ELY- Ever since Scott Stowell moved to Ely, he’s been collecting and telling stories. As someone with experience as a writer and news professional, telling those stories comes second nature and Stowell has now published many of those stories in his first book, “Back Road Grace,” with help from grants from the Gardner Humanities Trust and the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council.
The book assembles 41 short stories or essays, some of which were previously published or aired on radio. The majority of the accounts, many whimsical, reflect the special flavor of living where the Iron Range ends and the Boundary Waters begin.
A handful of stories are about his younger years and his father who played pro baseball.
Several will leave the reader laughing, while others might invoke tears.
Some of the funniest stories are about the visitors Stowell has met while working for Ely outfitters as he aptly captures the ambiance and occasional absurdity of working the summer hospitality trade. The tale of the first-time campers wanting to take ticks and leeches home is surely a case where the truth is stranger than fiction.
Many of the pieces are written versions of Stowell’s broadcasts on the “Stay Human” segment he contributed to KAXE in Grand Rapids and their Bemidji-based affiliate KBXE. The oldest story was originally published in the Timberjay in 2007 when Stowell was the paper’s Ely editor.

Scott Stowell
Stowell was born in Philadelphia but spent most of his childhood in Elgin in the suburbs of Chicago. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1980 and, from there, he worked in TV news for a CBS station in La Crosse and an ABC station in Madison. After earning a teaching certificate, he worked ten years as a school teacher.
“I found that I was a doer rather than a teacher, so I got a job in radio,” Stowell said. After that, he was a copywriter for radio and then a magazine editor. “Then, I was ‘downsized.’ My wife, DyAnne Korda, was unemployed at the same time. After we both went through long, unproductive job searches, we decided could be unemployed anywhere.”
So, in 2006, without jobs or friends in the area, Scott and DyAnne packed their bags and moved to Ely. Once here, he and DyAnne put down solid roots. “We’ve been in the same house for 17 years now.”
Stowell has worn several hats locally. He worked as a bartender and a cutter at Wintergreen. He spent five years as the Ely editor at the Timberjay. He then moved on to the morning show at WELY.
All this time, Stowell continued his career as a freelance writer with a specialty in nature and the outdoors. The Steger Wilderness Center is one of his major clients. He also drove shuttles for Ely Outfitting in the summer, a job he still does and enjoys. “It’s a great job,” Stowell related, “and it’s even a better way to get story ideas for things to write.”

Publication
In Ely, “Back Road Grace” is available at Art & Soul Gallery, Piragis Northwoods, the Ely Folk School, and Zup’s. In Duluth, copies are on sale at Zenith Bookstore and Barnes and Noble. Readers can also order the book online from the author’s website, at writingoutfitter.com/content/back-road-grace.
Besides “Back Road Grace,” samples of Stowell’s other outdoor offerings can be found online at his website, along with several of his KAXE broadcasts.