Online
Book Discussion
media release: This year, we hope you’ll join River Valley Commons as we explore ways to better understand and support our veterans.
This three-part series will begin with a lecture on bridging the civilian and military divide by Doug Bradley and Leanne Knobloch on July 11, at 6:30.
From there, we’ll learn more by reading and discussing Erin Celello’s book Learning to Stay on July 27. Free copies of the book are available at local libraries and we’ll hand out more at the July 11 lecture.
We’ll be hosting a writing workshop for veterans on October 14-16 at Bethel Horizons. Civilians can help by sponsoring a veteran’s attendance.
More on the July 27 event:
Join us for a community read and discussion of the book Learning to Stay by Erin Celello. Free (though donations are appreciated!) copies of the book are available at libraries in Clyde, Lone Rock, Plain, and Spring Green. We'll have a discussion with the author on July 27, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Arcadia Books will be a host site for the Zoom discussion if you don't want to do Zoom yourself.
Learning to Stay tells the story of the military experience from the perspective of a wife whose husband returns from Iraq with a traumatic brain injury that has turned him from a thoughtful, brilliant, and patient man into someone quite different. The book is about their journey of healing and resilience in the face of a new, unexpected life path.
Erin Celello is the author of Miracle Beach and Learning to Stay. She was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where she also earned an MFA in fiction from Northern Michigan University. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, two sons, and two unruly Vizslas. She teaches writing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.