Ruth Suckow traveling exhibit comes to Williamsburg

WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg Public Library is hosting a traveling exhibit celebrating the life and work of Iowa author Ruth Suckow.

The exhibit will be featured through June 25 in the library’s fireplace area and is free and open to the public.

Suckow, often described as Iowa’s Willa Cather, is known for her deeply human portrayals of small-town life in the Midwest. In nine novels and 43 short stories — most set in Iowa—Suckow captured the lives, passions, and struggles of ordinary people, says a press release.

The exhibit was developed by the Ruth Suckow Memorial Association with support from Humanities Iowa. It highlights Suckow’s literary contributions, including her short story collection “Iowa Interiors” and novels such as “Country People,” “Odyssey of a Nice Girl,” “The Folks” (a 1934 bestseller), “A Part of the Institution” (based on her time at Grinnell College), and “The John Wood Case,” inspired by a real-life embezzlement case in northwest Iowa.

A daughter of a Congregational minister, Suckow lived in 12 Iowa towns over her lifetime, including Hawarden, Algona, Cedar Falls, Grinnell and Davenport, making this traveling exhibit a fitting tribute to her legacy.

For more information, contact Librarian Sandy Jones at the Williamsburg Public Library, 319-668-1195.