PHOTO CREDIT: Sharon Vanorny
In works of creative non-fiction, writing about place allows authors to nimbly reimagine and reintroduce familiar landmarks and locations. Two local writers have done exactly this in new books that offer a fresh perspective on Wisconsin places we thought we knew.
Madison writer Krista Eastman, a Wisconsin native who grew up in the Driftless Area of the state, debuts a contemporary collection that provides a nuanced portrait of both the familiar and the foreign. In The Painted Forest, Eastman moves between local backdrops and far-flung locales to raise insightful questions about identity, curiosity and an unlikely array of individuals. Eastman’s musings offer keen observations that infuse each essay in this boundary-breaking anthology with a playful voice and artful imagination. The Painted Forest gives even the most erudite Wisconsinite new places to explore and an enlightened ethos on life in the Midwest.
If you ask any Wisconsinite to name the waterpark capital of the world, they will probably (and correctly) identity the Wisconsin Dells. But as J Tyler Friedman shows in his book, Among the Wonders of the Dells: Photography, Place, Tourism, this unique geographical area has a rich history that encompasses much more than waterslides and wave pools. Friedman, who serves as associate curator of contemporary art at the Museum of Wisconsin Art, has compiled the first comprehensive photographic history of the Dells region, featuring never-before-seen images by eight artists. Picturesque photos are accompanied by rich essays that explore Wisconsin’s supreme tourist destination of both today and yesteryear.
Boswell Book Co. will host authors Krista Eastman and J Tyler Friedman on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m.
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