Charlie Clarke by Richard VanDeWeghe

And the Closing of a State Hospital

Historical Fiction Explores Local State Hospital's Final Chapter

TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN— In his latest book, Charlie Clarke and the Closing of a State Hospital, Richard VanDeWeghe once again turns fact into fiction. The third book of his historical fiction series, which revolves around patients of the Traverse City State Hospital, finishes the trilogy, telling readers of the reality behind deinstitutionalization and where patients sought refuge when the hospital closed in the late 1970s. 

“I hope readers will enter more intimately into the lives of people who suffer(ed) from mental illness.  I hope they will be engaged by the characters who, though figments of my imagination, strike them as believable and perhaps even as representative of people who, there but for fortune, go you and I, share in our own wishes, needs, talents, and challenges,” VanDeWeghe described.

Charlie Clarke is told through the eyes of a local journalist looking to understand Charlie Clarke’s insistence on returning to an insane asylum. It is preceded by Jimmy Quinn and Lucy Greene, both of which tell the stories of patients through fictional narratives embedded in two critical eras that contributed to the decline of the state hospital: the end of the farm program, and the advent of the pharmaceutical treatment of mental illness.

Rooted in History

The author’s interest in the subject was sparked in 2012 when he and his wife moved to the Village Commons—a collection of condos, dining and shopping spots located in the renovated State Hospital—and began looking into the history of their new home.

“Historical fiction writers have an obligation to adhere to historical facts while illuminating those facts with imaginative literary narratives. I hope the book puts faces to the otherwise anonymous ex-patients whose stories have not been told,” VanDeWeghe said. “To my knowledge, no other writers have written in this way about this state hospital.”

The story of Charlie Clarke aims to address a few primary questions that were raised by deinstitutionalization across the United States: where did all the patients go once they were released; what was their quality of life after release; and what historical, social, and political issues influenced the movement?

“I write because I believe I have something to say that is important enough for others to read. I write because I love to tell stories that entertain in its broadest sense. While there are times when I struggle with a writing project, I love, as the poet William Stafford has said, ‘to have written’,” VanDeWeghe shared. 

Through the lens of a journalist interviewing numerous ex-patients, including Charlie Clarke, this story seeks to shed new light on an experience hidden to many, yet embedded in Traverse City’s history. 

Advance Praise

Early endorsements of the work note his success in illustrating the stories of those who were often silent in that era. 

“VanDeWeghe’s characters immediately draw in the reader. Through their stories, VanDeWeghe skillfully illuminates the social and political issues regarding deinstitutionalization of the so-called ‘mentally ill,’ and shows how we have failed them.”— Dennis Chapman, former instructor, health law and ethics

“Charlie Clarke draws on stories of many people, all of whom have a vantage point to reflect on the Traverse City State Hospital in the 1970s as it faced its final closing. Seen through the eyes of well-drawn characters, VanDeWeghe uses the vehicle of an aspiring reporter to enlighten the reader about the ways in which mental health is viewed. The stories put a face on the impacts of policy decisions.” — Kathleen Anderson Steeves, historian; board member, Friends of the Historic Commons 

The Author

Richard VanDeWeghe is Professor Emeritus of English from the University of Colorado, Denver. He has published numerous articles and three books—Engaged Learning (2009), a theory of instruction and practical guide for learning across the curriculum; Jimmy Quinn (2018) and Lucy Greene (2020) historical fiction that are Books One and Two of the Traverse City State Hospital Series. Charlie Clarke is the third and final book in the series. Each book seeks to capture the struggles of the State Hospital, its staff and its patients in a particular era: Jimmy Quinn takes place in the early ’50s, when the Hospital was forced to eliminate its farm and livestock programs and prohibited patients from working on the farm and in the stables; Lucy Greene takes place during the ’60s influx of big pharma that lavished broad promises that their medications would heal mental illness; Charlie Clarke is set in the late ’70s, at a time when the hospital was forced to close and its patients were released to their “homes of origin.” Richard lives in Traverse City, Michigan.

The Book

Charlie Clarke and the Closing of a State Hospital

Richard VanDeWeghe

158 pages, 6” x 9”, B/W

Mystery & Detective  Historical, Thrillers 

ISBN: 978-1-968761-70-7, $19.95 (Softcover)

Publication Date: 08/20/2026

Mission Point Press

Copies are available for preorder at Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other online retailers. On its August 20 publication date, it will be available for purchase wherever books are sold. For information or to arrange for signings and events, contact the author at rick.vandeweghe@ucdenver.edu. 

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