Dairylandia

Years ago, Steve Hannah’s chance detour through the Midwest cut short a planned cross-country trip. He found himself ensconced in Wisconsin, a distinctly different place from the East Coast where he was born and raised. Breathtakingly beautiful and full of welcoming people, America’s Dairyland would soon become his home. 

Dairylandia recounts Hannah’s love for his adopted state through his long-lived column, “State of Mind.” He profiles the lives of the seemingly ordinary yet quite (and quietly) extraordinary folks he met and befriended as he traveled the main streets and back roads of Wisconsin. From Norwegian farmers to a CIA-trained Laotian fighter to a woman who kept her favorite dead bird in the freezer, Hannah was charmed and fascinated by the kind and authentic folks he met. These captivating vignettes are by turns humorous, touching, and inspiring.