Tag Archives: criminal justice books

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!!

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!

A ‘Natural’ Fit… Pt. 1

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After publishing yet another (third) edition of my book in June of 2025, I was on the lookout for new and creative ways to attract new readership. I eventually came up with an idea I felt might be interesting for both book and music lovers alike. There’s such a thing as music and poetry. Why not music and prose?

A blend of music paired with a recital of excerpts from my book sounded appealing to me. What a powerful statement that would make! I even knew on a personal level, some Wisconsin musicians who could help me pull this off. I decided to reach out to them to see if they’d be interested.

Photo courtesy of Natural Satellite

Over the years I’ve gotten to know Karli and Jason Reisdorf; a married couple and musical duo, better known as Natural Satellite. Recent winners of the Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) awards, Karli plays cello, mostly through the use of her fingers. Jason plays saxophone. Karli also sings and I must say that her voice paired with Jason’s saxophone creates a sound like no other!

Their music would definitely pair well with the direction I was aiming for regarding specific book passages; to highlight the voices of the men and their families. Karli and Jason had already read my book. They were well aware of my mission. This collaboration seemed like a natural fit.

I made an inquiry through their website. Within a week I had my answer. They were quite excited about the prospect of being a part of what would be a new adventure for us both.

After working out the details, this flyer was created to promote our event:

Our son, Jared, traveled from S. Lake Tahoe, CA to support “Mom.” My good friend, Vicki, and her husband Brian, two people who have supported my mission from the beginning, also drove from the Minneapolis area to witness a meaningful event on May 2nd, 2026. Titled: Tragedy in Titletown: An Afternoon of Music and Prose, this event took place at the Appleton Public Library in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin. Karli and Jason provided mostly background music that elevated my words towards a deeply emotional journey; a journey that seemed to captivate a small but rather engaged audience.

Mike – Joan Treppa with son, Jared Manninen (on R)

Following a Q&A session with the audience Karli and Jason played two of their amazingly powerful songs: Counting Sheep and Fly Away, the latter of which they kindly dedicated to me.

Photo courtesy of Jared Manninen

To say this event was moving is an understatement. To say it was successful, well, that can be measured in many ways. In this instance it did not mean standing room only crowds. Like some of my events in the past, this one had more to do with quality over quantity.

To further this point I’ll tell you about one couple who attended. During the Q&A session following the program Karen and Jim spoke up. Karen shared that she had read my book and that she also read it to Jim. At that time, Jim was skeptical about the innocence of the men and the idea that the outcome was suicide. Karen told this audience that my book had caused a shift in Jim’s assessment.

I spoke with both of them afterwards. They had learned of our event through JOSHUA; an organization in Green Bay that one of the six men, Michael Hirn, is affiliated with. Karen expressed their disappointment in the low attendance that day and offered her assistance should we decide to schedule another event in Appleton in the future. Karen reassured us that there is plenty of interest in this area for this type of event.

I welcomed Karen’s offer and gave her my contact information. I then shared the news with Karli and Jason who were on board with collaborating on additional events.

And there’s more… Part 2 will cover the following:

An exciting aspect of this event will include some more recent news about a new documentary in the works about this case! I’ll explain who our special guests were and the interview that happened following this event…

Also, there are positive developments in regards to Karen.

Please stay tuned…

#girlonamission