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I was working part-time at the Prairie Bookshop in Mount Horeb in 2008 when proprietor John Stowe pulled a book from the new shipment box and set it prominently on display. "This one is special," said Stowe, a measured man hardly prone to grand gestures.

The book was "Driftless" by Wisconsin novelist David Rhodes. I gingerly picked it up and read the first page, careful not to crack the spine as Stowe watched. I was immediately taken by the author's description of the land I'd grown up on, land I'd been taught was called "driftless" but never fully understood, always picturing abundant drifts of frigid snow instead of the absence of something, as Rhodes clarified for me in the best paragraph I'd ever read on the subject.

"Huh," I said, gently placing it back on its little easel throne.

"It's his first book in 30 years," Stowe said.

"Huh," I said again.

"He wrote three really good books in the 70s and then was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident," Stowe said. "He disappeared, now he's back. It's a remarkable story."

"Huh!" I said, then immediately used my employee discount to order it for myself.

(To date, that was the most expensive job I ever had.)

Soon after "Driftless" came "Jewelweed," and I remained a Rhodes fan though I'd moved on from the shop. Then Rhodes disappeared again, or so it seemed. But this month, nearly 10 years after "Jewelweed" was published, Rhodes is back with a beautiful new book, a move to Madison and yet another comeback story. Find my Q&A with him at the bottom of this newsletter.

Senior Editor Maggie Ginsberg curates this monthly newsletter for Madison Magazine.

What are you reading right now? Email and tell me!

Last week I finished The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore, and two things (well, many things) struck me: first, how is this nonfiction? And second, how have I never heard of Elizabeth Packard and all she did for mental healthcare in this country? I can't stop thinking about her, or this book. I wish I'd read it years ago, but since I can't go back in time, I'll just be grateful that Moore wrote it, and I was able to read it now. –Sarah M., Mount Horeb

Email Maggie your current reads

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Hot off the presses from the current issue of Madison Magazine

Dapper Cadaver owners are sitting side by side in front of some props holding an artificial leg and skull

Only in print for now

Dapper Cadaver is the Madison prop shop where Hollywood buys its dead bodies, and in the October issue contributing writer Jeff Oloizia brings us the story of its proprietors. "BJ Winslow grew up next to a cemetery with a mother who wrote ghost stories and threw elaborate Halloween parties," Oloizia writes. "Eileen Winslow thrilled at talking shop with her nurse grandmother and surreptitiously read Stephen King novels beneath the cover of Judy Blume."

On the left is the cover of the October issue of Madison Magazine and on the right is the opening spread of the "Madison Ghosts" cover story

Coming to newsstands

Aaron Conklin's cover story on Madison's Ghosts is only one delightful component of this spooky new issue. Inside you'll find the strange tale of a psychic boy and an "osteotaxist" who makes art from animal bones, plus jaw-dropping bloody marys and scary-good treats. There's plenty for the non-macabre, including a powerful new exhibit at the Chazen, a profile on the new UW men's soccer coach, a reader essay about a moody commute, and more.

Find the Issue

Favorites from past issues

Start the Presses: Phil Hassett is rejuvenating the centuries-old practice of letterpress at his home studio, Washboard Press. Former Madison Magazine associate editor Maija Inveiss profiled Hassett for the September issue. She learned about a type and printing museum that inspired him to start Washboard Press, as well as a lot of history about an analog practice that might be making a comeback in the digital age. Look for that story in print in last month's issue, or find it on madisonmagazine.com soon.

Don't miss these web-exclusive articles

Festival members and sponsors listen to Wisconsin Book Festival director Conor Moran announce the 20th anniversary festival lineup at the library.

From the web

The Wisconsin Book Festival announced its official lineup and schedule for the 20th-anniversary event, which takes place Oct. 13-16 at Central Library and other locations. This year’s lineup features 50 authors including Andy Weir of "Project Hail Mary"; Reese's Book Club author Thrity Umrigar of "Honor"; the aforementioned David Rhodes, author of "Painting Beyond Walls"; and — ahem — me, Maggie Ginsberg, author of "Still True," appearing with Mary Wimmer, author of "The Art of the Break."

On the left is the book Inaugural Ballers and on the right is author Andrew Maraniss

Doug Moe's Madison

On his "Doug Moe's Madison" blog this month, Moe remembers UW track great Don Gehrmann and his $425 running shoes, catches up with famed "Bull Durham writer/director Ron Shelton about his new book; speaks with author Andrew Maraniss about the untold story of the first U.S. women's Olympic basketball team, and breaks the news of Legendary UW Marching Band director Mike Leckrone's return to the stage in October with his new "Moments of Happiness" cabaret-style show at the Overture Center.

New book releases, author events and other local literary news

UW–Madison professor Ramzi Fawaz's "Queer Forms" is out this month from New York University Press.
Mary Wimmer's novel set in 1970s Milwaukee, "The Art of the Break," is out Oct. 4 from the University of Wisconsin Press.
2021 Autumn House Press Fiction Prize winner Wendy Wimmer's story collection, "Entry Level," is out Sept. 28.
Mount Horeb author Alex Bledsoe's new Southern gothic horror novel, "Dandelion," is out Oct. 4.
"Puddle Splashing," a parenting memoir from Madison writer Jessie Loeb, is now available.
Rural western Wisconsin poet, librarian and sheep-tender Elise Gregory's novel-in-stories, "The Clayfields," will be out Oct. 15 from Cornerstone Press.
MacArthur genius grant recipient Lynda Barry's graphic book, "It's So Magic," is out again this month from Drawn & Quarterly.
Tim Fox's "A Place to Grow," book two in the Place Series, was released on Sept. 22.
Ted Rulseh's "Ripple Effects: How We're Loving Our Lakes to Death" is out in October.
Bestselling Madison author Kelly Harms' new novel, "Wherever the Wind Takes Us," will be out Oct. 18.
Madison resident Pete Souza's new book, "West Wing and Beyond: What I Saw Inside the Presidency," is out Sept. 27.
"Get Me to The Abbey," which explores alcoholism and recovery through the eyes of a middle-aged Midwesterner, is out from former longtime Madisonian Lisa Avelleyra with Little Creek Press.
Jennée Sacken's new women's fiction/suspense novel, "Double Exposure," is out Sept. 27 from Ten16 Press.
Russ Feingold's book "The Constitution in Jeopardy" with Peter Prindiville is now available.
"Deep Green Envy," the third book in Joy Ann Ribar's Deep Lakes Cozy mystery series, is now available.
"Sondheim & Me," a memoir by former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editor Paul Salsini, is now out from Bancroft Press.

Meet a Wisconsin author

On the left is smiling author David Rhodes and on the right is the cover of his new book Painting Beyond Walls

Q&A with David Rhodes, author of 'Painting Beyond Walls'

It’s tempting to start an article about Wisconsin author David Rhodes with his personal story, which rivals that of any novel. But to do so would steal attention from the book itself, which is, as expected, terrific. “Painting Beyond Walls,” out this month from Milkweed Editions, will be celebrated with only one event: a Wisconsin Book Festival appearance on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. It is the sixth book for Rhodes, 76, who recently moved from Iowa City with his wife to Madison to be closer to family and friends after decades in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region. In fact, “Driftless” was the name of the book that marked Rhodes’ triumphant return to publishing after a stunning, 30-year wait — but we’ll get back to that in a moment.

Read the Q&A

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