and their sympathizers elsewhere in the country called "American's Siberia." In interview transcripts, memoirs, and documents collected by Jane Kopecky, their lives and their relationships with their Germfask and other Upper Peninsula neighbors come alive. This book is a great read and a great service to historical understanding." Howard Brick, Louis Evans Professor of History, University of Michigan

If you've got a taste for hockey nostalgia, the local history of the Copper Country, or you just enjoy one of Michigan's most popular winter pastimes, you will enjoy William J. Sproule's Houghton: The Birthplace of Professional Hockey for the humanity it brings to the players and their cold winter sagas of the early 1900s. Dr. William Sproule, a recently retired professor of civil and environmental engineering from Michigan Tech University, wrote the new book Houghton: The Birthplace of Professional Hockey with the hopes of cementing the Keewenaw's crucial role in the development of this sport. Specifically, he tells the story of how a Canadian-born dentist and Houghton entrepreneur changed hockey by openly paying players to come to the Copper Country to play hockey. In 1900, Jack “Doc” Gibson moved from Canada, established his dental practice, and joined the Portage Lake YMCA hockey team. Gibson was already considered one of Canada's finest players and led his newly joined team to win the Upper Peninsula Championship before going on to beat a Chicago team and hence be declared the “Champions of the West”. By 1903, Gibson had teamed up with local businessman James Dee had hatched a plan to recruit the best players from Canada and openly pay them to pay for the Portage Lake hockey team—thus making them the first-ever professional hockey team. The team's home ice was the newly built Amphidrome arena which replaced the previous Palace Ice Rink down on the Houghton waterfront. The team did so well that they won the United States Championship in 1903 and 1904 seasons by defeating the Pittsburgh Bankers and Montreal Wanderers respectively. Truly the Copper Country had become a hotbed of professional hockey prowess in this early period. Sproule's book concentrates on this period from 1900 to 1906 where the U.P. in general and Houghton in particular dominated the early seasons of professional hockey on this continent. He includes full reprints of contemporary sports news stories, photographs of venues, players, and their jerseys and equipment. Sproule does a deep dive into game statistics so you can learn the players' names and how well they did game-by-game. By now you're surely wondering, how and why did this happen in Houghton, as opposed to Minneapolis, Detroit, or even Montreal? Given that hockey was already the national pastime in Canada, why wouldn't they have the first professional hockey teams? It turns out that the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) dominated the sport and their insistence on amateur teams eventually created the economic opportunity for Houghton. The town was ideally situated with rail links, courtesy of the copper mining industry, to move players from Canada into the US and from that vantage being able to field a team to challenge American teams as far away as Pennsylvania. The OHA's amateur-only ethic was purely intended to keep working-class riff-raff off the ice so hockey could remain a gentleman's sport. Of course team managers in Ontario were always trying to find a way around the no-pay-for-play rules and ended up awarding gold watches, diamond rings, and five-star hotel stays to the players—virtually anything and everything except cold cash was paid out. Even so, many top-tier Canadian players were eventually suspended for taking pay thanks to the cold-hearted John Ross Robertson, leader of OHA and prominent Toronto businessman. In one case, an entire team was suspended for accepting $10 gold coins as a reward for victory. It didn't take long before Canada's best players headed south of the border where they could sign on with American teams as far away as Pittsburgh and earn some kind of a living at it. William Sproule, author of Houghton – The Birthplace of Professional Hockey Sproule's book excels in detail in the second half of the book where he dissects every game of those early seasons 1904, 1905, and 1906 where Copper Country teams ruled the professional leagues. Statistics for all the International Hockey League teams are provided, including teams from Calumet, Portage Lake, Michigan Soo, Canadian Soo, and Pittsburgh. Player-level detail shows Top Goal Scorers, Top Goalies, and even Penalty-Minute Leaders. A detailed biographical section provides player portraits and bios of all Portage Lake players and Hockey Hall of Famers. A complete IHL player roster provides career details that you won't find all together in any other book about early hockey history. Sproule also provides archival quality pictures of all the local area hockey venues including the evolution of Houghton's Amphidrome, the Calumet Glaciadom, and Calumet Colosseum. Last, but not least, a history of the Stanley Cup and McNaughton Cups provide historical backgrounds for these unique hockey award traditions. Sproule even covers rulebooks and rule changes from the original one-pager to more sophisticated rules which evolved surprisingly quickly.

