On a Clear Night - Essays from the Heartland

By Marnie Mamminga

Best-selling North Woods memoirist Marnie Mamminga returns to the Society Press with this dazzling collection of essays on the extraordinarily ordinary rhythms of the Midwest—from the anxiety of taking a teenager out for driving lessons, the nostalgic pleasure of watching the Cubs at Wrigley Field, the heartache of moving an aging parent into a nursing home, and the quiet bliss of sitting on a cabin’s porch, listening for loons and wolves under the Northwoods’ starry sky.

With insight and humor, On a Clear Night 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. These sharply observed vignettes highlight the importance of taking time to appreciate the ordinary occurrences that profoundly shape our lives and the places we call home.