Wisconsin writer J.F. Riordan set her series of novels on remote Washington Island, just off the tip of Door County. It’s a place that locals refer to as “North of the Tension Line.” A phrase that gave her series its name. While Riordan loves that place, she does much of her writing in the Milwaukee area.
It's that disconnect that informs the series of essays in her latest book: Reflections on a Life in Exile.
Read Her Essay: The Island By Night
“I find that essays are a wonderful way of connecting with other human beings. And I find them reassuring. You realize that your own humanity isn’t uniquely yours, and it helps you get through some of life’s rough patches, I think," Riordan says.
The book was recently named the Midwest Connects Pick for June by the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association. Riordan will talk about her book and writing June 20 at Books and Company in Oconomowoc, and a couple of days later at, no surprise here, on Washington Island.
