On Saturday, July 13, a South Dakota Author Spotlight, “On the Page and Stage” will be held from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the De Smet Event & Wellness Center.

You can meet authors and writers from South Dakota, and following their presentation, an “On the Page” question and answer session will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. The discussion will be moderated by South Dakota State Historical Society Press Director, Dedra Birzer. The featured authors will share their perspectives writing and presenting history in books, theater and museums.

Authors taking part include:

De Ann Wolkow Kruempel
Author DeAnn Kruempel has published six books and contributes a weekly column “Nooks and Crannies” to four newspapers, including the Kingsbury Journal. Now living in Iowa, Kruempel grew up on a farm near De Smet, and her writing is often influenced by her childhood memories and experiences. All of Kruempel’s works promote strong family values and are enjoyed by adults and young people alike. They are available on Amazon and you can find DeAnn on Facebook.

Richard Skorupski
Author Richard Skorupski captures the allure of rural America in his Flyover Country series set in fictional Helen, South Dakota.

Richard’s deep appreciation for rural life comes honestly, as he himself moved to South Dakota and fell in love. He has embarked on a journey to capture the essence of this extraordinary place through his words and stories. You can find Richard on Amazon and his books are available through Kindle Unlimited.

Brenda De Haan

A lover of reading, writing and books, Brenda DeHaan has published 34 books. Her works include nonfiction for all ages and picture books for children. Brenda writes about a range of topics and often finds inspiration from her own photographs and includes them in her publications. Subjects range from craft fair guides and how-tos, crystals to cats, fairy gardens, drawing, and many others. Brenda has lived in South Dakota for over 40 years.

She is school librarian at Lake Andes and Wagner schools, having previously taught high school english. You can find Brenda on Amazon, Facebook, and on Instagram @brendadehaanauthor.

Lee Friesen
Agriculture and ag education to all ages has been a lifelong passion for Lee Friesen. He has written two books, “If a Farmer Gets a Pickup” and “Murphy’s Law Farm,” both of which share insight into agriculture life with humor and honesty. Lee has worked in multiple areas of agriculture, offers consulting services, and works with Agriculture Beyond Boundaries, Inc., a non-profit organization that seeks to assist those in agriculture who have limited mobility. Lee lives with his family on a small farm in rural South Dakota where he raises alfalfa, corn, soybeans, cattle and sheep (and fortunately no longer goats).

Each of his books have their own website, “If a Farmer Gets a Pickup” and “Murphy’s Farm Law,” where you can find more information and order.

Christina Schepker-Pikul
Writing under the pen name, Christina Lynne, Christina Cerwick loves telling stories and has always had a knack for writing. After years of encouragement from family and friends, Christina decided to put these skills to work and published her first book, “13 Miles North,” earlier this year. More stories are in the works and Christina’s enthusiasm for sharing good stories continues to fuel her creative work. You can find Christina on Amazon, Facebook, Instagram @christinalynnewrites, SnapChat @cutlass_cg1, X @@Cutlasd_CG, and Pinterest @Christina Lynne Writes.

Heidi Herman
Award-winning author Heidi Herman, has published fiction and non-fiction on an eclectic mix of topics that are all drawn together under one theme, her Icelandic heritage. Her love for literature started when she was a child as an avid reader and it developed into a passion for writing. Heidi and her mother, who was also an author, founded Hekla Publishing to promote and distribute their combined twelve titles. These days, Heidi focuses on writing women’s fiction novels and supporting indie authors on their own self-publishing journeys. You can find Heidi on Facebook, Instagram @heidihermannauthor, and on her website, heidihermanauthor.com.

Brad Tennant
Brad Tennant is a historian and humanities scholar whose research,writing, and presentations focus on South Dakota and Northern Plains history. In 2017,The History Press published his book “On This Day In South Dakota History.” It includes more than 400 entries over 366 calendar days. Brad has been recognized by the Center for Western Studies Dakota Conference and has served on the South Dakota State Historical Society Board of Trustees. He lives in Mitchell. You can find Brad’s book on Amazon.

Marie Cleveland
Marie Cleveland loves to write inspirational stories for children and young adults, as well as poetry and devotionals. She has contributed to two “Chicken Soup for the Soul” books and a devotional book from Barbour Publishing and contributes regularly to children’s and teen devotional magazines. A teacher and school librarian, Marie Cleveland has lived in Aberdeen, with her family for many years. You can find Marie on Amazon and Facebook.

David W. Fields
David Fields grew up in Ohio, but moved to De Smet from Maryland with his family in the fall of 2020, after first visiting on a family RV trip in August 2018. The purpose of that initial trip was to visit all of the locations around the Midwest where Laura Ingalls Wilder lived and wrote about in her beloved “Little House on the Prairie” books. His wife has been a huge “Little House” fan since her childhood, so he planned the trip as a surprise for her 40th birthday. They started in Laura’s birthplace of Pepin, Wisconsin, and ended at her final home of Mansfield, Missouri, with stops in between those two in the five other Midwest towns where Laura lived. In an effort to help others interested in planning their very own similar road trip, he recently authored and self-published a book called “Little House on the Prairie Midwest Road Trip: A Travel Guide to Locations Laura Ingalls Wilder Highlighted in Her Beloved Book Series”.

James Jesser
J. W. Jesser has authored two books: “Festive Tales” and “The Passable Cook.” Jesser is passionate about preserving and sharing history. Jesser is a retired school, father, and grandfather. He lives and gardens in rural South Dakota with his wife. You can find him on Amazon and Facebook.