W. Bruce Cameron, the New York Times bestselling author known for his 2010 novel A Dog’s Purpose, is coming to Leelanau County this month. The author, a northern Michigan native with roots in Charlevoix, will be on hand on Saturday, October 19 for a film screening, and will then head to Shady Lane Cellars at 5:30pm for a reception and fundraiser to benefit PoWeR! Book Bags.

Cameron rose to fame in the early 2010s as A Dog’s Purpose spent 52 weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list. The book, about a dog who “discovers the meaning of its own existence throught he lives of the humans it teaches to laugh and love,” was subsequently adapted into a major motion picture in 2017, starring Dennis Quaid and Josh Gad. The book’s sequel, A Dog’s Journey, was published in 2012 and got its own movie with the same stars in 2019.

PoWeR! Book Bags is a Suttons Bay-based nonprofit organization that seeks to “provide a consistent, on-going supply of language and literacy materials for children of all ages.” In the context of the organization’s name, “PoWeR!” stands for “Play, Write, and Read!” The nonprofit got its start in 2016 and is “currently partnering to share literacy with children at over 91 different sites in 19 counties,” according to its website. The October 19 events with Cameron are both part of a fundraiser for PoWeR! Book Bags.

The 3:30pm event at the Bay Theatre will feature a screening of the movie adaptation of A Dog’s Journey and a meet and greet with Cameron, while the “afterglow” reception at Shady Lane will include live music, wine, hors d’oeuvres, a raffle and more. Tickets are $10 for the film screening and $100 for the afterglow and can be purchased separately here. Attendees can also support the PoWeR! Book Bags mission by donating $25 to have their dog's photo featured on the big screen ahead of the screening at the Bay.