Jim Harrison Tribute Planned For City Opera House

A tribute to the life and work of renowned northern Michigan author Jim Harrison will take place Saturday, October 21 at 7pm at the City Opera House.

"Jim Harrison: A Really Big Tribute" will feature speakers from around the country whose connection with Harrison was "vital and profound," according to the City Opera House. Suttons Bay resident and Harrison assistant Joyce Harrington Bahle - who worked with the The Legends of the Fall author for 38 years - will lead the celebration. Other speakers including Joseph Bednarik of Copper Canyon Press and Gary Wilson of Michigan State University will participate in the "invocation of words, music and images" honoring Harrison's life.

According to the City Opera House, Harrison's 2016 passing "inspired many accolades, remembrances and memorial tributes by his family, friends, readers and fellow artists around the world.  After an outpouring of interest, Joyce has prepared a celebration of his life and work in northern Michigan."

“My own days since losing Jim more than a year ago, and earlier his wife Linda, have been filled with work and memories in which they are always present - as they will be for the rest of my life," Bahle says. "Jim was northern Michigan's beloved poet, novelist, journalist and passionate gourmand. He reminds us 'Death steals everything except our stories.' Writers, friends and fellow travelers from throughout the land gather to summon Jim's spirit. Come for Jim and be ready for a night of art, life and stories!”

Tickets for "Jim Harrison: A Really Big Tribute" are $25-$35 and available at the City Opera House box office or online here.