Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish on Saturday May 31 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for a book signing with local authors Dr. Scott Simpson and Sharla Steever as they release their newest title, “CircleBridge".

About the Book:
"Interested in the kind of education that builds bridges rather than walls? That’s powered not only by time-tested ideas but by compelling storytelling? That honors indigenous voices and reaches across cultural divides? That has the potential for personal and social transformation? Then this is the book for you. Scott Simpson and Sharla Steever write first and foremost from on-the-ground practice, not theory. I can testify from personal experience how reliable their practices are when it comes to creating trustworthy space for difficult conversations and deep learning. I urge you to join them on their journey and learn about the proven potential of the CircleBridge approach."
—Parker J. Palmer (author of “The Courage to Teach,” “A Hidden Wholeness,” “Healing the Heart of Democracy,” and “Let Your Life Speak”)

CircleBridge demonstrates how storytelling can bridge cultural divides, foster empathy, and create connections within educational and community settings. By sharing personal and community stories alongside practical frameworks, the book guides readers toward understanding, relational growth, and intercultural development. Grounded in decades of educational work and collaboration with Indigenous communities, it provides actionable insights for creating safe, inclusive spaces where dialogue and learning thrive.

About the Authors:

Dr. Scott Simpson—Dr. Scott Simpson is a writer, poet, songwriter, and lifelong educator whose work centers on learning, trust, and cultural connection. As a Learning Specialist, Scott helps schools foster meaningful relationships, culturally responsive teaching, and inclusive learning environments. He is a co-developer of Circlebridge, a guiding framework for navigating differences and building trust, and a facilitator with the Center for Courage & Renewal, inspired by Parker Palmer’s work in creating spaces of deep reflection and authenticity.

Scott’s passion for storytelling and education extends into his work with Indigenous communities. He co-developed and maintains the Wolakota Project and Teachings of Our Elders websites, working closely with Indigenous Elders to bring their Essential Understandings into schools across North and South Dakota.

Before stepping into this role, Scott spent over 15 years as a high school English, drama, and speech teacher and a professor of English, theater, and education at multiple universities. He holds an M.A. in English Curriculum & Instruction and a Ph.D. in English Creative Writing from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His journey has also taken him into leadership as the Executive Director of a youth and family camp in the mountains of Northern New Mexico.

Scott is a published poet, writer, and indie music producer, crafting words and songs that explore themes of belonging, transformation, and resilience. He does most of his best thinking and creating while hiking the Black Hills with his wife, Sheryl, and their three dogs—Gandi, Gilly, and Ellie.

Sharla Steever—Sharla Steever has been an educator since 1992 - an elementary teacher, an outdoor educator, a camp director, a Christian educator and currently a learning specialist. As an elementary teacher, she received several awards for her accomplishments. She received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching for Elementary Science in South Dakota, she was a Classroom Teaching Ambassador Fellow for the US Department of Education, and she is a Nationally Board Certified Middle Childhood Generalist. Sharla is a facilitator for the Center for Courage and Renewal and she is also a Licensed Minister in the United Church of Christ.

Sharla lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota where she and her husband, Kerry, and two dogs (Bonnie and Clyde) live near the camp Kerry manages. Her grown children also live in the area and are a huge part of Sharla's life. Sharla is actively involved in her community, her church, her husband's camp, and she travels for her work across ND, SD, NE and WY. She enjoys gardening, tending to her chickens, hiking, singing, and creating art.

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish on Saturday May 17th from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM as Erin Lorriane Woodward and Nick Hubbard share their debut title, “The Price of Gold: Stories from the Homestake Gold Mine.”
https://www.thepriceofgoldbook.com/

About the Authors:

Writer and creator of The Price of Gold, Erin Lorraine Woodward grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. After graduating from Black Hills State University, she was a science writer at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). There, as she wrote about advancements in science and engineering, she began to overhear stories about the facility’s mining past, which led to the creation of this collection.

Erin lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband David. They met underground at SURF, where David worked as a physicist with the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter experiment.

