Arts briefs: ArtReach St. Croix hosts award-winning author Ellen Hart

Author Ellen Hart will talk about her new book, "The Lost Women of Lost Lake," when she speaks Thursday as part of the "Writers on Writing" series sponsored by ArtReach St. Croix.

Hart is the author of 25 crime novels and a three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Awards and the Golden Crown Literary Awards. She offers some advice about writing: "As a working writer, you have to sit down and write whether you're feeling inspired or not."

"You hope, and you may even pray, for inspiration," she said in a recent interview.

"Some days it comes, some days it doesn't. On the days it does come, you better be sitting down at your laptop when it hits."

A question-and-answer session and book signing will follow Hart's talk, which is to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at 224 N. 4th St., Stillwater. The event is free. For information call 651-439-1465.

Celebrating snow, cold with ice cream Winter has been rather wimpy this year, but that won't stop the folks at the Washington County Historical Society from celebrating the season with their annual Stillwater Ice Cream Social on Saturday in Lowell Park downtown.

Free ice cream will be served from 1 to 4 p.m., and chili will be available for a nominal charge. Aamodt's plans to have a tethered hot air balloon on site.

Nonprofit adds new arts program East Suburban Resources, a nonprofit that puts adults with developmental disabilities and other special needs in Washington and Ramsey counties to work, has teamed up with Stepping Up Moving Forward to launch a new arts curriculum.

Called ArtWorks, the program will use theater, music and visual arts to guide participants through a process of discovery and self expression.

Starting this week, sessions will be offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at ESR's Stillwater branch, at 1754 Washington Av.

Library gets $32,000 for new materials The Washington County Library has $32,000 to buy new materials thanks to a grant and a donation. The Washington County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to accept a $30,000 grant from the RAFT Foundation. The other $2,000 came from Barbara Smead, a patron at the R.H. Stafford Library in Woodbury. She made the donation to the Library Fund in December.

TIM HARLOW