The time has almost arrived for author William Kent Krueger to be in Pierre. His talk at the Capitol Lake Visitors Center will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25. He’ll discuss his novel “Ordinary Grace,” answer questions about it and his other books, and sign copies of his books. It’s an opportunity to hear directly from the author.

“Ordinary Grace” was chosen as the 2015 One Book South Dakota, a program of the South Dakota Humanities Council that encourages South Dakotans to read and discuss a single work of literature. Pierre is one of 12 stops Krueger is making on the One Book South Dakota Tour, leading his appearance at the South Dakota Festival of Books, so we’re fortunate to have him in our community.

Krueger lives in Saint Paul, Minn., and has written 14 mysteries set in northern Minnesota that are part of the Corcoran O’Connor series. “Ordinary Grace” is a stand-alone novel, set in 1961 in southern Minn. In 2013, it received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel published that year. According to his website, Krueger has finished a draft of “This Tender Land,” a companion novel to “Ordinary Grace.” It is scheduled to be published in the spring of 2016.

The program is hosted by the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation and Prairie Pages Bookseller. The Heritage Store at the Cultural Heritage Center and Prairie Pages have “Ordinary Grace” for sale. The event is made possible by a grant from the South Dakota Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This is a free program. All are welcome to attend.

The foundation is hosting South Dakota’s new state poet laureate, Lee Ann Roripaugh, on Monday, Nov. 16, at the Cultural Heritage Center. This is a wonderful way to meet her and learn about her and her poetry.