A photographer and videographer based in the Black Hills, Nick Hubbard captured the photos included in this collection. An alum of Black Hills State University, Nick worked at Sanford Underground Research Facility before founding his own multimedia company, Frontier Creative.

Nick lives in Rapid City, South Dakota, with his wife, Kaylee, and their children.

About the Book:

For more than a century, the Homestake Gold Mine carved drifts deep beneath the rugged mountain town of Lead, South Dakota.

But the price of gold faltered in the late 1900s. Massive layoffs and the mine's closure left the town adrift, searching for a new identity. 

The Price of Gold: Stories from the Homestake Gold Mine is a collection of portraits of former miners, electricians, hoist operators, receptionists and chemists alongside their stories of humorous pranks, harried rescue operations and the loss of loved ones to mining accidents. 

​

Created by South Dakota natives Erin Lorraine Woodward and Nick Hubbard, this collection offers "a rare window into an underground world" and tells of lives lived above and below the city of Lead.

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish on Saturday May 10 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for a book signing with local Author Gary Wietegrefe as he shares his newest title with us, “Lessons of an Immigrant Father.”

About the Author:
Raised on a South Dakota farm and attended one-room schools, Gary Wietgrefe became one of America’s most diverse authors. He is a military intelligence veteran and attended the University of Maryland, University of Denver, and South Dakota State University before establishing a career in agriculture. Wietgrefe is an inventor with six patents in automated equipment design, engineering and biomass processing. He is an international researcher (Turkey and Mongolia), economist, agriculturalist, systems developer, societal explorer, cyclist, hiker, outdoorsman, poet, and author of eleven books. With his wife Patricia, they travel the world from Rapid City, South Dakota.

Gary and his wife, Patricia, traveled eight years on five continents after retirement while observing and documenting his findings and experiences. Example of one trip: After turning 65, he bicycled an average of 75-miles-per-day for 40 days from Pierre, South Dakota to North Pole, Alaska. When Covid shut down their travels they rented a cabin in the beautiful Black Hills of SD and he wrote his first award winning travel adventure: Destination North Pole—5,000 km by bicycle.

Want a quick read of humorous, mostly rhyming, country poems? Enjoy Dakota Country Poems.

Do you like historical fiction? If so, enjoy Wietgrefe’s first novel, Lessons of an Immigrant Father, based on a true family story. His grandfather, age 13 along with his brother 12, and 43-year-old immigrant father could not afford train fare to ship their cattle from Iowa to South Dakota. Instead, they walked two months behind their cattle for over 500 miles, hence the subtitle: 1905 cattle drive 500 miles to Dakota.

About the book:
Migrants, wherever they move from or to, teach children the past and future. Scholars, educators, migrants, and casual readers can absorb context of what immigrant ranchers and farmers taught their sons when moving into the Dakota Plains after initial homesteading.

What would an immigrant father teach in 1905?

This exciting historical fiction novel presents subtle lessons pre-teen boys would need to find food, cook meals, wash clothes, train horses, manage livestock and poultry, and farm while explaining military conscription, Christian concepts, business and social interactions, and reminiscing about the "old country." Why? Would something happen to their father?

Wietgrefe is a dying family surname. Likely the world has less than two hundred Wietgrefes. Lutheran German surnames demised during the 19th century due to wars and religious conflicts. Wars in one lifetime: rulers 1806-1871: Holy Roman Empire (Catholic), French to Independent Kingdom, Great Britian alliance (Anglican), North German Empire, German Civil War, Napoleonic (French) Wars, and eventually Prussia.

Henry Louis "H.L." Wietgrefe, age seven, fled Hannover Lower Saxony by ship from Bremerhaven, Prussia on the SS Main August 14, 1869 with his parents and four siblings and immigrated to eastern Iowa as farmers. They sought a better life.

A legal immigrant became a U.S. citizen. With five children and unable to afford his cattle's train fare, H.L. Wietgrefe (age 43) and his two sons, ages 12 and 13 (my grandfather), looking for a land-owning future, drove their meager herd in 1905 over 500 miles to a neglected 1880s homestead in northern South Dakota. Likely it was the last long-distance cattle drive in the U.S.

Join us for a fun night of Junk Journaling at Henry’s Books on Saturday April 26 at 5:00 PM!

