Bonnie Jo Campbell

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Dickinson County Library will host Michigan author Bonnie Jo Campbell, whose book “The Waters” was the January 2024 “Today” Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Selection, from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, at the Dickinson County Library in Iron Mountain.

Campbell will share her inspiration and process for writing “The Waters,” a novel about exceptional women and the soul of a small town, with teens and adults.

“The Waters” was mentioned in Oprah Daily in January as a best new novels to read. Her book also received starred reviews in Booklist and Foreword, as well as raves from Ron Charles at The Washington Post, Jane Smiley in the Los Angeles Times and from The Christian Science Monitor staff. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

“We are excited to be hosting Ms. Campbell this summer,” the library’s Emily Cummings said. “Her book has been compared to ‘Where the Crawdads Sing,’ which was a favorite of many library patrons. ‘The Waters’ is sure to be a new favorite and getting to meet the author always adds an extra experience to understanding the story.”

Campbell’s other novels include “Once Upon a River,” a national bestseller that was adapted into a full-length feature film released in 2020, and “Q Road.”

Her critically acclaimed short fiction collections include “American Salvage,” which was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award; “Women and Other Animals,” winner of the AWP Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction; and “Mothers, Tell Your Daughters.”

She was a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow whose other honors include a Pushcart Prize, the Eudora Welty Prize and the Mark Twain Award. She lives outside Kalamazoo, Mich., with her husband and two donkeys.

Campbell’s visit is funded in part by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.

The program at the library is sponsored by Dr. Dale and Lucy Shampo.