Music and Prose: A Second Event…

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Greetings! A press release I put together in anticipation of our upcoming October event:

For Immediate Release:

COLLABORATION BETWEEN TRUE CRIME AUTHOR, JOAN TREPPA, AND AWARD        WINNING MUSICAL DUO, NATURAL SATELLITE, SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON                  WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS IN UNIQUE PERFORMANCE

Appleton, WI – September 16, 2026 – A compelling blend of thoughtful passages from the book, Reclaiming Lives: Pursuing Justice for Six Innocent Men by Joan Treppa and the soulful music of local artists, Karli and Jason Reisdorf of Natural Satellite, will be the theme for a unique and groundbreaking performance. Sponsored by the non-profit organization ESTHER, this performance will be held on Thursday, October 15th 6:00 – 8:00 PM at the Fox Valley Technical College.

The book revisits the tragic 1992 death of Tom Monfils, a paper mill worker in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The high-profile trial that followed ended with six men—the “Monfils Six”—being convicted of murder. But the case was fraught with inconsistencies and unanswered questions. Years later, a determined Minnesota woman with no legal background took notice—and refused to look away.

Reclaiming Lives is more than a true crime narrative; it’s a call to action. Through detailed storytelling and personal insight, Treppa illustrates the staggering challenges of overturning wrongful convictions, even in the face of compelling new evidence. Her writing exposes systemic flaws and offers readers a deeply human story of perseverance, hope, and transformation as she highlights the many people affected in the “Monfils Six” case.

More recently, Joan began collaborating with Natural Satellite. “I’ve watched them perform onstage many times and felt that their music was a perfect fit for an event I hope will leave our audiences feeling encouraged. Our first performance also in Appleton in May of this year gained the attention of ESTHER. We thank them for their support in creating this second event.”   

According to the Natural Satellite website, “The Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) award winning duo combines finger-style cello, warm saxophone improvisation, and rich vocal harmonies. Jason’s saxophone weaves in and out of verses harmonizing beautifully with Karli’s angelic voice. Their lyrics center on themes of self-love, reflection, and personal growth—offering listeners both comfort and inspiration.”  

Joan wants everyone to understand what she now understands. “Wrongful convictions happen in every state in this country. These injustices destroy many innocent lives. The overall message to our audiences is to become involved in something, to act on behalf of others when given the chance.”

Reclaiming Lives, 3rd Edition: Pursuing Justice for Six Innocent Men is available through:         Kirk House Publishers                                                                                                                            1250 E 115 Street Burnsville, MN 55337                                                                                                Ph: 612-781-2815                                                                                      ann@kirkhousepublishers.com | www.kirkhousepublishers.com

Natural Satellite:  https://www.naturalsatellitemusic.com/intro                                                                       

My son, Jared Manninen, created this flyer with the details:

I have invited three special guests to also participate in this event.

And for those unable to attend, this one will be video-taped by the same film crew that video-taped our first event which I hope to share at some point. Incidentally, this is the same crew working in conjunction with Chair on Stair Films, a production company putting together a new documentary* that is in the final stages of completion.

Please feel free to share widely. And as always, if you have questions/concerns or just want to share your thoughts, I welcome any and all comments. Thank you.

*Yours truly will be featured in this documentary!!

An Obvious Obscurity….(Revisited)

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My husband, Mike and I recently attended a concert in Minneapolis that was both fun and poignant.

This piece is an extension of a previous blog posting of mine titled An Obvious Obscurity from 2015, which describes the first visit we had with one of the six men, Rey Moore, while he was at Oshkosh Correctional.

Ink drawing of Rey Moore by artist, Jared Manninen

Taken during a 2nd visit with Rey at Prairie Due Chien Correctional Institution on June 21, 2018

In the 2015 posting, I reference the song See You Again performed by Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa, and its relevance to my mission on behalf of Rey, the other five men, and their families.

The following passage from the previous blog embodies the song lyrics sung by Khalifa: “How can we not talk about family when family is all that we got?”

“When Rey entered the lounge, he spotted us and waved excitedly touting a big smile. He walked over and embraced us both as though we were old friends. His hearty laugh exhibited warmth and sincerity and we instantly felt the tension of the past few days fall away. Mike and I felt this diversion was good for all three of us due to our knowledge of the personal [family] concerns Rey faces and has shared in his letters. But at that moment on this day none of it was going to suppress Rey’s enthusiasm…or ours”

11-29-2019: Rey celebrating with longtime friend, Clare Martinson after Rey was paroled

11-30-2019: Joan, Rey, Clare Martinson at the Lion’s Mouth Bookstore in Green Bay, Wisconsin

Eleven years later, with Rey having been paroled within that time frame on July 2, 2019, Mike and I had the opportunity to see Charlie Puth in concert on May 16, 2026 at The Armory in Minneapolis. We were some of the oldest fans in the crowd but we melded into the vibe of those youngsters around us, listening to Puth as he played some of our favorite tunes.

