Meet Michigan author Loreen Niewenhuis as she discusses her her new book, “A 1,000-Mile Walk Around the Beach,” which chronicles her 64-day solo walking journey around Lake Michigan, at the Salem-South Lyon Library at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 16.
At age 45, Niewenhuis, of Battle Creek, decided that rather than going through a midlife crisis, she’d embark on a midlife adventure instead….a walk around the entire perimeter of her beloved Lake Michigan. The book explores the geology of the lake, the measure of a person, and an adventure in discovery of self and place. I’ve included the press release and book cover for your review.
She walked the lake in rain and snow, in gale-force winds and calm sunny days. She had to navigate around obstacles ranging from limestone cliffs to deep rivers to steel refineries, nuclear and coal-fired power plants. The journey was filled with challenges that she had to overcome.
In “A 1,000 Mile-Walk on the Beach,” Niewenhuis conveys a sense of the magnitude and diversity of the lake she loves, a place elemental to the four Midwestern states that form its shores. From a ground-level perspective, the book explores the natural and human history of Lake Michigan and raises important questions about preserving our wild places and protecting fragile ecosystems on which we all depend.
“A 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach" offers inspiration to anyone interested in Great Lakes environmental issues (from invasive species to water quality to local tourism) and to anyone interested in what it means to take a really long walk and look closely at oneself and one’s place.
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A MFA graduate and a past medical researcher with a bachelors of science from Calvin College and a masters of science from Wayne State University, Niewenhuis offers witness to both the natural beauty of much of the lakeshore and a concern for the lake’s health as she explored the long and troubling pattern of ecological abuses and environmental challenges.
Niewenhuis continues to blog about Lake Michigan at LakeTrek.blogspot.com. Her complete book tour schedule can be found there or on her website www.LNiewenhuis.com. To hear a reading from the book go to: http://www.youtube.com/lniewenhuis#p/u/13/ImqYVMyxcV8.