The city of Eau Claire has a new official writer in residence: Karen Loeb, a professor emerita of English at UW-Eau Claire. Loeb was unanimously approved for the position by the Eau Claire City Council on April 10, replacing Max Garland, also a UWEC English professor emeritus. Loeb taught writing and literature at UWEC for 20 years, has published numerous poems and an award-winning short story collection (Jump Rope Queen and Other Stories), and in recent years has placed first in both the fiction and poetry categories of the Wisconsin People & Ideas literary contests. According to the city, “The Writer in Residence works to bring about a greater appreciation and enjoyment of the value and importance of the reading, performance, publication, and writing of literature.” The city’s first writer in residence was Bruce Taylor, who became the city’s poet laureate in 2010. The name of the position was changed to “writer in residence” in 2015. Based on the precedent set by Taylor and Garland, expect to see Loeb actively promoting the Valley’s literary scene in the near future.