For media inquiries, please contact press@laurapalooza.com. For questions about the conference, write beyondlittlehouse@gmail.com.
You can learn more about LauraPalooza and the LIWLRA on Facebook, Twitter, and the Beyond Little House blog
About the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy & Research Association
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy & Research Association (LIWLRA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder through research, events, awareness, and unwavering support for the museums and sites across the country that honor her, her family, and her series of Little House books.
About LauraPalooza
LauraPalooza is the only academic and fan gathering of its kind, celebrating the literary, historical, and cultural impact of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose Wilder Lane, and their families. It was first held in 2010 in Mankato, Minnesota, where it won the Greater Mankato Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Bring It Home Award. It returned to Mankato in 2012. The third LauraPalooza conference, Through Laura’s Eyes: Imagery, Illustrations, and Impressions from the Little House, took place July 2015 at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. The fourth LauraPalooza conference, Little Houses, Mighty Legacy: Celebrating 150 Years of Laura Ingalls Wilder, was held 12-14 July 2017 at University Plaza Hotel, Springfield, Missouri.
Our upcoming fifth LauraPalooza conference, All Roads Lead to Laura, will be held at Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center in Onalaska, Wisconsin, 7-10 July 2019.
LauraPalooza In The News
Print and TV
The New York Times’ 2017 Anniversary Calendar mentions LauraPalooza 2017
The Washington Post talks about LauraPalooza 2017 in its 150th anniversary roundup
A story on the science of Little House in Smithsonian mentions LauraPalooza
Towson University features frequent LauraPalooza presenter Ann Weller Dahl
Argus Leader in South Dakota previews and reviews LauraPalooza 2015
Report from Keloland TV in South Dakota on LauraPalooza 2015
Report on LauraPalooza 2015 from KSFY in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
KDLT, the NBC affiliate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, reports on LauraPalooza 2015
Watertown, South Dakota Public Opinion previews LauraPalooza 2015
LauraPalooza is mentioned in this Associated Press story about Pioneer Girl, printed in newspapers across the country, including the New York Times.
The Chicago Tribune recounts LauraPalooza 2012.
Mankato Free Press interviews attendees at LauraPalooza 2010
LauraPalooza! Fans and scholars of Laura Ingalls Wilder will gather in Mankato this summer to study all things Half-Pint
Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2.7.10
A Minnesota TV spot features LauraPalooza 2010.
Radio
PBS NewsHour talks to Pioneer Girl editor Pamela Smith Hill in December 2014.
LIWLRA board member Connie Neumann joins Dean Butler, Karen Grassle, and Pamela Smith Hill on WBUR’s On Point radio show.
Co-chair of LauraPalooza 2015, meteorologist Barb Boustead, talks to Michigan Public Radio about weather around the little houses.
Blogs
Posts mentioning LauraPalooza in Pamela Smith Hill’s blog of the Pioneer Project
The Wilder Life author Wendy McClure recounts LauraPalooza 2010.
Even people who can’t attend the conference talk about it.
The Heroine’s Bookshelf author, Erin Blakemore, shares 5 things she learned at LauraPalooza 2010.
They’re Wild for Ingalls-Wilder at LauraPalooza .
‘LauraPalooza’ coming to the big city .
Conferences
LauraPalooza 2017: Little Houses, Mighty Legacy
July 12-14, 2017, in Springfield, Missouri
Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy Award was presented to Jean Coday. Featured guests included LIW biographer William Anderson leading panels of citizens and acquaintances of the Wilder family in Mansfield, Libertarians on the Prairie author Christine Woodside, Pioneer Girl editor Pamela Smith Hill, Library of America collection editor and 2018 Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Prairie Fires Caroline Fraser, horticulturalist author Marta McDowell, and several recurring fan favorites. The conference concluded with a guided tour of sites around Mansfield, MO and a birthday celebration at the Laura Ingalls Wilder-Rose Wilder Lane Historic Homes, better known as Rocky Ridge Farm.
LauraPalooza 2015: Through Laura’s Eyes
Photos here
July 16-18, 2015, in Brookings, South Dakota
Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy Award presented to biographer John Miller of Brookings, South Dakota, and Sally House of New York. Featured guests included LIW biographer William Anderson, Pioneer Girleditor Pamela Smith Hill, author Melanie Fishbane, Dr. Beth Tarini, Japanese translator Yumiko Tamiguchi, and a lively panel that included author Erin Blakemore, author Sandra Hume, and Eddie Higgins. The conference concluded with a guided tour of sites around De Smet, South Dakota.
LauraPalooza 2012: What Would Laura Do?
Photos here
July 12-14, 2012 in Mankato, Minnesota
Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy Award presented to Barbara Walker and Shirley Knakmuhs. Featured guests included LIW biographer William Anderson, Alison “Nellie Oleson” Arngrim, The Wilder Life author Wendy McClure, Dean “Almanzo Wilder” Butler, and Dale Cockrell of Pa’s Fiddle Recordings.
LauraPalooza 2010: Legacies
Photos here
July 15-17, 2010 in Mankato, Minnesota
Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy Award presented to LIW biographer William Anderson. Featured guests included Anderson, Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little Town author John Miller, Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer’s Life author Pamela Smith Hill, best-selling novelist Wendy Corsi Staub, and Dean “Almanzo Wilder” Butler and his documentary, Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is LauraPalooza?
LauraPalooza is the only academic and fan gathering of its kind, celebrating the literary, historical, and cultural impact of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rose Wilder Lane, and their families. It was first held in 2010 in Mankato, Minnesota, where it won the Greater Mankato Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Bring It Home Award. It returned to Mankato in 2012. The third LauraPalooza conference, was held July 16-17, 2015 at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. Beginning in 2017, we made the decision to host the conference at a hotel and conference center, in order that we might have access to a wider range of amenities and event facilities.
The next LauraPalooza conference will be held 7-10 July 2019 at Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin, with the theme: All Roads Lead to Laura.
Who else does conferences like this?
Nobody. That’s why we started it.
Who runs the conference?
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association and its volunteers. For LauraPalooza 2019, co-chairs are Karen Pearce and Melanie Stringer.
Is the conference always in the same place?
No. The first two (2010, 2012) were in Mankato, Minnesota, and the third (2015) moved to Brookings, South Dakota. The fourth (2017) was in Springfield, Missouri, and our upcoming conference will be 7-10 July 2019 in Onalaska, Wisconsin.
How many people attend LauraPalooza? How many speakers and presenters?
Generally, we plan for about 150 attendees. Our programming typically features a keynote speaker and several invited guests, as well as a selection of about 20 presenters who offer a wide range of academic talks, panels, workshops, and other activities.
How often does LauraPalooza happen?
There was a three-year gap between the second and third conferences, but from now on it will happen every two years.
What’s with that weird name?
The conference combines academic and research-oriented topics with hands-on activities and sociable. “LauraPalooza” captures the festive atmosphere of this group of scholars and enthusiasts.
