I write about the people and places along the Mississippi River. Some stories are in my non-fiction books, such as the Mississippi Valley Traveler guidebooks. Other stories are showcased in my Frank Dodge mystery series.

You may know a few things about the Mississippi River but probably a lot less than you think. I don’t mean that as an insult. That was certainly true for me when I started this journey in 2007.

My first exposure to the Mississippi River came from Mark Twain, probably like yours. I’m not sure when I first read Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn, but I remember watching the 1973 movie version of Tom Sawyer at a movie theater in suburban Kansas City. My friend and I had so much fun that we stuck around and watched the movie a second time. I was captivated by the boys who got to ride a raft down the Mississippi River. It looked like fun. It looked like freedom.

Fast forward a decade or so and I had moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, to start college. La Crosse is about as good a river town as you’ll find, although I was drawn there by the cheap tuition and the chance to join the college bowling team.

The river got its hooks in me during those years. I regularly hiked the bluffs for the expansive views of the river valley and spent hours sitting by the river thinking about life and working through my young adult angst. (That’s what we did before Facebook and Instagram—sat next to rivers and brooded.) While I didn’t get to raft on the river, I first put a canoe in the Mississippi at La Crosse. (We started out by paddling upstream. We were young and didn’t know any better, yet.)

So when I try to figure out how I ended up writing about the Mississippi, I credit (or blame) Tom Sawyer and La Crosse, Wisconsin. I’ve learned a lot about the river since 2008, like most people don’t really understand my obsession with the Mississippi.

There’s so much more to the Mississippi River than a nineteenth century novel, though. I’m busy spreading that message now, telling stories about the amazing people and places of today’s Mississippi River. I’m not just writing for the fun of it. I have an agenda: to get you to visit the Mississippi River more often and to stick around longer when you’re there. I want to help you see what I see.

I’m getting my message out in different ways. I write guidebooks about the Mississippi River. Some of the information in those books is also on the website you are visiting now. Scroll through the section on Mississippi River Towns to find a new favorite place to hang out in (or move to).

I also write mysteries set along the Mississippi River. Writer Frank Dodge has a knack for getting in trouble as he travels along the river, so he keeps me busy. (It’s also a sneaky way of telling people about the wonders of the Mississippi River.)

While books have been my main focus, I have also written for magazines and newspapers, including Smithsonian, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Wisconsin Trails, and GoNomad.com. For a couple of years, I served as Contributing Editor for Big River Magazine. I also regularly speak about Mississippi River history and attractions. It keeps me busy.

And because writing isn’t enough, I also host a podcast about the Mississippi River.

I hope you’ll stick around and explore this site. And feel free to get in touch with me. I love hearing from you!

See you on the river!

Want to know more about my obsession with the Mississippi River? Listen to my interview with Jo Frances Penn on the Books and Travel Podcast.

I had the chance to describe the joys of traveling along the upper Mississippi River with Chris Christensen of the Amateur Traveler podcast.

A few years ago I had the pleasure of talking with Cheryl Fusco-Johnson of KRUU radio in Fairfield, Iowa (the station is completely powered by solar energy!). We spent a delightful hour talking about the Mississippi River and writing.

How’s the Mississippi River doing these days? Listen to the discussion Chuck Marohn and I had on the Strong Towns Podcast in 2013.

In 2016, I had a lovely chat with Katie Carter about the Mississippi River at KAXE Radio in Bemidji, Minnesota.

Minneapolis Star Tribune (November 25, 2018)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (March 28, 2010):

Chicago Tribune (January 4, 2011)

Community-supported writing

If you like the content at the Mississippi Valley Traveler, please consider showing your support by making a one-time contribution or by subscribing through Patreon. Book sales don’t fully cover my costs, and I don’t have deep corporate pockets bankrolling my work. I’m a freelance writer bringing you stories about life along the Mississippi River. I need your help to keep this going. Every dollar you contribute makes it possible for me to continue sharing stories about America’s Greatest River!