Galena LitFest: What the Light is Hiding

Long before modern Dark Sky initiatives, some Driftless-area inhabitants resisted the electric lights that promised to ruin their nighttime freedom and ease among shadows. Based on her essay “Night Vision” from Shelter and Storm: At Home in the Driftless, Tamara Dean explores rural electrification and night vision technology through the stories of nonconformists who over the past century have embraced or sought to conquer the darkness.

When registering please choose either in-person or virtual attendance. This is a hybrid program. Tamara Dean will present in person at the Galena Center for the Arts. There is also the option to Zoom in and view the presentation virtually. After the presentation, Tamara will be available to sell and sign her books on site in partnership with Galena Book & Paper.

Tamara Dean is the author of Shelter and Storm: At Home in the Driftless (University of Minnesota Press, 2025), a collection of twelve true tales of discovery that invite readers to experience nature mindfully in a time of uncertainty. Reviewers call Shelter and Storm "luminous," "fascinating," "captivating," and "a revelatory study of person and place, entwined." Her short stories and essays have appeared in The American Scholar, The Georgia Review, the Guardian, One Story, Orion, The Southern Review, and other publications. She's also the author of a book on sustainable living, The Human-Powered Home

Galena LitFest is the twelfth annual literary festival organized and funded by the Galena Public Library with support from the Friends of the Galena Public Library and in partnership with the Galena Center for the Arts, Champagne on Main, Galena Cellars, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation. Events will take place throughout January 2026 in-person and virtually.