Laurence Kruckman

media release: Join Laurence Kruckman at Mount Horeb’s downtown Driftless Historium (100 S 2nd St) on Tuesday, September 29 at 6:00 p.m. for the official launch of his new book, Driftless Anthology: Coming of Age in Western Wisconsin. At this family-friendly, free event, Kruckman will share his rediscovery of the hills, valleys, and small towns in the Driftless Region where he spent his youth.

His book is a heartfelt journey in which Kruckman’s reflections and stories explore how this unique landscape—and the people and experiences within it—shaped his life. His childhood adventures in Mount Horeb, encounters with remarkable characters, memories of post-war Wisconsin and reflections on identity and belonging work together to capture the spirit of a place unlike any other. Along the way, he introduces readers to war heroes, teachers, soda jerks, coaches, conservationists, family members, local legends, and lifelong friends whose influence extended far beyond their titles.

Laurence Kruckman is a medical anthropologist, educator, and writer whose work has appeared in numerous academic journals, including American Anthropologist, Social Science and Medicine, and Medical Anthropology. He taught at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, Humboldt State University, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After a forty-year academic career, Kruckman returned to Mount Horeb, his boyhood home, where he began documenting the people, places, and experiences that shaped his life. Driftless Anthology is the result of that journey home.

Kruckman also served on the Mount Horeb Area Historical Society Board of Directors, and was integral in the planning and fundraising for an expanded museum and research facility—an ambitious project that resulted in the Driftless Historium, now an award-winning cultural center and a vital component of Mount Horeb’s heritage tourism economy.