NORFOLK, Neb. – The Visiting Writers Series at Northeast Community College will begin the fall semester with a presentation by a writer with roots in both Iowa and Nebraska, and who serves as an advocate for conservation in the Loess Hills.
Kelly Madigan will speak on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 4 p.m., in the Union 73 Coffee Shop, on Northeast’s main campus, 801 E. Benjamin Ave., in Norfolk.
Madigan’s book, Getting Sober: A Practical Guide to Making It Through the First 30 Days, published by McGraw-Hill, is an effort to get tools quickly into the hands of people struggling to get sober, and is based in part on her 30 years of work as a licensed drug and alcohol counselor.
Madigan is also an award-winning poet and essayist, whose awards include a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in creative writing, and the Distinguished Artist Award in Literature from the Nebraska Arts Council. She teaches creative writing workshops with an environmental focus through Larksong Writers Place. Her collection of poetry, The Edge of Known Things, was published by Stephen F. Austin State University Press.
Madigan is a certified wildland firefighter, a volunteer bald eagle nest monitor, a long-distance walker, a hula hoop instructor, and an enthusiast for connecting people to wild places in nature and within themselves.
The Visiting Writers Series is sponsored by the Northeast Community College English Department. All events are free and open to the public. For further information, contact Bonnie Johnson-Bartee, coordinator, at bonnie@northeast.edu or call (402) 844-7673.
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