Bring your own journal and any “junk” you plan to add to your journal—stickers, ticket stubs, clippings, photos, etc.

Cost is $30 and includes a drink from the bar at Nonna’s, your choice of 5 stickers from Henry’s Books, free use of the craft supplies that the bookstore has on hand, and 10% off any purchases in the store. Tickets are limited, purchase as soon as possible. To purchase, stop into Henry’s Books or call at 605-569-0991.

What’s Junk Journaling?

Junk journaling is a creative practice where people make journals by repurposing and combining various discarded materials like old books, magazines, packaging, and other ephemera (like tickets or receipts), essentially turning "junk" into a personalized journal through techniques like collage, drawing, painting, and stamping, allowing for a unique and expressive way to document thoughts and experiences while upcycling materials that might otherwise be thrown away. 

Join us on Saturday April 19 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Henry’s Books in Spearfish for a book signing with Wyoming Author Kathryn Cluff. She will share her latest book with us, “Empowered Soul—180 Mindful Intentions, Reflections, and Practices to Help Women Develop Deeper Awareness and Capacity for Life's Challenges”.

About the book

How is it that some people come through life’s tragic events seemingly unscathed and perhaps an improved version of themselves while others become stuck in a cycle of suffering, hopelessness, and sadness?

We all have the power to shape our future through how we respond to life’s experiences, whether joyful or tragic. So, if you’re seeking to nurture your spirit, foster personal growth, and find strength in your journey, Empowered Soul will meet you where you are and guide you, one mindful intention at a time.

In Empowered Soul, Kathryn shares 180 deeply personal essays—each a powerful invitation to reconnect with your inner wisdom and strength. Written in a journal-style format, these raw and authentic reflections offer women a path to healing, growth, and self-discovery in the face of life’s challenges. As the author shares her own struggles and triumphs, she also provides practical tools, including yoga, mindfulness, and self-care practices.

This collection is intended to embolden women to navigate loss, embrace hope, and cultivate resilience. Each essay serves as both a companion and a guide, offering support through life’s most difficult moments.

About the Author

Kathryn grew up in a loving, hardworking family in Wyoming's Black Hills, where she developed a deep love for the outdoors and rural life. After years in substance abuse and suicide prevention and her own transformational journey, she founded a business to empower women through holistic healing. She offers local and virtual services, including yoga, restorative healing sessions, and group and individual programs for the mind, body, and soul. Kathryn also hosts a quarterly women’s circle event, a growing community of women supporting each other.

She resides in Sundance, Wyoming with her PFL (partner for life) and her recently disabled son for whom she is the primary caregiver. Also residing on the property are thirteen hens, and one rooster fondly called Big Daddy. She is the proud mother of four amazing adults and grandma to two fun and creative children.

Join us for a fun, girly night of Junk Journaling at Henry’s Books on Friday March 28 at 5:00 PM!

Bring your own journal and any “junk” you plan to add to your journal—stickers, ticket stubs, clippings, photos, etc.

Cost is $30 and includes a drink from the bar at Nonna’s, your choice of 5 stickers from Henry’s Books, free use of the craft supplies that the bookstore has on hand, and 10% off any purchases in the store. Tickets are limited, purchase as soon as possible. To purchase, stop into Henry’s Books or call at 605-569-0991.

What’s Junk Journaling?

Junk journaling is a creative practice where people make journals by repurposing and combining various discarded materials like old books, magazines, packaging, and other ephemera (like tickets or receipts), essentially turning "junk" into a personalized journal through techniques like collage, drawing, painting, and stamping, allowing for a unique and expressive way to document thoughts and experiences while upcycling materials that might otherwise be thrown away. 

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish on Saturday March 22 at 12:00 PM as Wyoming Poet Nicholas Trandahl shares his most recent collection of poems with us.

About the Book:

Nicholas Trandahl's Cabin Sketches is a destination his previous work has been climbing toward. Anchored by the vast title poem, these poems explore the interconnecting weave of sacredness, wildness, and the fragility of the human condition against the dramatic landscapes where Trandahl's poems sprout like pine saplings.

