Outdoor writer to speak at Mercer Library

MERCER, Wis. - Writer Robert E. Holzhei will visit the Mercer Public Library for a book talk on Thursday, Oct. 5, at noon.

Holzhei is a member of the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers and author of hundreds of published outdoor and travel stories. His latest work is a novella, "The Mountains Shall Depart."

Holzhei has self-published two books, "Canadian Fly-In Fishing Adventure Featuring Campfire Stories from Northern Michigan" and "Alaskan Spirit Journey."

Holzhei said his work is influenced by American authors like Harper Lee and Ernest Hemingway. "I am happy when I sit down to write. It's like looking forward to something for a very long time and once I experienced it, I knew it would all be there for me tomorrow," he said.

Holzhei and his wife have vacationed in upper Michigan for many years, traveled in the Upper Peninsula and wintered in the Florida Keys, where his latest novella was finished. He is a regular presenter at the annual AGLOW conference each September.

He has won three AGLOW presidential awards for service.

He was instrumental in beginning a summer journalism workshop for high school students at Michigan State University, which began with 40 students and now draws more than 500 journalists not only from Michigan, but throughout the United States.

Holzhei spent 37 years teaching high school English and creative writing classes.

The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information on Holzhei's talk, call the library at 715-476-2366.