Getting nostalgic in Plymouth about vacation

"Vacationland," a novel by Sarah Stonich of Minneapolis set in an aging resort in northern Minnesota, often triggers people's memories of the cabin or "the lake."

The characters are very relatable, said Terri Ziegler, a member of the Plymouth Arts Council that chose the novel for this year's PlymouthREADS, the citywide book club.

PlymouthREADS had a kickoff event on Sunday at the Plymouth Library. Several other events are in the works, including an April 11 book discussion and a campfire-type singalong on April 16 at the Plymouth Library.

It culminates in the annual PlymouthREADS "literary night," held in conjunction with Primavera, an arts celebration the arts council and city put on every year.

The literary night is scheduled for April 19 at the Plymouth Creek Center. Stonich will be on hand to talk about the book at the event.

That's not all. A display of "Postcards From Vacationland," showcasing postcards from the public and book-inspired artwork from local illustrator Harry Pulver Jr., will be displayed at both the center and the library through April. Each of the events is free.

The events show "the power of the written word to inspire people in many directions," said Ziegler, adding that they also underscore the sheer variety of talent in the city.

Furthermore, the interactive activities, like the postcards from the public, offer another way for people to engage, even without reading the book. It's fun to watch people perusing those, empathizing with such missives as, "Note to self: Check twice before next camping trip. Wish we had put 'tent' on the list," from someone named Craig, 56.

"That's one of those things that was probably frustrating at the time, but it's funny now," Ziegler said.

The idea behind PlymouthREADS, in its sixth year, is to "spark conversation, find common ground, and foster learning and discovery in Plymouth by rallying readers around a single book," its website states. In picking out a book, the committee looks for work from an author with a Minnesota connection. Besides that, the title needs to have broad appeal and to shed light on diverse perspectives, Ziegler said.

It should be fun to read, while also lending itself to community discussions, Ziegler said.

"Vacationland" meets all of those requirements. It conveys "a huge breadth and depth of life, what people deal with," Ziegler said. Also, Stonich has mastered moving seamlessly from the past and present, and changing locations, as well.

"A successful book makes you think, 'I'm not alone,' " she said. That's the whole point of the citywide read. It's about "recognizing ourselves, realizing we're not alone," she said.

"I remember the first time I thought, 'I really like this author,' " said Ziegler, referring to John Steinbeck's "Cannery Row," which she read in college. "I realized this guy loves humanity, warts and all. Sarah [Stonich] seems to get in there, too."

Literature and other art forms help to bring "some perspective on issues we have with ourselves and each other, and get the long view of how it weaves a tapestry that's beautiful, even the ugly parts," she said.

Ziegler hopes that the PlymouthREADS activities give people an appreciation for "the land, nature, their neighbors, the energy for another day."

'Vacationland'

The concept for the book hit Stonich after she took notice of a guest register at a resort. "I looked at it and thought, 'Wow, if that book could talk,' " said Stonich, who is currently working on a sequel to "Vacationland" called "Laurentian Divide."

(Stonich has another book coming out in November titled "Fishing With RayAnne," which she wrote under the pen name Ava Finch.)

"Vacationland," published in 2013, has also been featured in communitywide reads in Austin and Cambridge. "It's gratifying that people like it enough to make it a community read," she said.

The 15 interrelated stories in "Vacationland" are all tied to the fictional Naledi Lodge. "I love resorts. I'm always looking for the old ones that haven't been gentrified," Stonich said. Also, she was drawn to the idea of "setting something within the parameters of vacation."

So often, vacations stand out as bookended moments. Those memories stay intact, while everything else sort of bleeds together, she said.

Personally, Stonich has fond memories of visiting her family's cabin in Ely, which has been a gathering place for many years. Similarly, Stonich has a cabin of her own nearby, the building of which served as the topic of her 2011 memoir, "Shelter."

As a testimony to that, during readings, attendees frequently divulge their own vacation tales. Occasionally, depending on where she's appearing, people inquire about her family.

During one event early on, a man in his 90s asked her if she had an aunt Helen. It turns out he'd had a crush on her in the past. "I hear a lot of stories like that," she said.

Vacations also offer plenty of material since things don't always go as planned. "Lots of unexpected things happen to people when they're out of their realm." They might fall in love or get into an accident, Stonich said.

Postcards from Vacationland

This year, the Plymouth Arts Council experimented with commissioning original artwork that dovetailed with the book.

The idea was to expand on the themes, to add another dimension, Ziegler said, adding, "We wanted a visual element."

So the council pulled in Harry Pulver Jr. of Golden Valley. His work has appeared everywhere from the Wall Street Journal to National Geographic World. The veteran illustrator also grew up in Plymouth.

Pulver created four oil pastel works, with "Vacationland" as a jumping-off point. The colorful pieces have an Up North ambience. They show different figures in action and the four seasons are represented, he said. "I tried to find pictures that resonated with characters in the book in some way," he said.

For one image, Pulver renders a typical lakeside town, with an antiques store, cafe and bait shop in the background. In the foreground, people are fishing.

It alludes to a fishing opener in a wharf town like Two Harbors, said Pulver, who'll also play his accordion and lead a cartooning class in two Primavera-related events on April 18.

A skier that's stuck in the snow, face-to-face with a moose, probably relates most closely to the book, since something similar happens to one of its characters.

Ziegler is pleased with the resulting work. "I love his saturated color, the energy of his strokes," she said.

Additionally, the images also reflect the book and the area's diversity. They go far to ensure that "anyone can relate to them," she said.

For a full listing of Plymouth READS events, check out http://plymouthartscouncil.org/enjoy/plymouth_reads/.

Anna Pratt is a Minneapolis freelance writer. She can be reached at annaprattjournalist@gmail.com.