A weekend getaway to Deadwood and this year’s South Dakota Festival of Books provided us the opportunity to meet and listen to many authors that the gathering attracts. You have to pick and choose because several sessions run at the same hour. I counted 65 authors in attendance.
First, I chose Hank Phillippi Ryan’s presentation “An Inside Look at Fiction and Journalism.” She is an investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV who has won 34 Emmys and 14 Edward R. Murrow Awards. After years of reporting she started writing thriller novels.
ML Cavanaugh, an active duty lieutenant colonel in the U. S. Army presented “How Fiction Can Preserve National Security and Save Our Democracy,” and a fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point. His message - stories shape society.
A colleague of Cavanaugh’s and co-editor, John Amble is the editorial director at the Modern War Institute at West Point. He presented “From Washington to Patton…to Skywalker: Why the Most Powerful Military in the World Is Turning to Fiction.” He made one interesting point: military reading lists have started to include fiction works.
While attending other sessions I won’t bother to mention, it was the last one that was most impactful. Megan Phelps-Roper was a former member of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. Led by her grandfather, that was the church that protested military funerals, gays, and whatever else he deemed sinful. She and her sister through social media started seeing that alternative views existed and escaped to live and think freely. Powerful. It will be the theme of my next newspaper column.
The festival concluded with the “Longmire” author, Craig Johnson, giving his always humorous talk. Next year the festival will be back in Brookings and good chance we’ll drive down I-29 to attend.
First, I chose Hank Phillippi Ryan’s presentation “An Inside Look at Fiction and Journalism.” She is an investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV who has won 34 Emmys and 14 Edward R. Murrow Awards. After years of reporting she started writing thriller novels.
ML Cavanaugh, an active duty lieutenant colonel in the U. S. Army presented “How Fiction Can Preserve National Security and Save Our Democracy,” and a fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point. His message - stories shape society.
A colleague of Cavanaugh’s and co-editor, John Amble is the editorial director at the Modern War Institute at West Point. He presented “From Washington to Patton…to Skywalker: Why the Most Powerful Military in the World Is Turning to Fiction.” He made one interesting point: military reading lists have started to include fiction works.
While attending other sessions I won’t bother to mention, it was the last one that was most impactful. Megan Phelps-Roper was a former member of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. Led by her grandfather, that was the church that protested military funerals, gays, and whatever else he deemed sinful. She and her sister through social media started seeing that alternative views existed and escaped to live and think freely. Powerful. It will be the theme of my next newspaper column.
The festival concluded with the “Longmire” author, Craig Johnson, giving his always humorous talk. Next year the festival will be back in Brookings and good chance we’ll drive down I-29 to attend.
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