Decorah—new hot spot for book authors?

Well-known Midwest author William Kent Krueger spoke about his new book, "This Tender Land," Monday night at Impact Coffee, an appearance sponsored by Dragonfly Books.

Following the event—which attracted around 175 people—Krueger took to Facebook to rave about Decorah:

"There's a small town in northeastern Iowa called Decorah. It sits on the banks of the Iowa River, in a bowl formed by a meteor strike millions of years ago. It has an historic courthouse, a fine (college)—Luther—a lovely main street, and homes that glow with the comforting aura of the Midwest. If I didn't live in St. Paul, I'd probably live in Decorah.

Coastal folks—East Coast, West Coast—tend to write off the Midwest as the Great Fly-Over. To me the Midwest is an agrarian jewel...To write off this vast, lovely heartland as nothing but empty, flyover space is like ignoring diamonds strewn at your feet.

We had one of the most enjoyable events of my entire book tour last night in Decorah, with 170 people jostling for a seat in the event area of Impact Coffee."

Krueger's posting then attracted another post—this one from J Ryan Stradal, who spoke recently at Pulpit Rock Brewery, in an event also sponsored by Dragonfly: "I couldn't agree more.  My evening in Decorah has been a highlight of my entire year and the wonderful booksellers, extremely warm audience and beautiful Midwestern milieu All made it so."

One more reason for tourists to visit Decorah?