Events

“On April 15, 1847 we started from near Cedar Rapids Iowa,” author Karen Fisher’s ancestor, 11, wrote in her journal. “After traveling six miles we were detained by a snow storm. We made a company of 42 wagons. . . . Past Missouri River was a violent storm the wind caught one of our wagons and overturned it....”  Beginning with this journal, Karen Fisher created a novel set during the Oregon migration of 1847, a “tough and tender” read, a tale of history, love, survival, and the power of stories to bind us together. A Sudden Country was a finalist for the Pen/Faulkner Award, winner of the Mountains & Plains booksellers award, and winner of the Sherwood Anderson Fiction Award.