Midwest Bedrock: The Search for Nature’s Soul in America’s Heartland takes readers on a journey across all twelve Midwest states to natural settings that defy typical stereotypes of the Midwest landscape. Each chapter focuses on one focal region or locality within each state, often seeking out lesser-known landscapes steeped in beauty and story.  The book explores such places as Wisconsin’s 1,100-mile Ice Age Trail that follows the furthest reach of the last glacier; Minnesota’s Lake Itasca, headwaters of the Mississippi River; and Iowa’s Effigy Mounds National Monument and Driftless Area.

Part history, part memoir, part interview-based research, Midwest Bedrock is a personal narrative of exploring the natural beauty of America’s Heartland, where each location tells the stories of the past that linger on the landscape.

More of his work, including shorter works on regional outdoor places and photos, can be viewed at https://www.kevinkochdriftlessland.net/.

Kevin Koch is Professor Emeritus of English at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.  He has been writing narrative/informative nature-based works about the Midwest for nearly 25 years. Prior to Midwest Bedrock, his previous books have included: Skiing at Midnight: A Nature Journal from Dubuque County, Iowa; The Driftless Land: Spirit of Place in the Upper Mississippi Valley; and The Thin Places: A Celtic Landscape from Ireland to the Driftless.