Author Mary Woster Haug Signing @ DDR Books

DDR Books will host a talk and signing with area author Mary Woster Haug Wednesday, July 26, 7-9pm, in Downtown Watertown.

Starting in 2008, Haug and fellow authors Amber Jensen and Christine Stewart-Nuñez met regularly at a coffee shop in Brookings, South Dakota, to respond to each other’s writing and give each other crucial—and critical—support. Now they are celebrating the fruits of their work—the publication of three new books—with a book tour. Jensen and Stewart-Nuñez held a signing at DDR Books earlier this summer, and signed copies of their books are available.

Each author examines the experiences, people, and places that have shaped them through lyrical voice, employing vivid imagery and metaphor to deepen reflection. Their work demonstrates the varied forms of creative nonfiction, ranging from a personal memoir, to a collection of distinct essays, and a braided memoir that weaves personal experience with research about others’ lives.

Mary Woster Haug’s contribution is her second book: “Out of Loneliness: Murder and Memoir.” The narrative opens on Memorial Day 1962, when a transgender man named Bev Waugh strode down a quiet street in a small South Dakota river town and shot Myron Menzie, a young Lakota engaged to Gina Lee, Bev’s pretty teenage lover.

Haug was sixteen years old that day and had no context for understanding the complications of a triangulated love affair that led to murder. “Out of Loneliness” braids the author’s life with Bev’s in terms of how the western landscape shaped their understanding of masculinity, gender, identity, fathers, love, and grief.

Haug is also the author of “Daughters of the Grasslands.” She has been published in several anthologies and literary journals, including River Teeth and Passager. She has twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Haug is professor emerita in the English Department at South Dakota State University and makes her home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

DDR Books is located at 7 S. Maple in Downtown Watertown. Shipping is available for the cost of postage. Haug will speak at the beginning of the event, so please arrive before 7 pm for a seat or remain in the adjoining room until the signing portion begins.