Wisconsin author Sara Rath will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, at the Sturm Memorial Library in Manawa.
Originally from Manawa, Rath is best known for her two novels “Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages” and “The Waters of Star Lake.”
She will read selections from “The Waters of Star Lake,” talk about her experiences as a writer, and take questions from the audience.
Books will be available for purchase and the author will do signings after her presentation.
Rath grew up in Manawa and earned her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, She also earned a master of fine arts from Vermont College.
Her first experiences with publishing were in poetry and in 1984 she won the Wisconsin Library Association Banta Award for “Remembering the Wilderness.” More critically acclaimed volumes of poetry followed and a new volume will be published soon.
The Manawa native is also known for her works of non-fiction including “About Cows,” “The Complete Cow,” “The Complete Pig” and “H.H. Bennett, Photographer: His American Landscape,” which was a finalist for The Midwest Book Award.
Rath’s novels are what most of her readers know her for and they don’t disappoint.
“Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages” features Hannah Swann and her struggle to bring a northwoods resort back to life. The oddball cast of characters, a good sense of place and Hannah’s own acceptance of the northwoods “makes for a diversion as pleasant as a quiet summer day at the lakeshore,” according to “Publisher’s Weekly.”
Another novel, “Night Sisters,” tells the story of Nell, a young woman from “Little Wolf, Wis.,” who channels a 1920s radio actress after visiting a spiritualist camp. Along the way, Nell deals with a long-buried secret from her past. “Publisher’s Weekly” called this novel a “satisfying paranormal melodrama.”
Rath’s latest novel, “The Waters of Star Lake,” and the one she will focus on for this event, involves newly-widowed Natalie’s return to her rustic northwoods cottage for some solitude and healing. Wolves, John Dillinger and another cast of eccentric characters keep her from solitude but help her find healing in unexpected ways.
“Booklist,” a premier library review journal, calls this novel a “great summer mystery read.”
This event is the first of three adult programs that the Sturm Memorial Library will host through the fall.
For more information, call the library at 920-596-2252 or visit online at www.manawalibrary.org.