JACKSON, Wyo. — Not quite ready to let go of the haunting Halloween spirit?

Join author Betsy Gaines Quammen at the Teton County Library (TCL) in Jackson next week as she discusses her latest book, This Haunted Land: Reckoning with Ghosts and the Stories That Shape America. The free author talk will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, in TCL’s Ordway Auditorium. Books will be available for purchase at the event, and Gaines Quammen will host a book signing after the discussion. The same style event will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. at the TCL Alta Branch on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

According to publisher Torrey House Press, This Haunted Land takes readers on a “supernatural road trip” across America, visiting an Underground Railroad site in Ohio and swamps of Arkansas. The book explores stories in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Gaines Quammen investigates the past through ghosts and ghost stories, in order to understand human histories. The stories wind through haunted towns, forgotten lives and abandoned places.

“At a time when the powers that be are trying to erase history, it’s never been more important to listen to our ghosts,” Gaines Quammen said in the press release. “This is a book of supernatural tales and their cultural and sociological backstories. It looks at America as a haunted land and seeks to hear out and reckon with our buried past.”

Gaines Quammen lives with her spouse David Quammen in Bozeman, Montana. She received a doctorate in history from Montana State University, a master’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Montana, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Colorado College. Her work explores the intersections of extremism, public lands, wildlife and western communities. She has also authored American Zion and True West.

“Betsy is an equally engaging speaker and writer,” TCL’s Adult Program Coordinator Leah Shlachter said in an announcement. “She chooses topics that grab our attention, then her research and prose complete the narrative circle — and how can ghost stories in the American West not be riveting?”

Monica is a Staff Reporter who studied journalism at Syracuse University and has been in the valley since 2015. She loves writing about the local food and bev scene, especially craft beer. When she’s not on the clock, you can find her paddle boarding, sewing, or whipping up a new recipe at home.