McIntosh Memorial Library of Viroqua will be hosting a local author presentation and book signing in the library’s conference room, Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 6:30 p.m. i Viroqua author Barbara Kailean Welsh will speak about her book, “Blazing a Trail: The Unconventional Life of Harriet Hosmer.”

Harriet Hosmer was a traveler enjoying the beauty of the Upper Mississippi wilderness when she ran to the top of a bluff overlooking Lansing, Iowa, during a riverboat stop. The moment was memorialized, and the site named Mount Hosmer. No one knew the young woman would go on to become one of America’s first female sculptors, and famous across the globe. The book is the story of Hosmer’s life, from childhood tragedy to fame. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

Kailean Welsh grew up on a farm west of Lansing near the unincorporated town of Church. Her interest in local history began with a handful of her grandmother’s antique postcards and grew through her work as editor of the Allamakee Journal newspaper from 1988-1995. Welsh moved to Viroqua in 2004.

For more information about this event, contact the library at 637-7151.