Author Craig Brockman talks with the U.P. Notable Books Book Club about his award winning novel "Dead of November". CRAIG A. BROCKMAN is the author of Dead of November: A Novel of Lake Superior and the middle-grade novel Marty and the Far Woodchuck. He has been a regular contributor to the U.P Reader and other publications. In 2017 an article in the Ontonagon Herald chronicled the final 140 miles of his meandering 450-mile hike across the entire U.P. from the dock at Detour Village to a sandbar in the mouth of the Montreal River. Craig currently lives with his wife in Tecumseh, Michigan.

Author Susanna Ausema talks with the U.P. Notable Books Book Club about her award winning picture book "I Spy...Isle Royale" SUSAN AUSEMA spent her childhood summers on Isle Royale. Her father was a park ranger and her mother was a park volunteer for many years. After moving away in her teens, she returned to work at Isle Royale as a seasonal ranger during her college years. There she met her husband, Mike, also a ranger, in 1998. After serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala, Susanna earned a Master's Degree in Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Steven's Point, then worked as a permanent park ranger focusing on educational outreach at Curecanti National Recreation Area, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and Redwood National Park. When her son, Jasper, was born, Susanna became a stay-at-home mom. When he was two years old, the family moved back to Isle Royale and Jasper began to explore the park as if it were his big backyard. Jasper loves books and Susanna loves to write, so she felt inspired to write a story for him about Isle Royale. After the text was complete, she looked around her pool of talented friends for someone who could illustrate it. None had the time to take on the (pro-bono) project, so Susanna picked up a paintbrush and started experimenting with watercolors. Jasper has helped her judge which styles and techniques are most interesting to a young audience, and together, they've created this book. Susanna's husband is the park's East District Ranger, so they spend their summer days exploring and adventuring on Isle Royale and reveling in the autumn colors and abundant snow in the Keweenaw Peninsula during the rest of the year. Susanna resumed her work on behalf of national parks in 2015 as the membership outreach manager for the nonprofit Isle Royale and Keweenaw Parks Association. All proceeds from the sale of this book support these parks.

Author Susan Purvis talks with the U.P. Notable Books Book Club about her award winning book Go Find! SUSAN PURVIS‘ love for adventure and medicine has taken her to the hottest, coldest, and highest places on earth: Ethiopia, Antarctica, and Nepal. As a wilderness medicine expert and extraordinary speaker, Susan has worked on film sets for National Geographic Channel, truTV, appeared on the science documentary, The Hottest Place on Earth, aired on the BBC and Discovery. She's been featured or quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, on CNN, television, numerous magazines, and newspaper articles. Since 1998, Susan has owned and operated Crested Butte Outdoors International, based in Whitefish, Montana. Her mission is to teach students how to think critically in unconventional settings. An explorer by passion, Susan combines wilderness medicine, desert survival, exploration geology, and K-9 search and rescue to land jobs on all seven continents. She teaches high-altitude medicine for the local Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Everest Guides. Susan has served as a medic at a remote field camp and ice breaker in Antarctica, explored for gold in the Dominican Republic and produced a documentary in the Amazon jungle. Susan also spent a decade working at an urgent care ski clinic in Crested Butte where she also worked as a professional ski patroller, guide, K-9 avalanche expert and SAR member. Susan was named a brand Ambassador for Marmot and received Congressional Recognition for her role in avalanche search and rescue.

