On a Clear Night

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Essays from the Heartland

Marnie O. Mamminga

A collection of essays reflecting on the joys, simplicities, and unexpected twists and turns of everyday life as viewed from the cities, rural lands, and natural wilderness of the American Midwest.

256 pages, 5.5 x 8.5
Paperback: $20.00 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-824-9
Ebook: $15.99 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-825-6
Publication Date: 5/24/2017

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Description

In this dazzling essay collection, best-selling memoirist Marnie Mamminga captures the poignant and often underappreciated moments that make up everyday life in the Heartland: taking a teenager out for driving lessons, visiting an aging parent in a nursing home, cheering for the Cubs at Wrigley Field, or sitting on a cabin porch, listening for loons and wolves under the Northwoods’ starry sky. These sharply observed vignettes—some humorous, some heartrending—explore the dynamics of marriage, friendships, parenthood, careers, the natural world, and more. On a Clear Night proves that our most personal experiences can unite us, and that the most ordinary aspects of our lives can also be the most beautiful.

With insight and humor, Mamminga chronicles the common experiences that unite those of us who live, love, and work in the heart of the country. Combining elements of the personal and the universal, these essays chart the passage of time from childhood to adulthood, sickness to health, working life to retirement, parenthood to grandparenthood, and everything in between. With keen insight and compassion, On a Clear Night highlight the importance of taking time to appreciate the everyday occurrences that shape our lives and the places we call home.

Author Bio

Marnie O. Mamminga

Marnie O. Mamminga is a lifelong essayist and author who has spent decades crafting evocative nonfiction rooted in family, nature, and place. Her debut memoir, Return to Wake Robin, was named a Parade Magazine “Best Read” of summer 2012 and featured on Wisconsin Public Radio. In addition, her essays have appeared in such publications as the Chicago Tribune, Reader’s Digest, Christian Science Monitor, Lake Superior Magazine, and several books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Mamminga lives in Batavia, Illinois.

The author of ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ lets her Midwest roots show. The essay collection includes reflections on a night in a North Woods cabin and kayaking on Wisconsin lakes, but it’s no travelogue. Marnie O. Mamminga finds illumination in sharing ‘our similar everyday moments.’ Her quotidian wisdom is expressed in perfect pitch with words well-chosen and a decided lack of drama.