Officials with the Ozarks Heritage Research Center (OHRC) at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) will host a special presentation, “Songs of the Ozarks,” featuring storyteller and singer-songwriter Dawn Larsen at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, at the Garnett Library located at 304 W. Trish Knight St., in West Plains. 

More about Larsen

Larsen, a fifth-generation resident of Taney County, will share traditional songs and stories from the Ozarks, as well as original compositions inspired by her deep connection to the region. Her recent songwriting residency in Northern Ireland in 2024 sparked a newfound appreciation for her home, leading her to write her first song about the Ozarks while overseas.

A Professor Emeritus from Francis Marion University in South Carolina, Larsen specializes in American popular entertainment, particularly rural comedy. Her accolades include the 2022 Atlanta Fringe Festival Critics’ Choice Award and the 2020 St. Lou Fringe National Artist of the Year. She has released two CDs of original music and recently published an article in OzarksWatch Magazine about her decade-long operation of the last traveling Toby tent show in the country.

The event is free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served. 

For more information about the event, contact Rebekah McKinney at 417-255-7949 or RebekahMcKinney@MissouriState.edu.