Joy Riggs is the author of Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man (Nodin Press 2019), a book of memoir and biography about how music connects people across generations.
Her essays have appeared or are forthcoming in numerous publications including Catamaran Literary Reader, Hippocampus Magazine, The Manifest-Station, HerStry, Of Rust and Glass, and the Star Tribune. She lives in Northfield, Minnesota, where she writes about history, travel, and caregiving for aging parents.
Joy grew up in Alexandria, Minnesota, and graduated from Drake University in Des Moines with a bachelor's degree in news-editorial journalism. She spent several years as a newspaper reporter before becoming a freelance writer and editor.
Her book
Joy’s nonfiction book, Crackerjack Bands and Hometown Boosters: The Story of a Minnesota Music Man, was published in July 2019 (Nodin Press).
It recounts the extraordinary exploits of her paternal great-grandfather, a pioneering band director, and his talented pianist wife through times of war, peace, economic hardship, and personal tragedy. Ultimately, it’s about the power of music to transform lives and connect people across generations.
Buy it through Content Bookstore in Northfield or from your favorite local bookstore! Also available through:
Her bio
Joy's essays, columns, and articles have appeared or are forthcoming in numerous publications, including Catamaran Literary Reader, Hippocampus Magazine, HerStry, the Manifest-Station, Of Rust and Glass, BLUNTmoms, the Star Tribune, Grown and Flown, Minnesota Parent, and Topology Magazine. She has an essay in “Publish Her Anthology: Better Together.”
Editing
Past and present clients include: Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) • Publish Her™ Press • the Vintage Band Festival • the Northfield Historical Society • SERC, The Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College • the Carleton College Voice •
Other activities
• Joy is the co-founder of The Fisher Cats, a community of women writers who study under Minneapolis author and teacher Kate Hopper.
• Joy serves on the board of the Vintage Band Festival, a nonprofit group that organizes a four-day international vintage music festival in Northfield every three years and a one-day festival in the intervening years. The next festival is set for July 26-27, 2024.
• Joy serves on the planning committee for the Deep Valley Book Festival, a free event based in southern Minnesota that connects readers and writers in a celebration of literature and literacy. The next festival is set for Oct. 5, 2024.
Sampling of Joy’s personal essays
A Balancing Act, Hippocampus Magazine, Jan. 17, 2023
The Impermanence of Happiness, HerStry, Nov. 16, 2022
On the Cusp, The Manifest-Station, Aug. 7, 2021
An Interview with My Pandemic Self, BLUNTmoms, April 21, 2021
Parenting in a Crisis and the Kindness of Strangers, Grown and Flown, March 13, 2020
Articles & columns about Joy’s book
Star Tribune
Riggs struck up a band like few others
Minnesota Public Radio
Celebrating the legacy of Minnesota’s real-life ‘Music Man’
St. Paul Pioneer Press
Interesting reads
Marie’s Meanderings
A personal story and book review
Northfield News
Riggs looks into family’s musical lineage
Praise for ‘Crackerjack Bands’
“Joy Riggs is a wonderful writer whose humor, grace, and careful research will make any reader care deeply about this family. The book illustrates what each of us can learn about ourselves by understanding those who came before us. It’s also a testament to the power of music to create community, connect people to one another, and make ‘time and place dissolve.’”
“Joy Riggs has pulled from the folds of Minnesota history the remarkable story of a man who changed the musical landscape of the state. With warmth, intelligence, and insight, she describes his profound impact on the musicians he taught and the grace and happiness he brought to countless audiences in an era when the highlight of a week’s entertainment might be an afternoon concert in the park.”
“Joy Riggs offers not only an intriguing family story, but one that reveals something about the world we live in today. Through impeccable research and engaging writing, Riggs has crafted a riveting history of her great-grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs, a real-life ‘music man’ bandleader in Minnesota and points beyond. Riggs’s own story serves as the harmony to G. Oliver’s melody, and I was fascinated by the people and places she discovered on her journey into the past.”
“Impeccably researched and told with heart, Joy Riggs illuminates how one musician’s lifelong passion for teaching and performing inspired generations of young musicians.”
Contact
Need a speaker for your book club or organization? Joy is available for in-person presentations or virtual gatherings via Zoom.
