Here on Lake Hallie

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In Praise of Barflies, Fix-It Guys, and Other Folks in Our Hometown

Patti See

A humorous and touching collection of essays about everyday and eccentric small-town folks in the heart of a Midwestern lake community.

192 pages, 5.5 x 8.5, 7 b&w photos
Paperback: $20.00 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-991-8
Ebook: $15.99 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-992-5
Publication Date: 5/10/2022

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Description

Essays on barflies, fix-it guys, and other eccentric small-town folks come together in a humorous and touching collection that shares the heart of a Midwestern lake community. Set against a backdrop of supper clubs, ice-fishing contests, and cribbage games, newspaper columnist Patti See’s stories combine childhood memories and midlife concerns to showcase the quirky charms of life on Lake Hallie in Wisconsin's Chippewa Valley.

Many of these essays—which cover everything from pontoon rides and thrift sales to supporting a son in the military and a parent with Alzheimer’s—were originally published in the Sawdust Stories column of the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. Together, they demonstrate a deep appreciation for country living and affirm that, above all else, it’s friends, family, and other hometown folks who provide us with a lifelong sense of belonging.

Author Bio

Patti See’s work has appeared in Salon Magazine, The Southwest Review, Brevity, Wisconsin People & Ideas, the Eau Claire Leader Telegram, and Volume One Magazine, among many other publications. She has also been a regular contributor to Wisconsin Life on Wisconsin Public Radio.

These intimate, kindhearted, and approachable essays satisfy all my expectations of great nonfiction. Seeʼs beloved Lake Hallie and Chippewa Falls come to life in these pages. You can practically hear the shake-a-day dice in a darkened barroom or the put-put-put of an outboard motor on a quiet summer evening out on the lake. A perfect expression of small-town Wisconsin.

Nickolas Butler

Author of "Shotgun Lovesongs and Godspeed"

“All communities have stories worth telling, but few have the good fortune to find the right person to tell those stories. Here on Lake Hallie is an example of whatʼs possible when the right person steps forth. Patti See reminds us with humor, clarity, and compassion that history, for the most part, happens not in the headlines but in the lived experience of the people around us."

—Max Garland, former Poet Laureate of Wisconsin and author of The Word We Used for It

"Patti Seeʼs lively account of life on Lake Hallie captures the ʻhereʼ of this special place—the history and odd characters, neighbors, sick parents, red boots, accidents, cribbage, marriage, kids, pests, and bad weather—while also hitting on the ʻthereʼ: the feelings of longing, love, and loss we can all relate to. These essays are filled with candor and wit, and by the time I got to the end, I felt See was the friend and neighbor I wished I had.”

—Christina Clancy, author of Shoulder Season and The Second Home