About the Author:
Nicholas Trandahl is an Army veteran, author, outdoorsman, journalist, and traveler. A member of WyoPoets, Wyoming Writers, and the Bearlodge Writers. He finds inspiration in new adventures, nature, books, good food, and the understated beauty of everyday life. Trandahl lives in Wyoming with his wife and daughters.

*This event is already sold out!

Join us for our monthly book discussion! For March, we’re reading “Tell Me What You Did” by Carter Wilson.

Cost is $10 for the ticket plus the cost of the book

About the Book:

“She gets people to confess their crimes for a living. He knows she's hiding a terrible secret. It's time for the truth to come out…

Poe Webb, host of a popular true crime podcast, invites people to anonymously confess crimes they've committed to her audience. She can't guarantee the police won't come after her "guests," but her show grants simultaneous anonymity and instant fame—a potent combination that's proven difficult to resist. After an episode recording, Poe usually erases both criminal and crime from her mind.

But when a strange and oddly familiar man appears on her show, Poe is forced to take a second look. Not only because he claims to be her mother's murderer from years ago, but because Poe knows something no one else does. Her mother's murderer is dead.

Poe killed him.

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Dead Girl in 2A and The New Neighbor comes a chilling new thriller that forces the question: are murderers always the bad guys?”

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish on Saturday March 15 at 12:00 PM for a book signing with local poet Madison Miller as she shares her most recent collection with us.

About the Book: 

This poetry collection is about having a parent who doesn't deserve to know you. Each chapter is a theme and each poem is connected to a memory. The hurt and the pain you feel from being forgotten about by someone who was supposed to help raise you, combined with the appreciation for the people who did raise you, the people who did everything they could so that you could succeed and feel loved. It's emotional turmoil at its finest. You will feel every poem. This book, this collection, is for the forgotten children and the grown adults who need to heal. It's for everybody who has craved love from someone who was supposed to love you and chose not to, and most of all, this book is for the people who feel like they aren't enough because of someone else's actions. You are enough as you are, just because people choose not to look at a butterfly, doesn't mean it isn't flying.

Author Bio:

  Madison Miller is a 21-year-old author who has been writing and creating art for as long as she can remember. 'He Doesn't Deserve To Know Me' is a self-published poetry collection about what it was like to grow up in a single-parent household and the emotions and internal conflicts that go along with it. She wrote this book and designed the cover while working full-time and attending Dakota State University as a full-time student studying English for New Media. She graduated High School in Newell SD in 2021 at 17 years old and  has said on record that  "Everything I write, is pure raw and real emotion. It all has layers, layers that can be felt and dissected. I feel it when I write, and my readers feel it when they pick up my work. It's powerful in the way that only words can be." -MM

Join us at Henry's Books in Spearfish on Saturday March 8 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for a book signing with local Author Dave Raber.

About The Disappearance of Al Vincent:
"The sleepy town of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, was rocked by a gruesome murder in 1942 that was left unsolved. With few leads, it languished in the cold case archives -- until Sheriff Conrad Sloan reopened the case and started uncovering new leads to attempt to identify the murderer a full 20 years later."

About Life and Laughter in Belle Fourche:
"Open this book to travel back to the charm of small-town America in the 1950s and 1960s. David Raber’s tales invite that bygone era hilariously back to life through 33 captivating stories that will delight and enchant you, preserving the era’s magic for readers to cherish. David shares technical mishaps and family escapades that involve quirky town characters and teenage misadventures, culminating in a memorable road trip on the iconic Route 66 with his best friend. Enjoy a laughter-filled stroll down memory lane that will leave you longing for the simple yet amusing joys of yesteryear!"

About the Author:
Gerald David "Dave" Raber grew up in beautiful Belle Fourche, SD. He graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of South Dakota, where he developed his writing chops as editor of the Volante student newspaper. He served his country in the U.S. Navy as an officer in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War, commanding three PT Boats. He worked for Ford Motor Company in Seattle, then eventually opened a successful Ford dealership in Pendleton, Oregon. Dave married his college sweetheart, Sally Semrau, and the couple raised two kids. He now calls the Black Hills of South Dakota home.

