The Schoolcraft County Historical Society will host a Brown Bag Lunch at Zion Lutheran Church on Thursday, July 25th from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. The guest author is Maryka Biaggio, Ph.D., from Portland, Oregon. Her novel, Eden Waits, is based on the true story of the Hiawatha Village Association, a Utopian community founded in Hiawatha Township during the 1890’s following the economic “Panic of 1893.” The hard times threatened the settlement founded by Abraham and Elizabeth Byers. Abraham, a preacher and self-proclaimed man of the people, rails against greed and corruption and launches Hiawatha Colony, a product-sharing community designed to support its members through self-sufficiency. Challenges lie ahead including internal strife, the harsh wilds of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the antagonism of the outside world.
This carefully researched historical novel explores the struggle between ideals and practicality and the collision of political and religious realms. The events bear surprising parallels to today’s climate of polarizations, questions about leadership, and concerns over corporate power.
Maryka Biaggio, Ph.D., is a former psychology professor turned novelist who specializes in historical fiction based on real people. She enjoys the challenge of starting with actual historical figures and dramatizing their lives—figuring out what motivated them to behave as they did, studying how the cultural and historical context may have influenced them, and recreating some sense of their emotional world through dialogue and action. You may visit her website at marykabiaggio.com.
Her book, “Eden Waits” will be available for purchase and author signature at the Brown Bag Lunch. Bring your bag lunch. Coffee and dessert will be provided. Admission is free. Any donations will benefit the Schoolcraft County Historical Society.