Live! Michigan Author Right Here at Wickson

As a young reader, I often wondered how it would feel to be an author. I wanted to ask the writers of the books I read where they got their ideas and how they pulled everything together into the wonderful stories that I read. Today there are many opportunities to hear from authors about their work- television interviews, podcasts, YouTube videos, and, of course, the online author talks organized by the Library Speakers Consortium and offered through Wickson. However, nothing can beat a live, in-person event, and Wickson is making this possible!

On March 26th at 6:00 pm, author Ellen Airgood will visit Wickson for an author talk, followed by a book signing and the opportunity to purchase copies of her award-winning books.

Ellen Airgood is a Michigan native who lives and works near Grand Marais, MI. She and her husband own and run the Uglyfish Baking Company, which is housed in a redesigned Airstream camper on their property. Before opening the bakery, they owned and ran a deli in Grand Marais for over 20 years. She shared her story in a wonderful New York Times Modern Love essay from 2011 titled “A Side Order of Romance, Please.”

Airgood is the author of four books set in the Upper Peninsula:

• South of Superior (2011) is her debut novel about Madeline Stone, a woman who moves from Chicago to the Upper Peninsula to care for a pair of elderly sisters.

• Prairie Evers (2012) is a Bank Street Best Book for middle grade readers about a 10-year-old girl named Prairie, her first true friend Ivy, and the struggles and joys of growing up.

• The Education of Ivy Blake (2015) is the companion book to Prairie Evers that follows Ivy and highlights the resilience she shows as she faces many difficulties in life.

• Tin Camp Road (2021) is a Michigan Notable Book for 2023 set against the shores of Lake Superior. This is the uplifting story of single mother Laurel Hill and her daughter Skye who work to overcome the many adversities life throws at them.

Tin Camp Road was also Michigan’s “Great Places, Great Reads” book for 2023 and was featured in People Magazine as one of its Best New Books. In a 2021 interview with Philip Caputo about writing this book, Airgood said that she “…felt compelled to say something about the working poor and parenthood. [She] wanted to communicate that the lives of the working poor are nuanced, lively, and immediate and that characters flying and working under the radar are full of wonder, grit, and creativity.” This insight immediately led me to put Tin Camp Road on my want-to-read list. I find such value in experiencing the multitude of ways that people live, especially right here in Michigan, and Airgood’s expression this aim in her story feels so very human to me.

If you would like to attend this unique event, you can sign up at the circulation desk at Wickson or you can call and register at 989-652-8323. Space is limited and will likely fill up quickly, so grab your spot for this wonderful opportunity to hear from and meet an award-winning Michigan author.