Watch Bridge Culture Club discussion of 'Enough to Lose' with author RS Deeren
- On Wednesday, Bridge Michigan hosted its latest Culture Club, a discussion of ‘Enough to Lose’, a collection of short stories centered on life in the Thumb
- Author RS Deeren spoke about the book and answered readers’ questions
- Watch a recording of the event below
Bridge Culture Club, Bridge Michigan's bimonthly Michigan-focused media discussion series, continued Wednesday with a discussion of "Enough to Lose" with author RS Deeren.
More than 70 participants joined Bridge and Deeren for a discussion of the book.
"Enough to Lose" is a collection of nine interconnected short stories and part of the Made in Michigan Writers Series. The collection spans several decades in Michigan's Thumb region, exploring how rural communities navigate economic hardship, environmental challenges and social change. From the Great Flood of 1986 to the housing crisis of 2008, Deeren's stories follow characters whose lives intersect as they struggle with decisions to stay or leave their changing hometown.
During the event, Deeren discussed his inspiration for the collection, how growing up in Michigan's Thumb region influenced his writing, and his approach to capturing authentic rural experiences. He also explored how real Michigan events like the Great Flood of 1986 provided historical anchors for his fictional narratives, and the careful decisions behind the collection's structure and character connections across stories.
Watch the video here:
Bridge Michigan hosts bimonthly discussions on books with ties to Michigan. Previous sessions have featured "The World According to Fannie Davis" by Bridgett M. Davis, “Arc of Justice” by Kevin Boyle, “The Women of the Copper Country” by Mary Doria Russell, “Black Bottom Saints” by Alice Randall, “Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret” by Steve Luxenberg, “The Death and Life of the Great Lakes” by Dan Egan, “Firekeeper’s Daughter” by Angeline Boulley, “Wounds” by Razel Jones and Daniel Abbott, “The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls” by Anissa Gray, “The Other Me” by Sarah Zachrich Jeng, “The Dockporter” by Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone, “You Cannot Resist Me When My Hair is in Braids” by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang “The King of Confidence” by Miles Harvey, “What the Eyes Don’t See” by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, “American Salvage” by Bonnie Jo Campbell, “We Kept Our Towns Going” by Phyllis Michael Wong, the film “Bad Axe,” directed by David Siev, “Once We Were Here” by Christopher Cosmos, “August Snow” by Stephen Mack Jones, “Tin Camp Road” by Ellen Airgood, “Dearborn” by Ghassan Zeineddine, the film “Pelkie,” directed by Michael Loukinen, “Impermanence” by Sue Leaf, “Know the Mother” by Desiree Cooper, and the film “Rouge” by Hamoody Jaafar and Razi Jafri.
Related:
- Watch Bridge Culture Club discussion of ‘Rouge’ documentary
- Watch Bridge Culture Club discussion of ‘Know the Mother’ flash fiction collection
- Watch Bridge Culture Club discussion of ‘Impermanence’ with author Sue Leaf
This was our second Culture Club event of 2025. If you have suggestions for future books, films or podcasts with connections to Michigan, please share them with us on this form.
More than 300 Bridge members received a free copy of “Enough to Lose” so they could take part in our April Culture Club. If you would like free electronic copies of future selections, join Bridge today.
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