34 year old singer/songwriter, producer, and musician, Charlie Puth in Minneapolis during his Whatever’s Clever! World Tour

Not the last song of the evening but the one right before, he played it…the song I was waiting the entire time to hear live! This time it was a solo performance without his counterpart, Wiz Khalifa. But it was not without a lot of soul. Though it lacked Khalifa’s powerful words, Puth poured everything he had into this and every one of his songs, old and new.

Over the course of the evening, Puth stressed to his fans to embrace the positive and gravitate toward that which inspires us. He hoped that we would walk away from this concert feeling inspired. He targeted the “artists” in the audience and asked that we use our inspiration to do good things.

Throughout his performance, Puth stepped back to allow the voices of those onstage with him to be heard. Yeah…I loved that. I’ve tried to do that too, during the course of my mission. Thanks Charlie for the inspiration to carry on…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the concert, despite the late hour, Mike and I both were still quite awake and energized. Mike suggested we stop for a nightcap. Mind you, this is extremely unusual for us!

We talked about the concert. We reflected on the positive message Puth had for the lively but impressionable crowd. I thought about Rey. I thought about how, during that visit which now feels like ages ago, he so passionately longed to be with his family.

It was gratifying to know that Rey has been free for close to seven years now. It was gratifying to think that maybe I played a small role in making that happen. It was gratifying to know that he’s free to live his life as he sees fit…alongside the precious family that he’s got…

A ‘Natural’ Fit… Pt. 2

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After the May 2nd event, I reconnected with Karen and Jim. I restated my enthusiasm to move forward with planning another event. Karen’s response was prompt, uplifting and included an introduction to the ESTHER Transformative Justice Task Force; an organization similar to JOSHUA, located in the Fox Valley in Wisconsin that “brings together people of many faiths to build community and act on issues of injustice.”

In addition to this amazing intervention, we had the good fortune of having the entire event recorded. Yes! Really! And it gets better…

Film crew: Damon Schneider, Jeremy Jordan, Mike Putchel   (Photo courtesy of Damon’s friend Dan)

Last year (2025) I learned of a new documentary in the works about the Monfils case that is being produced by Damon Schneider. I kept hearing from various colleagues that they had been contacted by Schneider and were being asked to do interviews for his film. In January (2026) Damon reached out to me with the same request. In his email, he explained that he lives in the Milwaukee area. As a courtesy because I live in the Minneapolis area, he suggested we could do the interview by phone. We worked out the logistics and on Thursday, February 12, 2026 we completed an over-the-phone interview I thought went quite well.

I let Damon know about the May 2nd event. He expressed interest in attending and asked if it would be okay to record parts of it to use in his documentary. My response to him was…would he be willing to record the entire event? Damon agreed and arrived with two other colleagues; Mike Putchel, and Jeremy Jordan. They recorded all of it!                                                                    (In time I hope to have access to the recording for widespread sharing.)

In addition, Damon had asked if any of the Monfils Six guys would be there and inquired specifically about Mike Johnson. Damon had not yet interviewed Johnson for the documentary and was hoping to conduct one after our event concluded. I let him know that all three Mikes would be there and that Johnson was open to doing the interview.

(LtoR) Damon Schneider, Mike Johnson, Mike Putchel, Jeremy Jordan.  (Photo courtesy of Damon Schneider)

Afterwards some of us, including each of the Mikes, gathered at a nearby pub to grab a bite to eat before going our separate ways. It was there that I made a proposal to them that will definitely make a powerful statement at our next event. This proposal was agreed upon and will be disclosed at a later date.

 

Prior to May 2nd, I experienced considerable anxiety because of the many unknowns as to how this event would turn out. My anxiety was from a lack of my ever having worked with musicians, and the fact that we were doing this together for the first time on the day of the event! There were redeeming factors to this madness. I had sent…in my opinion…a rather unpolished, audio version of my narrative to Karli and Jason beforehand so that they could become familiar with the content and tone of my voice. Other than that, there were no practice runs or in-person “dress rehearsals.”

(Photo courtesy of Jared Manninen)

(Photo courtesy of Jared Manninen)

But there’s no doubt that Karli and Jason are very accomplished, very talented musicians which helped put me at ease…somewhat. Okay…I was worried that I’d make them look bad. Karli thoughtfully reassured me that this would go well and to not worry. We arrived at the venue that day, each of us with the intent of pouring our hearts into what we both do best; sharing meaningful stories through notes and words. Though attendance was less than hoped for, we thank those who cared enough to be there. And we—Karli, Jason and myself—view this session as an outstanding trial run that could lead to more of the same.

And alas, I’m proud to announce that through successful coordination efforts, we have secured both a date and a venue for another event. Thanks to ESTHER, this next one—also free for attendees—will take place at:

Fox Valley Technical College                                                                                                              Date: October 15, 2026                                                                                                                          Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm

A good fit? Naturally…

Thanks for taking the time to read this posting. If you ever have questions or feedback about any of my content, please feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear from you!