Author Mikel Classen speaks with the U.P. Notable Books Book Club about his award winning book Lake Superior Tales. MIKEL B. CLASSEN has been writing and photographing northern Michigan in newspapers and magazines for over thirty-five years, creating feature articles about the life and culture of Michigan's north country. A journalist, historian, photographer and author with a fascination of the world around him, he enjoys researching and writing about lost stories from the past. He is the founder of the U.P. Reader and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association. In 2020, Mikel won the Historical Society of Michigan's, George Follo Lifetime Achievement Award for Upper Peninsula History. His book Points North: Discover Hidden Campgrounds, Natural Wonders, and Waterways of the Upper Peninsula achieved the HSM's highest honor, The State History Award. Classen makes his home in the oldest city in Michigan, historic Sault Ste. Marie. He is also a collector of out-of-print history books, and historical photographs and prints of Upper Michigan. At Northern Michigan University, he studied English, history, journalism and photography.

Author Ann Dallman discusses her award winning young adult novel Cady and the Bear Necklace with the U.P. Notable Books Book Club. ANN DALLMAN has lifelong roots in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and more than two decades of teaching experience. She likes to write about artists and mysteries and people of all ages who have overcome challenges. Ann earned a BS Journ. Ed. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MA in Secondary Ed./Reading from Viterbo University..She started out as a newspaper reporter/photographer (her first love!) and returned to journalism after retiring from teaching. Ann loves delving into “the story behind the story” whether it be of persons, places or things. She continues to freelance for several publications while writing additional Middle Grade novels about her favorite character, 13-year-old Cady, and the challenges she faces–and overcomes–while solving mysteries

Author Michael Carrier talks with the U.P. Notable Books Book Club about his award winning book Murder on Sugar Island. MICHAEL CARRIER has published fourteen books of fiction, all centered on his main character, Jack Handler, a retired Chicago homicide detective. His books have been featured throughout the Midwest, mainly centering in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Michael Carrier never had a doubt that he would become a writer of fiction. When, as a journalism student in college, his professor asked him what he would like to do with his life, he told him that when he turned fifty years of age he would begin writing fiction. The professor was not pleased that Michael wanted to delay his career, and so challenged the rationale. Michael simply told him that he would not start writing novels until he had accumulated an appropriate inventory of life experiences. However, his professor, who happened to be the editor of a national weekly magazine, gave Michael a job writing for him. At various times in his life, Michael has driven truck throughout the US, hustled pool and gambled poker from Texas to Montana, traveled the country hitchhiking, spent five years in New York's East Greenwich Village, delivered diamonds for a New York wholesaler (he disguised himself as a down-and-outer), tended bar at a New York nightclub, climbed dozens of water towers throughout the US, panned gold, skydived, and worked for over nearly three decades in private security.

Author James H. McCommons speaks with the U.P. Notable Books Book Club about his award winning book Camera Hunter: George Shiras III and the Birth of Wildlife Photography JAMES H. MCCOMMONS joined the Northern Michigan University faculty English dept. in 2001. He is a veteran journalist, specializing in ecology, environmental, and travel topics. He has written hundreds of general interest magazine articles. In the past few years, McCommons has contributed to the History Channel, Next American City, Wildlife Conservation, Organic Gardening, Backpacker, The Oregonian, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minneapolis Star and Tribune, the Saturday Evening Post, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Discover, and Michigan History. He attended the Art Institute of Boston majoring in photography and later earned a B.A. in creative writing from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. After several years of newspaper work and a stint in corporate communications, he moved to upstate New York where he was a freelance journalist from 1990 to 1997. During this period, he earned an M.A. in magazine journalism from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and an M.S. in environmental science from College of Environmental Science and Forestry-SUNY. McCommons is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

Author Phil Bellfy discusses his book "Three Fires Unity: The Anishnaabeg of the Lake Huron Borderlands" with the U.P. Notable Books book club. Phil Bellfy (Enrolled Member of the White Earth Band of Minnesota Chippewa) is a professor emeritus of American Indian studies at Michigan State University. He is also the author of Indians and Other Misnomers: A Cross-Reference Dictionary of the People, Persons, and Places of Native North America.