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish on Saturday February 15 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for a book signing with local author Brad McKim as he shares his most recent works with us.

About the Author:

Raised in Southern California, Brad McKim spent thirty years as a lawyer living in Colorado, Texas, Alaska and London, England. Through his work and love for travel he has visited all 50 states and over 75 countries. In 2015 he retired from the practice of law to pursue other passions including his lifelong interest in presidential history. His historical novels, A Presidents Story (published by History Publishing Company out of New York) and A Presidents Story Too (Outskirts Press), are the result. Brad now lives in Wyoming with his wife Kay.

About the Books:

In the wake of the Civil War, fourteen men will succeed Abraham Lincoln and attempt to reunify the United States. As their personal tales intertwine and overlap on their way to the Presidency, they defer to Congress until it is clear that Democrats and Republicans are more concerned with the prerogatives of power and patronage than Lincoln’s pledge of freedom and opportunity for all Americans. The 19th-century Presidents battle with Congress to reform how jobs and other benefits are dispensed, while the Presidents of the early 20th century find themselves presiding over a country that has transitioned from an agricultural economy—supported by slave and immigrant labor—to an industrial economy generating the wealth that thrusts the country onto the world stage. Through it all, the Presidents continue the novel practice of handing over power peacefully, even in the face of a Depression that will challenge the United States’ newfound status as a world power. 

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish on Saturday February 1st from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for a book signing with local Author Julia Styles as she shares her book, “Marriage in the Light” with us.

About the Author:
Julia Styles has spent most of her life in the Northern Hills of South Dakota. Julia has been married to Shane for 21 years, raising three sons and maintaining a successful cleaning business.

Her debut book marks her journey as an author, sharing her experiences and reflections.

About the Book:
Prepare to transform your relationship with this book, which warmly invites you to embark on a profound journey of love, growth, and understanding. It delves into the complexities of loving your spouse, offering practical advice and biblical perspectives to help you strengthen your marriage.

By recognizing subtle signs of needed change and finding ways to deepen your love for your partner, you can enhance your relationship in meaningful ways.

This heartfelt guide provides timeless principles for a fulfilling and lasting partnership, whether you're newlyweds or long-time companions. Let this book be your trusted companion on the path to a more satisfying and enduring relationship.

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish for a signing with Troy Bobbitt for his latest title, “Mourning Bands On” on Saturday January 18 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM.

About the book:
Mourning Bands On is an accessible journey into the hypersensitive world of today’s American law enforcement. The reader is brought into the law enforcement world through an introduction to the history, function, and development of the American police model. With an understanding of policing’s role in American society, the reader is then immersed into the raucous and contentious cultural upheaval which American policing is currently experiencing.

Using well-known examples, the reader is challenged to consider how American culture is affected by critical incidents and the portrayal of those events in our media intensive world. The reader will review the cases in the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, as well as others. The cases are presented as a narrative of events supported by the findings and legal conclusions of the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Each incident is reviewed with a view of how the incident effected American society and brought change to American culture and thus policing.

The reader will experience how American policing has changed through legislative, societal, and cultural pressure resulting from the reviewed critical incidents. With an appetite for more, the reader is encouraged to further explore the relationship between societal norms and American policing.

The work concludes with a final challenge to the reader. How do we, as a society, reform American policing to move forward after this unprecedented period of cultural change? The author offers several possible reforms to enact, what can you add to the conversation?

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish, SD on Saturday November 30th from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for the launch and signing of Chris Stenson’s newest title, “Sins of the Mother.”

About the book:

A new Dark Age approaches
Evil walks unfettered between realities,
no longer content in hiding in the shadows,
feeding on the blood and souls of the innocent.
Three witches linked by blood and fate must close the doors forever.
Only one has the ability.
The war for a young girl’s soul has begun.

About the author:

“At a young age, I had success winning young author contests which gave me the opportunity to attend several regional and national conferences. My love for writing continued throughout high school and while in college I started writing my current manuscript. Marriage, work, and fatherhood put the novel and my writing on hold. While packing to move, my daughter found my novel and convinced me to finish what I had started.”

