Photo by L.G Patterson Sean Spence has always had a passion for writing. Though he had dreams of being a professional novelist, Spence later learned that his skills were more attuned to nonfiction work. After graduating from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in history, he first thought he would pursue a career […]
Photos by L.G Patterson When a loved one is suddenly hit with a medical crisis, it can upend everything. But for local author Elaine Strawn, such a crisis also helped inspire a new novel. Strawn’s latest novel, Strokewaves, was inspired by her own experience after her husband suffered a catastrophic stroke two years ago, shaking […]
Photo by L.G. Patterson Phong Nguyen has known for a long time that he wanted to tell the story of the Trung sisters. Well, at least a version of it. The story of the Trung sisters is well known in Vietnamese culture. It tells the true tale of ancient warrior sisters, Trung Trac and Trung […]
Photo by L.G. Patterson Nicole Schroeder is not shy about describing herself as a bookworm. Surrounded by books since she could read, it’s no surprise the 24-year-old Columbia native has never had any doubt about the career she would one day pursue. “I don’t even remember when it was I first decided I wanted to be […]
If you’ve ever struggled to figure out the best things to do in Columbia on a Friday or Saturday night, there’s a new book for you. 100 Things to Do in Columbia, Missouri, Before You Die by local author Stephen Paul Sayers provides a bucket list of activities, sights and iconic traditions to explore in […]
Photo By: L.G. Patterson Lynne Jensen Lampe’s debut poetry collection revolves around one topic: her relationship with her late mother. Many of us can claim complicated relationships with one or both parents, but Lampe’s experience was shaped by the medical landscape of the late 1950s and ‘60s. And her first book, Talk Smack to a […]
Photos by L.G. Patterson Alex Demczak knows firsthand the power of a really good motivational speech. While attending the University of Missouri, the former walk-on quarterback met best-selling author and speaker Jon Gordon, who was brought in to speak to the Tigers on occasion. Demczak says he connected with Gordon’s message and the two stayed […]
Photos by L.G. Patterson The freedom to read is something that’s held particularly dear at Skylark Bookshop. So when reports of banned and challenged books began to increase, staff members took note. Just last year, there were more than 700 reported book challenges in the United States, according to the American Library Association’s annual State […]
Photos by L.G. Patterson With summer comes vacation, which for some can mean loading up the car with suitcases and snacks, and hitting the road with loved ones. Local author Kathleen Basi’s debut novel, A Song for the Road, tells the story of an unconventional cross-country road trip that becomes a journey of discovery. After all, she […]
Photos submitted Seven years ago, Alex George founded the Unbound Book Festival with the mission of bringing together readers and writers to create diverse communities, exposing participants to new ideas and authors. Since then, it has grown to become a nationally recognized literary festival, right in the heart of Missouri. Unbound brings together authors of […]
Photos by L.G. Patterson Growing up, Nina Mukerjee Furstenau was raised between two cultures. As a toddler, her family left India and immigrated to Chicago and then to Pittsburg, Kansas. While her parents spoke Bengali at home, Furstenau otherwise had a typical Midwest upbringing, with summers spent playing softball and going to county fairs. So […]
Just three years ago Skylark Bookshop opened its doors with a plan to do more than just sell books. Their purpose was to build community within their walls. That’s why Alex George, owner of Skylark and a novelist, started planning for a book club at the local, independent downtown bookstore back in 2020. He envisioned […]
Photos by LG Patterson What do the University of Missouri’s president and a fiction novel about the California gold rush have in common? A writer named Gordy Sauer. As Mun Choi’s speech writer and an about-to-be-published author, Sauer believes fiction and speech writing have a lot of parallels. “Speech writing is for someone, so you […]
Local author Kevin Doyle is living a double life. But, unlike the characters in mystery and detective novels like the ones he writes, his second identity isn’t a secret.
John Faaborg’s love of birds took flight early on. “My brother took me birding when I was 7 years old and I was hooked for life,” he says. “The excitement of being able to identify birds was one of the first things that drew me in, then . . .
JILL ORR’S NEWEST RELEASE EXAMINE INTERGENERATIONAL ALCHEMY. Jill Orr, formerly solely a mystery-genre writer, decided to step out of her comfort zone this fall and launch a new humor non-fiction gift book, How Not to Be Old (Even if You Are). Orr’s first foray into the world of humorous books explores how those across different […]
A book of prose poems that was first imagined and contributed to over 15 years ago is now coming to fruition. Mid-Missourian Walter Bargen, one of Missouri’s former poet laureates, is publishing his 24th book this August. The prose poetry book, Pole Dancing in the Night Club of God focuses on well-known Biblical characters in […]
“You’ll think of The Paris Hours for many hours after you’ve finished it, haunted by its shocking ending.” Paris in the 1920s was a magnet magnifique, attracting all manner of artists, both acclaimed and aspiring. It hosted the likes of literary legends such as Ernest Hemingway, Marcel Proust and Gertrude Stein, musicians such as composer […]
Peter Geye is so thrilled we’re talking about snow. It’s mid-February, his hometown of Minneapolis is enjoying a balmy mid-30-degree day, and unlike most of us curmudgeons praying for sunlight he’s not exactly ecstatic the winds are starting to change. Spring is fine. Spring is spring. But winter? Winter is where every story seems to […]
Claude McKay Love isn’t sure what he’s doing in Columbia, Missouri. The protagonist of Gabriel Bump’s gut-punch of a debut novel, Everywhere You Don’t Belong, Claude knows nothing of Missouri. His world revolves around Chicago’s South Side — specifically Euclid Avenue, where Bump himself once spent his mornings walking to the Jeffrey Local bus stop, […]
