As books editor for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jim Higgins is well-known for his book reviews. However, his latest project has put him on the other side of that equation
Higgins' first book, Wisconsin Literary Luminaries: From Laura Ingalls to Ayad Akhtar, is a collection of essays about some of the state's most famous writers.
Though it was difficult figuring out who to write about from Wisconsin, he says, he feared he might make an obvious omission that might discredit his work. Before starting the writing process, Higgins did extensive research on who he would include in his book of luminaries.
"One of the helpful lists of Wisconsin writers is at the Central Library in downtown Milwaukee, where they have [the] Wisconsin Writers Wall of Fame. And that was a list I kept coming back to every once in a while as I thought about who [to write about]," he explains.
Higgins decided to focus on writers who were born and raised in Wisconsin, or who spent an extended period of time in the state. The book includes famous writers like Thornton Wilder, who was born in Madison, and authors who specifically wrote about the Badger State, like Jane Hamilton and Larry Watson.
While Higgins doesn't imagine Wisconsin Literary Luminaries would earn him a spot in a similar book, he hopes it will inspire readers to explore more home-grown authors.
"I hope it will lead people to read other things. That is my goal. I don't think 100 years from now there will be brilliant essays about what I wrote here, but I do hope in the coming years it will encourage people to pick up and read other things," he says.
Higgins will talk about his book, Wisconsin Literary Luminaries: From Laura Ingalls to Ayad Akhtar, the evening of Wednesday, May 10 at the Whitefish Bay Public Library.
