Mississippi River Museum

When Joe Patterson arrives in a rural upper Midwestern river town in order to fix up and sell his late father’ s “ cabin,” a host of issues for which he’ s not prepared confront him: the house is in shambles, his body aches, his checking account is almost empty, and he meets a twelve-year-old boy in need of help. A story of hope, loss, and redemption, Mississippi River Museum explores the unlikely friendship between two orphans who bond over fishing, bikes, and eating fried catfish.

Keith Pilapil Lesmeister is the author of the story collection We Could’ ve Been Happy Here (MG Press, 2017). His fiction has appeared in American Short Fiction, december magazine, Gettysburg Review, New Stories from the Midwest, North American Review, and many others. His nonfiction has appeared in The Good Men Project, River Teeth, Sycamore Review, Water~Stone Review, and elsewhere. He is the editor of Cutleaf. He lives in Decorah, IA.