A two-day literary event featuring: Paul Horsted, Becky Blue, Patty Wetterling, & Billy Mills
Join us as we celebrate these four fantastic authors & hear their stories.
Paul Horsted
Paul Horsted (Custer, S.D.) has been photographing South Dakota places for more than 40 years. He first picked up a camera at Brandon Valley High School, later carrying it to South Dakota State University. He had stints at the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader and at South Dakota Tourism. As an independent photographer and publisher his work has appeared in books and publications such as LIFE, Reader's Digest, USA Today, National Geographic, Smithsonian and South Dakota Magazine.
Paul enjoys finding historic photo sites so he can create a precisely-matched modern image of the same place to show change and similarity between past and present, while revealing history as well. He’s now “re-photographing” historic images of towns, landmarks and events across South Dakota, for a future book “South Dakota Yesterday & Today”. This will be part of his presentation at the Literary Festival.
Paul presents his work in large-format books but enjoys giving live presentations that go behind the scenes of his latest projects. Visit www.paulhorsted.com for more information.
Patty Wetterling
In 1989, eleven-year-old Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped not far from his home in St. Joseph, Minnesota. The community quickly rallied around the family, and Patty Wetterling, Jacob’s mother, stepped into the spotlight. Within days, the call to find Jacob traveled far and wide, with hundreds of stories in local and national media, including coverage in the New York Times. Minnesota’s governor sent National Guard troops to aid in the search. Around the country, people posted flyers, sent letters of support, and turned on porch lights in solidarity.
As the crinimal investigation stretched from weeks to months to years, Patty devoted herself to advocating for children. She successfully lobbied for the passage of the 1994 Jacob Wetterling Act, which established sex offender registries. She served on the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for over twenty years and became a nationally respected authority on child protection.
Punctuated by Patty's letter to her missing son, Dear Jacob brings readers into the heartbreak of a parent's worst nightmare. It also describes the development of an unexpected friendship with an inquisitive blogger, Joy Baker, whose deft research uncovered clues that ultimately led to the conclusion of the twenty-seven-year long missing persons case.
Cowritten with Baker, this memoir chronicles both a personal and a collective story of contemporary history, one that permanently changed public policy and the way we parent our children. It also shows that communities can heal after tragedy, and that families can still experience love, happiness, joy, and hope.
Billy Mills
Billy Mills was born on June 30, 1938 in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He is Oglala Lakota (Sioux) and grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Billy did not have an easy childhood. Surrounded by poverty and orphaned at the age of 12, he started running to channel his energy into something positive. In high school, his gift for running become more apparent as he set records in numerous track events. He went on to earn a track scholarship from the University of Kansas and then served as an Officer in the United States Marine Corps.
At the 1964 Olympics, he shocked the world and came from behind to win the gold medal in the 10,000 meters race. At the time, he set a world record of 28 minutes, 24.4 seconds and is still the only American to ever win a gold medal in the 10K event. His win was an upset that has been called the second greatest moment in Olympic history.
In Lakota culture, someone who achieves great success has a ‘giveaway’ to thank the support system of family and friends who helped him achieve his goal. As part of his effort to give back to his community, Billy helped found Running Strong for American Indian Youth and became the organization’s National Spokesperson. Today Billy travels over 300 days every year. He visits Native American communities throughout the U.S. and speaks to youth about healthy lifestyles and taking pride in their heritage.
Becky Blue
Becky Blue is the author of Turning: The Magic and Mystery of More Days. She is a writer, speaker, retired geriatric nurse, community volunteer, and is passionate about changing the culture of aging. She received her nursing degree at Augustana University and her graduate degree at South Dakota State University.
The anticipation of her own sixtieth birthday motivated Becky to delve into the magic and mystery of her own “more days.” Could she free herself from the world’s well-worn view of aging and instead embrace a fresh outlook, full of surprises and serendipity? Could she leave the worry and find the wonder?
Turning follows Blue as she sets sail for her own aging and challenges readers of all ages to follow in her wake. Drawing on the author’s faith and experience as a geriatric nurse, Blue encourages readers to blow past their birthday candles with positivity. discover the secret to welcoming rather than dreading the turning of the years.
A TEDx speaker and entertaining and inspiring keynote, Becky uses personal stories and scientific research to explores the opportunities that a long view of life can hold. Those who meet Becky through her book or speaking have a new appreciation of the vibrancy provided by those living in the post-60 space, as well as a personal realization that there is no expiration date on living a life of health, impact, and wonder.
Becky and her husband, Dan, live in South Dakota where they were both born and raised and part-time in the Napa Valley where they have two wineries, Jessup Cellars and Handwritten Wines. Parents of four children and two grandchildren, Becky loves gathering family and friends around a crowded table—and loves the song of the same name by the Highwomen. She challenges herself to age well and has discovered a love for ballet and its impact on her personal health.
