By Staff
CASSOPOLIS – Cass District Library Tuesday announced that Dean Kuipers, author of "Burning Rainbow Farm," will pay a special visit to the library at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 15, to talk about his writing experience, sign his book and answer guests' questions.
Kuipers has agreed to arrive an hour early to mingle and chat with guests before his presentation.
Refreshments will be provided for everyone's enjoyment.
Kuipers is visiting Cass District Library as part of the Library of Michigan's 2007 "Michigan Notable Authors Tour."
This year, 18 authors whose engaging works were chosen as 2007 Michigan Notable Books selections will visit nearly 70 libraries throughout the state.
Cass District Library is located at 319 M-62 North, Cassopolis.
For details about this author event, call (269) 445-3400.
"It's a literary treat to be a host site for the Michigan Notables tour. Michigan is home to some of the best stories and storytellers found anywhere in the country. We look forward to hearing Mr. Kuipers discuss his research and writing process. I anticipate it will be an afternoon to remember," said CDL Director Jennifer Ray.
"This year's Michigan Notable Books delve into wonderfully diverse topics and offer something of interest for just about everyone," said State Librarian Nancy R. Robertson. "The tour offers the opportunity for book enthusiasts in many corners of the state to join in the conversation about what constitutes 'great writing' and to hear from some of the Great Lakes region's most beloved authors."
Kuipers is a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times and an editor at Los Angeles CityBeat.
He is co-author (with Doug Aitken) of "I Am A Bullet."
A former editor at Spin and Raygun magazines, his work has appeared in Playboy, Rolling Stone, Interview, Travel &Leisure, Outside and other publications. He grew up in Mattawan, Mich., and now lives in
Los Angeles with artist Meg Cranston and their son, Spenser.
Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke by Dean Kuipers
(Bloomsbury) is a detailed and readable account that describes the 2001 tragedy on Tom Crosslin
and Rollie Rohm's farm in Vandalia, a rural Cass County, Michigan, town. Crosslin founded
Rainbow Farm in 1993 as a shelter for marijuana smokers, libertarians, disconnected gays and
lovers of live music. Kuipers chronicles Crosslin and Rohm's backgrounds and enables readers
to understand what led to their beliefs and convictions and how these beliefs and convictions
converged to create the confounding circumstances of August 2001. In so doing, Kuipers asks
readers to think seriously about the moral and emotional issues surrounding the war on drugs.
Michigan Notable Books (which originated as Read Michigan, part of the Michigan
Week program in 1991) is designed to promote reading and raise awareness of Michigan's
literary heritage. The Michigan Notable Books program annually selects 20 of the most
outstanding books published in that year – titles that are reflective of Michigan's diverse ethnic,
historical, literary and cultural experience.
In addition to the tour, the Library of Michigan and Library of Michigan Foundation will
host a "Night for Notables" on Saturday, April 14, with guest speakers former Governor William
G. Milliken, former Detroit News political columnist George Weeks; and David Dempsey, an
author on this year's Michigan Notable Books list. For more information about the evening
program taking place at the Library of Michigan in downtown Lansing, visit
www.michigan.gov/notablebooks.
Dean Kuipers Visits Cass District Library on April 15, 2007 – Page 3
The 2007 Michigan Notable Books program and tour are made possible thanks to the
generous support of Borders, Cooley Law School, the Michigan Humanities Council, ProQuest,
LaSalle Bank, the Library of Michigan, the Library of Michigan Foundation, Michigan Center
for the Book and Schuler Books &Music. The program's media partners are the Lansing State
Journal and WKAR.
The Library of Michigan is part of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).
Dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to
information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity, the
department also includes the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Michigan Council for
Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Michigan Film Office and the Michigan Historical Center. For
more information, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.
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