B.J. Hollars, self-proclaimed “writer, teacher, dog walker” and UW-Eau Claire professor, has announced the March 22, 2013 release of a book of short stories. After receiving the 2012 Society of Midland Authors Award for his nonfiction work titled, Thirteen Loops:   Race, Violence, and the Last Lynching in America, Hollars departs from cold, hard facts and delves into tall tales in Sightings: Stories. Hollars describes his upcoming short story collection as coming-of-age “stories that explore the strangeness that is the Midwest.”   Through his new stories, he hopes to share the beauty he sees in the Midwest with his readers. “These were always [the stories] closest to my heart,” says Hollars.