U.P. Notable Books Club

Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association

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Books
Updated Monthly

Each month, the U.P. Notable Books Club brings you another award-winning author Q&A from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. These writers have been awarded the U.P. Notable Books Award and host a lively discussion with a dial-in audience as moderated by Evelyn Gathu, Director of the Crystal Falls District Community Library in Crystal Falls, Michigan.

2d ago

S7 E7 Piracy on the Great Lakes with Mikel B. Classen

Season 7: Episode 6 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Mikel B. Classen speaking about his book "Piracy on the Great Lakes: True Tales of Freshwater Pirates." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. For more information, please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com https://mikelbclassen.com MIKEL B. CLASSEN is an award-winning author, historian, photographer, and publisher whose passion for Michigan's Upper Peninsula shines through every project. He's the author of Grand Island: Island of History and Mystery, Points North: Discover Hidden Campgrounds, Natural Wonders, and Waterways of the Upper Peninsula, and Yooper Ale Trails. Mikel joins us to share the stories, history, and hidden treasures that make the Great Lakes region such a remarkable place.
Jul 10

S7 E6 Superior Stories with Helen Raica-Klotz

Season 7: Episode 6 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Helen Raica-Klotz speaking about her book "Superior Stories." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future UP Notable Book Club speakers! For more information, please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com https://raica-klotz.com/ HELEN RAICA-KLOTZ has a Masters in English from Central Michigan University, and she teaches composition courses at Saginaw Valley State University. She's also taught writing at a regional prison, a homeless shelter, an alternative high school, and other places where she can find people with stories to tell. Her fiction and creative non-fiction has appeared in various publications, including The MacGuffin, Porcupine Literary, Dunes Review, Literary Mama, and Great Lakes Review. Helen lives in northern Michigan with her husband, Steve, and their large black lab, Atticus. Here, she spends much of her time walking through the woods - and avoiding grading papers and cooking.
Jun 12

S7 E5 Wild Blueberry Summer

Season 7: Episode 5 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Jon C. Stott speaking about his book "Wild Blueberry Summer: More Upper Michigan Moments and Memories." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future UP Notable Book Club speakers! For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com www.modernhistorypress.com/store/Jon-C-Stott-c132541501 JON C. STOTT has been previously honored for Yooper Ale Trails: Craft Breweries and Brewpubs of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (2023). He is a man with many interests, including the natural world, U.P. history, professional hockey, and of course, a good craft brew. Wild Blueberry Summer: More Upper Michigan Moments and Memories is actually the second memoir of his cottage visits and local ramblings in the Crooked Lake area. The first book, Summers at the Lake: Upper Michigan Moments and Memories, spans several decades, while Wild Blueberry Summer follows his adventures over a single calendar season.
May 19

S7 E4 Living On Sisu- The 1913 Union Copper Strike Tragedy with Deborah K Frontiera

Season 7: Episode 4 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Deborah K. Frontiera speaking about her book "Living On Sisu: The 1913 Union Copper Strike Tragedy." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com www.authorsden.com/deborahkfrontiera DEBORAH K. FRONTIERA grew up in Lake Linden with some friends whose fathers worked in the Calumet & Hecla stamp mill, others whose Finnish parents and grandparents farmed the Traprock Valley, and a father and grandfather who were in business and mining engineering. She, like her character Emma, found it difficult to sort out the multiple sides of the 1913 union strike. She taught in Houston public schools from 1985 until 2008 and then taught creative writing part-time for Houston's WITS (Writers In The Schools) program. Upon retirement from teaching, she and her husband moved back to her beloved U.P., but they head south during part of the winter to be with their daughters and grandchildren. She has written for children, young adults and adults, fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Several of her books have won awards.
Apr 14

S7 E3 Vigil with Ellen Lord

Season 7: Episode 3 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Ellen Lord speaking about her book "Vigil." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future UP Notable Book Club speakers! For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com www.ellenlordauthor.com ELLEN LORD grew up in the wilds of northern Michigan. Her writing is inspired by exploration of the natural world and by the stories of folks she has met along the way. She is a confessional poet with a penchant for humor and melancholy. She is a Behavioral Health therapist and resides in both Charlevoix and Trout Creek, Michigan. She often leads poetry workshops and readings in Northern and Upper Michigan. Her first chapbook, Relative Sanity (Modern History Press, 2023) is available wherever new books are sold. Learn more at ellenlordauthor.com.
Mar 13

S7 E2 Rescuing Crash, The Good Dog with Sue Harrison

Season 7: Episode 2 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Sue Harrison speaking about her book "Rescuing Crash, The Good Dog." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future UP Notable Book Club speakers! For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com https://sueharrison.com/ SUE HARRISON was raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and lives in Pickford with her husband Neil, a retired high school principal. A graduate of Pickford High School and Lake Superior State University, Harrison was named an LSSU Distinguished Alumna and served eight years on the University’s Board of Regents. She was an adjunct instructor of creative writing and advanced creative writing and worked in the public relations department as the University writer and acting department head. Sue has written six novels set in ancient Alaska. Her other novels include Sisu, a National Advanced Readers Book, and The Midwife’s Touch, which was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2023 Society of Midland Authors’ national literary awards adult fiction competition. It was also an Amazon top ten bestseller and named a 2024 Upper Peninsula Notable Book. In 2023, she was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Literary Hall of Fame.
Feb 2

S7 E1 Garden Sleeping, Garden Growing with Diana Magnuson

Season 7: Episode 1 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Diana Magnuson speaking about her book "Garden Sleeping, Garden Growing." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future UP Notable Book Club speakers! For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com https://www.dianamagnuson.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Sleeping-Growing-Around-Year/dp/B0FRCPFPVV Diana Magnuson has illustrated over a hundred children's books, bringing characters to life with brush and pencil. She taught illustration classes at Northern Michigan University and presented in schools. In 2016, she was named Marquette City's Visual Artist of the year. Her gallery work focuses on Nature and Climate Change. She now resides with her husband and dog Annwyn in Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior.
12/13/2025

S6 E11 Make It Go In the Snow, People and Ideas in the History of Snowmobiles with Larry Jorgensen

Season 6: Episode 11 --The UP Notable Book Club presents Larry Jorgensen, speaking about his book, "Make It Go In the Snow: People and Ideas in the History of Snowmobiles." The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) presents author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. Make sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any future UP Notable Book Club speakers! For more information please visit the links below www.UPPAA.org www.UPNotable.com www.amazon.com/Make-Go-Snow-History-Snowmobiles/dp/1615998144 LARRY JORGENSEN first became addicted to the sport and business of snowmobiling after buying his first sled, an Arctic Cat, in 1967. He purchased that Cat from the first Arctic Cat dealer in Green Bay, a local shoe repair shop which had a total available inventory of two machines. Jorgensen was fortunate to become a riding member of the pioneer cross-country snowmobile group, the Peninsula Pathfinders of Upper Michigan. He participated in the club's first three long-distance rides, including the 1970 trip across the giant Mackinac Bridge which connects lower Michigan to the Upper Peninsula. Although he owned the Arctic Cat, he had been convinced to ride an Eskimo snowmobile and it may have been the only time an Eskimo sled crossed the Big Mac.

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out of 5

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Each month, the U.P. Notable Books Club brings you another award-winning author Q&A from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. These writers have been awarded the U.P. Notable Books Award and host a lively discussion with a dial-in audience as moderated by Evelyn Gathu, Director of the Crystal Falls District Community Library in Crystal Falls, Michigan.

Creator

Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association
Years Active

2021 - 2026
Episodes

57
Rating

Clean
Copyright

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U.P. Notable Books Club