By Steve Van Kooten

The intersection of people and nature has been a fertile ground for artists and writers throughout history, and that complex relationship will be at the forefront of the Prairie du Chien Memorial Library’s next author meet and greet with Kevin Koch on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m.

Koch, a former professor of English at Loras College in Dubuque and author of several books, will be talking about his newest book, Midwest Bedrock: The Search for Nature’s Soul in America’s Heartland.

“It’s kind of a journey through 12 Midwest states, picking a location or area within each to focus on. A lot of times, it’s an off-the-beaten-path type of place or places that people might not necessarily associate with the Midwest with an informative-narrative blend.”

Koch’s book includes chapters about Wisconsin and Iowa. The chapter on Wisconsin covers the Ice Age Trail that follows the boundary where glacial activity stopped encroaching on what we now call the Driftless Area.

Local residents may find the chapter about Iowa of particular interest because it focuses on the Effigy Mounds National Monument a few miles north of Marquette.

“The Midwest has many beautiful places that defy the stereotypical impressions people have of the Midwest, whether they’re from the outside or from the Midwest. Sometimes you have to get off the interstate to find them,” said Koch.

Koch isn’t a stranger in the Driftless Area; one might say his roots go as deep as the oaks that populate the region’s forests. 

After graduating from the University of Iowa with his master’s and then doctoral degrees, Koch taught at Loras, where he had received his bachelor’s degree, for more than 40 years. He retired from his position in 2024.

He is also familiar with the Prairie du Chien/McGregor area. “We come up fairly frequently. We like to bring our bikes up and do some of the backroads... We’ve come up once in a while to go on boat tours... We’ve come up to Effigy Mounds. Even now that I’m retired, I bring students to Effigy Mounds.”

During decades of teaching, Koch taught classes in creative nonfiction and nature writing. His writings include The Driftless Land: Spirit of Place in the Upper Mississippi Valley and Skiing at Midnight: A Nature Journal from Dubuque County.

“I tend to write a narrative-informative mix,” he said. “It might have a little geography or history in there. I’m always trying to write those in a way that’s accessible to the public, and I always try to couch it with some sort of narrative.”

During his time as a professor, he also wrote The Thin Places: A Celtic Landscape from Ireland to the Driftless, inspired by two excursions in Ireland. “I felt I knew it well, but not enough to be an expert, but it did give me a sense of fresh eyes on the Driftless.”

Koch first picked up nature writing more than 30 years ago, when a winter night inspired him.

“For a long time, it didn’t occur to me that that’s what I should write about... We had a fresh snowfall, and we lived next to a golf course, and I thought, ‘I’m going to go skiing at night,’” he said.

He wrote an essay and a poem about his experience, and it snowballed from there into a life spent documenting one of the most unique regions in the United States.

“The Midwest, and the Driftless in general, is a region where you won’t find vast wilderness; you’ll find pockets of those places. Because you’ll find it in pockets, it affects the way people interact with it.”