Writers Guild Bloomington Hosting Local Authors at Inaugural Book Fair Book lovers can meet 30 authors at Monroe County History Center in November

Michael G. Glab

The Writers Guild at Bloomington is hosting the inaugural Local Authors Book Fair on November 2 at the Monroe County History Center. Readers and aspiring writers can talk with 30 authors who have published in a number of genres and formats. Michael G. Glab interviewed several of the participants for this preview. Read the writeup here.

October 10, 2024

Nancy Hiller’s latest book, ‘Shop Tails: The Animals Who Help Us Make Things Work,’ is ostensibly about the animals who have accompanied her during her distinguished career as a woodworker. But as reviewer Yaël Ksander writes, ‘Rebel Girl’ Hiller has done this before: use her craft to talk about broader issues. In this case, ‘Shop Tails’ isn’t just another publishing achievement, ‘it’s an artifact of the deep healing Hiller knew she could no longer put off.’

‘Shop Tails: The Animals Who Help Us Make Things Work’ by Nancy Hiller Book Review by Yaël Ksander for the Limestone Reader

Yaël Ksander

You won’t get too far into Nancy Hiller’s new book, Shop Tails: The Animals Who Help Us Make Things Work, without realizing you’re reading more than a book about critters, writes Yaël Ksander in her review for the Limestone Reader. This isn’t the first time Hiller has used woodworking to explore much bigger issues, but Shop Tails was written “at a reckoning point.” Click here to read Yaël’s review.

January 12, 2022

Sponsorship

Ali Beckman brings bugs to life on Instagram @SoFlyTaxidermy, which has more than 140K followers. While the Bloomington resident says her goal is “to make people laugh” and see the beauty in insects, her cartoons often address grittier topics. A collection of her work is being published by Red Lightning Books. | Photos courtesy of Ali Beckman

Bugs Come to Life in Ali Beckman’s So Fly Taxidermy

Dason Anderson

“I get up, I make coffee, and I think about bugs,” says Ali Beckman, a B-town resident whose Instagram account has 145K fans. While her goal is “to make people laugh” and see the beauty in insects, her gritty bug cartoons @SoFlyTaxidermy often address serious topics. Writer Dason Anderson asked Beckman about her work — and her book deal. Click here for the story.

June 17, 2020

Annie Corrigan (left), WFIU "Morning Edition" host and producer of WFIU’s weekly sustainable food program, "Earth Eats," and local food blogger and photographer Shelly Westerhausen are releasing cookbooks this spring. | Photo by Mark Anthony Kathurima

Two New Cookbooks Offer Local Flavors and Far-Flung Adventure

Ruthie Cohen, Mark Anthony Kathurima

Ruthie Cohen takes a look at two new cookbooks by local authors: Earth Eats Real Food Green Living, by the producer of the WFIU radio show Earth Eats, Annie Corrigan, with Chef Daniel Orr; and Vegetarian Heartland: Recipes for Life’s Adventures, by food blogger Shelly Westerhausen. Ruthie says each book offers “carefully constructed recipes peppered with stories and reminiscences.” Click here for the full story and a few recipes.

May 4, 2017

Journalist Doug Wissing has become something of a hands-on scholar of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. After embedding with several military units and speaking with the people of Afghanistan, Wissing says he was able to see “every aspect of the war.” | Photo courtesy of US Army, Major Denton Smith

Big Mike’s B-town: Doug Wissing, Embedded Journalist

Michael G. Glab

Journalist Doug Wissing has become something of a hands-on scholar of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. After embedding with several military units, Wissing says he was able to see “every aspect of the war.” He shared his observations on the U.S. conflict in the war-torn country with Michael G. Glab. Read all about it in Glab’s column, Big Mike’s B-town.

April 13, 2017

Sponsorship

Photo by Jim Krause, Tabletop Productions ttop.com

Big Mike’s B-town: Nancy Hiller, Cabinetmaker and Author

Michael G. Glab

Nancy Hiller went from “cobbling together” scraps of wood in her dining room in England to owning a successful woodworking studio in Bloomington. She has also written several noteworthy books about her craft, including her latest, Making Things Work: Tales from A Cabinetmaker’s Life. Read more about Hiller and her many talents in Michael G. Glab’s column, Big Mike’s B-town.