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish, SD on Friday November 29th from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for a book signing with local Author, Eliza Blue.

Eliza Blue's new book curates ten years of her beloved Little Pasture on the Prairie newspaper columns!

Little Pasture on the Prairie celebrates ten years of Eliza Blue’s weekly newspaper column about life on a western South Dakota ranch, offering readers a selection of her essays spanning the last decade, from 2014 to the present. Journalist Christopher Vondracek provides a foreword contextualizing Eliza’s writing within the larger scope of the South Dakota literary landscape, and South Dakota poet laureate and rancher Bruce Roseland’s blurb on the back cover invites readers to grab a cup of coffee and sit down with this book as one would with an old, dear friend.

A transplant from Minnesota, Eliza Blue came to South Dakota searching for a life of fulfillment and inspiration, ultimately finding herself and so much more on her “little pasture on the prairie.” In Eliza's words, “These stories of my adventures—and misadventures—and the joy of waking up every day to the majesty of life on the northern plains, are my heart, my soul, the last of my youth, the beginning of my older age, and my offering at the altar of what it means to be human and to lead a life of service. I hope reading these columns brings you some measure of the peace and connection I received in writing them.”

About the Author

Eliza Blue is a writer, folk musician, and rancher living on the short grass prairie of western South Dakota. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Guardian, and NPR's All Songs Considered. Her weekly column, Little Pasture on the Prairie, is carried by nineteen different print publications, and she has written and produced seasonal audio "postcards" from her ranch for South Dakota Public Broadcasting and Prairie Public Radio. Her first book, Accidental Rancher, was chosen as the Siouxland One Book 2023. Eliza currently hosts a show celebrating rural art and culture for PBS called Wish You Were Here with Eliza Blue, and she is the director of the Kithship Collective, an organization devoted to innovative, ecosystem-specific storytelling.

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish, SD on Saturday November 23 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for the launch and signing of Johny’s newest title, “The Rodeo Road”. She will have copies of her previous works as well that feature themes and locations in Wyoming, South Dakota, and Colorado.

About the book:
In the dust and grit of the rodeo circuit, rookie barrel racer Kasey Jacobs is determined to carve out a new life after her world crumbles. With her home lost and her family shattered, the thrill of the chase becomes her only solace as she navigates the treacherous terrain of the rodeo lifestyle, leaning on her two horses as her steadfast companions. But the road is filled with obstacles, and Kasey must muster the strength and resilience to chase victory on her own.

Enter Cole Sanders, a weathered veteran of the rodeo circuit, whose dreams of glory dance just out of reach. With twelve years in the saddle, qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo eight times, he enters each event battling the relentless pressure of youth and injury. As he fights to secure his legacy before time runs out, Cole embarks on a personal journey to claim the triumph he’s long desired.

As fate entwines Kasey and Cole's paths, two unlikely souls at opposite ends of their careers find themselves sharing the same rodeo road. Will Kasey's fierce determination ignite Cole's fading passion, or will his experience anchor her down? In a world where friendship, ambition, and courage collide, The Rodeo Road explores the heart of the cowboy spirit—a testament to resilience, the power of connection, and the beauty of chasing dreams against all odds.

Can they both find victory, or will the unforgiving nature of the rodeo prove too great a challenge? Saddle up for a journey filled with heart, hardship, and hope.

About the Author:
Johny Weber is a retired assistant professor at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. Since childhood, her life has revolved around horses. Marrying a rodeo cowboy, she moved with him to the plains of South Dakota where they both competed in rodeos and then turned to a ranching lifestyle. Her career in education began by teaching first grade and by retirement she was teaching graduate courses to teachers in a state-funded program. Johny and her late husband raised a son and daughter on the prairies of the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. She now enjoys time spent with her children and grandchildren and traveling with her horse and dog to ride the mountains of the west in the summer and the deserts of the southwest in the winter.

Join us at Henry's Books in Spearfish on Thursday November 21 at 6:00 PM for a fun mushroom themed event featuring panoramic art, songs, poetry, and storytelling.

This unique event will include songs, lore and attributes of mushroom and other fungi, highlighting those in the Black Hills.

