News Release from Northwestern Michigan College 1701 E. Front St., Traverse City MI 49686 Contact: Paul Heaton, 231 995-1019, email: pheaton@nmc.edu Date: March 24, 2008 News Archive

History, humor authors plan NMC visits April 16, 29

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Northwestern Michigan College’s Osterlin Library will introduce a new author series by sponsoring two author visits in April. Both events are free and open to the public.

Mark Hoffman, author of "My Brave Mechanics: The First Michigan Engineers and Their Civil War,” a 2008 Michigan Notable Books selection, will read and answer questions at  NMC’s Oleson Center at 12:30 p.m. on  April 16.  “My Brave Mechanics”is the culmination of more than 20 years of research on the subject and draws heavily on soldier letters, diaries, and other wartime primary sources. 

The Michigan Notable Books program dates to 1991 and is designed to promote reading and raise awareness of Michigan’s literary heritage.  Each year, 20 of the most outstanding books published in that year are selected -- titles that are reflective of Michigan's diverse ethnic, historical, literary and cultural experience. Hoffman is currently deputy director, Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries and earned a B. A. from Michigan State University.

Michael Perry, author of “Truck: A Love Story" will appear at 7 p.m. on April 29 at the Hagerty Center on NMC’s Great Lakes campus. Perry’s book focuses on his relationship with his International Harvester red truck, his seed catalogs and life in his home in rural Wisconsin. Perry is also author of the bestselling memoir “Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time,” and the essay collection “Off Main Street.”  He has written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Outside, Backpacker, Orion and Salon.com, and is a contributing editor to Men’s Health.  His essays have been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered and he has produced two live audience recordings.

Both authors will have books available for purchase and signing.

Maggie Bacon, director of the Osterlin Library, said the April author appearances will help gauge audience interest in more such visits and complement existing community programs, such as the TC Reads community reading project. For the last two years, NMC has co-sponsored that program, in which the entire community reads the same book and which culminates with a visit by the author.

“For an aspiring writer, few experiences match meeting a published author. We hope that these authors serve to inspire both readers and writers in the Grand Traverse region,” Bacon said.

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