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DECORAH — Join Rick Kyte, author of "Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way)," the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce, the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation and Dragonfly Books Staff for an exciting professional development opportunity. On Friday, August 23, at 12:00 p.m. in the Hotel Winneshiek, Rick will be speaking about his book over the lunch hour. This event is targeted towards local business owners and employees, however, members of the general public are always welcome. A copy of Rick's book will be provided to the first 20 attendees. Bring your own lunch if desired, but coffee, water, and soda will be provided. About the Author Richard Kyte grew up in a small town in northern Minnesota, traveled abroad, and fell in love with his wife Cindi while hitchhiking in Scotland. Kyste came back to the United States to run a miniature golf course with her in Manitou Springs, Colorado, then moved to Baltimore, where he earned a PhD in philosophy at The Johns Hopkins University. He has lived and taught all over the United States, finally settling down in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he serves as Endowed Professor of Ethics at Viterbo University and Director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership. He holds regular office hours in a few of the area's many neighborhood coffee shops. When he is not working or hanging out at a "third place," Richard can be found on one of the many trout streams of the Driftless Area, paddling the backwaters of the Mississippi River, or walking a lonely trail deep in the woods. His book features a concept called the "third place." According to Kyte, your first place is home, your second place is work, and your third place is where you go to socialize and build friendships. Yet, Kyte observes, for several reasons, many people today find themselves without a third place of their own. At a time when our nation is facing an epidemic of loneliness and communities are suffering from a loss of trust, low levels of engagement, despair and political polarization, what if the answer to many of our problems lies in a simple idea? What if we just need to pay attention to the places where we find ourselves? This event is part of Dragonfly Books and the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation's robust author event series, which brings writers of all genres to Northeast Iowa to lead in conversations about literature and writing. The event is co-hosted by the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Decorah Bank & Trust. To learn more about this event and other events with Dragonfly Books, visit www.dragonflybooks.com. RSVP to jenna@dragonflybooks.com. Elevate your inbox with the DecorahNews.com newsletter! Receive free thought-provoking articles, actionable advice and inspiring stories every week.

Support your local businesses

Lunch with Author Rick Kyte at Hotel Winneshiek