The cost for this event is $10 at the door or anytime beforehand at Henry's Books. There will be very limited seating, so please purchase or call us (605-569-0991) in advance if you're able.

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish on Saturday November 16th from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for the launch and signing of Debra Bean’s newest title, “My Heart Echoes”.

About the book: “This work is a collection of my favorite childhood memories and life lessons. With deep roots in the west and raised with common sense and faith, my hope is you will hear and feel your own gifts from life.”

Debra was raised on cattle and sheep ranches in Wyoming and South Dakota. She is thankful that her children were raised in the ranching way of life as well. Having lived in many places and traveled extensively on “The Bean Girl Trips” with her sisters, her favorite place is still the Black Hills of South Dakota, where she resides. She’s been writing since she was a child beginning with a Big Chief tablet and a short pencil sharpened with her dad’s jackknife. Both of her grandfathers shared many of their stories and she grew to love and appreciate the family history. The family history is the backbone of two of her novels.

As a Christian author many of her stories are rooted in her own faith and belief in the Lord Jesus. Debra is the mother of three children, the grandmother of six, and the great-grandmother of two little boys.

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish, SD on Saturday November 9th from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for a signing with local Spearfish Author, Noelle Davenport.

Noelle writes clean, closed door romance novels for women who love a great escape and a happily ever after.

She will share her two titles with us, Love-Altared and An Uplyfting Love.

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish on Thursday evening November 7 at 6:00 PM for an immersive, multicultural, panoramic art, music, and storytelling experience. This unique event will incorporate storytelling, poetry, and songs ( in four languages) from around the world about the willow with the help of shadow puppets and puppets made from natural materials.

“Willow” tells the stories and legends of Willows from its origin in China to other places around the world: Mesopotamia, Japan, Ukraine, Poland, Ireland and the Black Hills.

Songs and chants will be presented in English, Japanese, Ukrainian, and Polish and from all countries mentioned, including original haiku and songs by Linda Boyle with tree, lyre and bird shadow puppets.

The cost for this event is $10 at the door or anytime from Henry’s Books. There will be very limited seating, so please purchase or call us (605-569-0991) in advance if you’re able.

Join us at Henry’s Books in Spearfish for a signing with South Dakota Author Kate Meadows on Saturday November 2 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

Kate Meadows is a creative nonfiction writer, editor and book coach with an MFA in Professional Writing. Her work has appeared in Poets & Writers, Writer’s Digest, Chicken Soup for the Soul and elsewhere. She lives in Rapid City with her husband and two sons.

Faith to Follow:

While her husband pursued a four-year Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Kate Meadows wondered how she fit into the process of her husband becoming a pastor. In the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod, only men can be ordained as pastors. The men who come to the seminary have a well paved road ahead of them. The women who come with those men don’t. As women, we ask ourselves, “Who am I in this process?” and “Where do I fit?”

Kate never envisioned herself as a pastor’s wife; in fact, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be one. Yet, if God was leading her husband into the ministry, who was she to say “No?”

And what was it about that term “pastor’s wife,” that made her uneasy, anyway? What did it even mean to be a pastor’s wife in the modern day?

At the seminary, Kate started talking to other women who had faithfully followed their husbands on the path to ministry. Through a series of more than fifty interviews, she learned that the journey of becoming a pastor’s wife is rich with questions, discovery, and joy.

Faith to Follow chronicles the woman’s experience of preparing to become a pastor’s wife. It also may be a springboard for dialogue within churches across America, about the importance of encouraging and cultivating future church leaders and raising up strong families in the Christian faith.

Tough Love:

The extremes of life in rural Wyoming can be a challenge when dogged preparation for harsh winters can mean the difference between life and death, and where glorious summers seem to reward the survivors. For Kate Meadows it was a conundrum. Growing up in a small town, surrounded by magnificent mountains and trout filled rivers and streams may sound like heaven to many, but if the concept of “wild” frightens you, it can be a struggle to fit into that landscape. Some children would have been delighted by the sight of a moose scratching his antlers on the signpost at the corner of their yard on a cold winter night. Kate was frightened. She never took to hunting or horses. The outdoors and its wild creatures, which were at the core of her family and the generations before her, at once fascinated her and provided the means to overcome her fears while instilling in her a hearty respect for a raw and sometimes merciless landscape.

