B.J. Hollars
B.J. Hollars is a writer and professor in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He is the author of several books, most recently Year of Plenty. He also directs the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild.
Latest Contributed Stories
February 13, 2025
‘Hope Floats’: Humanity restored with message in a bottle
Sending a message in a bottle has been romanticized for centuries. People have even cast bottles for scientific purposes. And as author B.J. Hollars tells us, it helped one Wisconsin ...
August 5, 2024
If the suit fits, wear it: Dancing at the Eau Claire Public Library
The local library is an important place for a community. It’s a collection of knowledge and art. A resource for learning and exploring. And for Eau Claire writer BJ Hollars, ...
March 19, 2024
When one door closes, another one opens just down the road
As the saying goes – home is where the heart is. But for writer BJ Hollars, it’s a little more complicated than that. We can become deeply connected to our ...
January 18, 2024
Breaking bread: A morning adventure in baking
The simple wholesome act of baking a loaf of bread can fill your kitchen with warm aromas and quiet your mind. That is, unless you’re writer BJ Hollars of Eau ...
July 19, 2022
Bless these pests: Welcoming the garden invaders
Ever feel like you’re constantly battling garden invaders? Dealing with the weeds, bugs, and critters can be a never-ending, daunting task. Or, you can roll with it, just like author ...
June 9, 2022
Finding stillness in the storm: Family camping in the best and worst of times
Taking the kids camping usually sounds like a great idea, until it’s not. Author BJ Hollars brings us a story about the trials and triumphs of the family camping trip. ...
December 23, 2021
Conjuring The Ghost Of Christmas Past
Just in time for the holidays author BJ Hollars brings us a Christmas story about an Eau Claire newspaper’s determination to preserve the community’s faith in Santa Claus. == Conjuring ...
August 24, 2021
The Beast Of The East Hill: An Urban Wildlife Tracking Expedition
Was it a badger? Was it a bobcat? Or was it just an abnormally large, trash-eating house cat? Author BJ Hollars of Eau Claire tells the story of his family’s ...
April 12, 2019
Parenting, Prom, And The Packers
The smell of heavy cologne, hairspray, and nervous energy in the air can only mean one thing: it's prom season. As high schoolers across Wisconsin worry about who to ask and ...
September 26, 2018
The Resurrection Of Lord God Bird
Birds are dominating the spotlight at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum this month as the acclaimed Birds in Art 2018 exhibition opens. The paintings and sculptures draw people to ...
August 24, 2018
August Heat And The Mouse In The AC
We’d made it most the summer without the air, but at last we break. It’s August, and rather than another night spent sweating in sheets, I reach toward the register, ...
April 4, 2018
Wisconsin’s First Mountain Lion
161 years ago Wisconsin’s first mountain lion met its end, and that’s where our story begins. B.J. Hollars reveals the felines chronicle, after its death.
September 11, 2015
The Hermit And The Goshawk
The hermit had a name but no one knew it, or almost no one did. Francis Zirrer, an import from Yugoslavia, preferred it that way. All he wanted in the ...
May 13, 2015