BIO:

Today we are interviewing Maggie Ginsberg. Maggie Ginsberg is the author of the novel Still True, published by the University of Wisconsin Press and winner of the Wisconsin Library Association’s 2023 Literary Award for Fiction. Still True was the honorable mention selection for the 2022 Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award, and is the 2026 inaugural pick for the new Wisconsin Libraries’ statewide Wisconsin Reads digital book club.

Maggie is also a nonfiction writer who published hundreds of articles throughout her career, earning numerous honors from the City Regional Magazine Association, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Milwaukee Press Club, and others. She is the former managing editor at Madison Magazine, and now works full-time as an arts writer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

LINKS:

maggieginsberg.com

BIO:

Sloan Sullivan is a Wisconsin author whose picture book The Blueberries of Life was inspired by real Sunday mornings with her granddaughter Brooklyn and Grandpa Tom and the joy of blueberry pancakes shared around the table. Through her “Blueberry Adventures” series, Sloan celebrates family, gratitude, and the simple traditions that make life sweet. She loves connecting with readers at schools, libraries, and community events across Wisconsin and beyond. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her enjoying Lake Geneva sunsets, supporting local shops, or dreaming up new blueberry adventures.

SYNOPSIS:

The Blueberries of Life is a heartwarming picture book that celebrates family, love, and the sweet traditions that shape us. When young Brooklyn spends a morning making blueberry pancakes with her Grandpa Tom, she discovers that the “blueberries of life” aren’t just in the bowl — they’re the people and moments that make life meaningful. Blending gentle wisdom with nostalgic charm, this story invites readers to slow down, savor connection, and remember that life’s richest blessings are found around the table. A tender reminder for readers of all ages to celebrate love, gratitude, and togetherness.

LINKS:

https://www.blueberriesoflife.com/

@theblueberriesoflife

BIO:

Julianne Lepp has a background in finance, game design, and massage therapy. She lives with rheumatoid arthritis and supports those living with chronic illness in many capacities. She has served as the parish minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, since 2010 and trained with Meadville Lombard Theological School to become a spiritual director.

SYNOPSIS:

Living with chronic illness has many challenges, and the journey is not just a physical one. Tend to Your Spirit is a companion for this emotional and spiritual journey, offering tools to help readers practice self-compassion and self-care. With candor and vulnerability, spiritual leaders Julianne Lepp and Florence Caplow, themselves living with long-term illness, offer insights and practices that can benefit anyone facing the emotional impact of a new or ongoing condition.

Tend to Your Spirit is intended for people at any stage of their journey with chronic illness or chronic pain, to help you live a full, spiritually connected life—a life informed and shaped, but not defeated, by your illness.

LINKS:

https://www.juliannelepp.com/