So what’s a girl to do when she’s torn between the desire to escape to “civilization,” yet so tightly bound by the invisible but unbreakable chains of love?

Join us on Halloween from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM for a fun and spooky signing of a new graphic novel by artist, Logan Beert. He will have his other graphic novels available as well!

Logan is a local artist and student at BHSU.

About the Book: Eleven-year-old Mira Morales from Guatemala was meant to die in a locked moving van on the Texas-Mexico border along with her twin brother, Bastien. Instead, a fairy creature transports Mira, Bastien, and two other children to the broken world of Arkenia.

But fairy magic isn’t perfect. . . .

Bastien falls under the power of a dark fairy, while Mira and her new friends Keeya and Simon discover their magical powers and unite against invading ghouls. Can Mira conquer the ghouls and save her brother before he becomes a changeling?

Her family thought her weak. Mira’s about to prove them wrong.

About the Author: Kathy Bjornestad is a retired K-12 school librarian and language arts teacher. She is a Wyoming Fellowship for Creative Fiction recipient and has received an honorable mention for the Neltje Blanchan Award. Kathy has placed in multiple writing contests, published several essays in Christian Science Monitor Weekly, and most recently placed pieces in anthologies such as Pasque Petals, Passionfruit Review, and Scurfpea Publishing’s Green Elephant. She is part of South Dakota’s 2024 Speakers’ Bureau and has indie-published four children’s books: Rhymes from the Reef, Bugs in the Backyard, The Amazing Sunny York, and Ghouls of Greenbottom Ward. She’s currently hard at work on an adult science fiction trilogy. You can find her at redheadswrite.net.

Join us on Friday October 25 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM to meet South Dakota Author Lynette Wermager for the launch and signing of her new Nordic trilogy, “Bertholena’s Bravery”.

Plans go wrong. Bertholena thought her greatest adventure would be leaving Norway for Amerika. She and her best friend Helma had plans! Plans they would see through "with or without husbands."  But the secret stowaway would change her. Finding her own courage through faith, cheer for the young woman embarking on a remarkable adventure with no turning back. Spiritual growth and transformation light the way for these brave characters making a new life. A story of immigration, redemption, and grit. 

A Crankie or moving panorama is a very old storytelling art form that can be found throughout the world, and in many different forms. An illustration on a scroll is wound onto two spools. The spools are loaded into a box , which has a viewing window. The scroll is hand-cranked while a story is told, a song is sung or a tune is played. The person operating the crankie is a crankist, who is usually a creative, good-natured person!

Crankies come in all sizes from ones made from matchboxes, candy tins and shoes boxes, to large wooden ones on a tabletop or huge mechanically-cranked scrolls many feet long. Shadow puppets and other puppets are often used along with the crankie stories and songs.

Join us for a Crankie Puppet Show on Thursday October 24 at 10:00 AM at Henry’s Books! This event is perfect for kiddos of all ages and will include storytelling and songs.

While there isn’t a charge for this event, a suggested donation of $10 per family helps cover the cost.

What Is a Crankie? Is a Crankiest a grumpy person?

A Crankie or moving panorama is a very old storytelling art form that can be found throughout the world, and in many different forms. An illustration on a scroll is wound onto two spools. The spools are loaded into a box , which has a viewing window. The scroll is hand-cranked while a story is told, a song is sung or a tune is played. The person operating the crankie is a crankist, who is usually a creative, good-natured person!

Crankies come in all sizes from ones made from matchboxes, candy tins and shoes boxes, to large wooden ones on a tabletop or huge mechanically-cranked scrolls many feet long. Shadow puppets and other puppets are often used along with the crankie stories and songs.

Join us for a Crankie Puppet Show on Thursday October 10 at 10:00 AM at Henry’s Books! This event is perfect for kiddos of all ages and will include storytelling and songs.

While there isn’t a charge for this event, a suggested donation of $10 per family helps cover the cost.