Company logo, courtesy of Pages and Pours

On Tuesday, July 15, 2025, owners Mark and Sheri Hank of Pages and Pours, a relatively new Bookstore equipped with a wine bar located in De Pere, WI, hosted an event to celebrate the third edition of my book, Reclaiming Lives.

Joining me for this event were the “three Mikes”: Mike Piaskowski, Mike Johnson, and Mike Hirn. Our program began with a statement about what prompted my initial involvement in a mission to free five of the men who were at that time still incarcerated. This was followed by a brief summary of the case starting with an incident that occurred at the James River Paper Mill on November 10th, 1992, to the latest milestone in 2015.

(L to R) Mike Piaskowski, Mike Johnson, Joan Treppa, Mike Hirn

Now that all five of the men have been paroled, our mission has shifted to educating the public on the many flaws of the case and to set the record straight on damning new information that was uncovered following the more recent reexamination of this case.

I recited a short bio of each of the men because it has also been my intent to formally introduce them to the community and to leave it to the audience to form their own impression of who these men are as opposed to how, back then, they were incorrectly:

1) Characterized by the authorities                                                                                                           2) Labeled by the media

Trays of sumptuous appetizers and sweet treats were passed around to a modest crowd (20-25) made up of longtime and brand new supporters as horrific details, of an off-the-rails (1992-1995) investigation unfolded. Frustration emanated from each of the men as they described how the authorities had unlawfully treated them, how their individual lawyers had failed them, and how their own community had abandoned them.

I shared key details that had been erroneously left out of the initial investigation that we believe could have altered the devastating results. Ironically, as I was reading a direct quote from Cal Monfils, the younger brother of the decedent Tom Monfils, in the front door walks Cal! There’s a low murmuring among us and it is decided that we will introduce Cal at some point and invite him to join us.

(L to R) Cal Monfils, Mike Piaskowski, Mike Johnson, Joan Treppa, Mike Hirn

This event summoned an outpouring of support amid an abundance of questions from those in attendance. One person emphasized a call to action on behalf of the men and the necessity to create a safety net so that this does not happen in the future.

As is typical, the lively conversation lasted well beyond our formal program. It was fulfilling to reconnect with long-term supporters…and gain additional ones.

Following the event one person posted this on social media:

“My daughter and I attended this book signing last night. It was so very interesting and we had a great evening at Pages and Pours. The author and the men that attended shared their stories and some of the most personal parts of their lives. Thank you!”

One person who traveled from another state who has avidly continued to support us said this: “Thank you, Joan. I really enjoyed it, and it’s so heartening to see that the three Mikes seem to have found happiness and peace.”

Books were purchased. And the saga continues…

Stay tuned!