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Contact: Anne O'Meara, UWM, 414-227-3311, aomeara@uwm.edu
2008 Milwaukee Book Festival
October 5-14
Literary arts of all genres will be celebrated as the Milwaukee Book Festival brings readings, workshops, talks and panels to the Greater Milwaukee Area, October 5-14, 2008.
From Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Richard Russo and Junot Diaz to award-winning Wisconsin authors to Milwaukee's own Poet Laureates, the Festival features a depth of literary expertise that is reflective of Milwaukee's literary tradition.
Each event is sponsored by one of the Festival's many presenting partners at locations throughout the area. Events are free and do not require registration unless otherwise noted.
Visit www.sce-MilwaukeeBookFestival.uwm.edu for more information.
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Sunday, October 5
6 p.m., Reading
Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author (Empire Falls and Bridge of Sighs), kicks off the Milwaukee Book Festival at Marquette University
Site: Marquette University's Weasler Auditorium, 15th and Wells.
Info: 414-288-7179
Richard Russo's work hits you in four places at once--your heart, your head, your gut, and your funny bone. Come see why he's one of America's most entertaining, wise, poignant, moving, and funny writers.
About the author:
Richard Russo's most recent novel, Bridge of Sighs, has just come out in paperback, and his novel Empire Falls won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Empire Falls was also made into an HBO movie starring Paul Newman, and his screen adaptation of the novel received an Emmy nomination. His other best-selling novels--The Risk Pool, Straight Man, Mohawk, and Nobody's Fool--and the story collection The Whore's Child have established him as one of the preeminent voices in American literature.
Monday, October 6
7 p.m., Reading/Talk
Roberto Hernandez Center Presents Junot Diaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Site: UWM Union Ballroom, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. Info: www.rhc.uwm.edu or call 414-229-6156 Junot Diaz, Dominican American novelist and short story writer, will speak at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as the centerpiece of the Roberto Hernandez Center's 6th annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. Diaz's 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, tells the tale of an overweight, self-loathing outcast who buries his heart in science fiction fantasies while balancing two lives and two cultures--in urban New Jersey and his native Dominican Republic. Wao's story is couched in familial narratives of his "Banshees-loving punk chick" sister Lola and tough, rebellious mother. About the author: Junot Diaz is the author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Drown, a collection of short stories about the bicultural immigrant experience. In addition to the Pulitzer, The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao was awarded the John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award for Best Novel of 2007, and the Anisfield-Wolf Award. Diaz is currently an Associate Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Tuesday, October 7
5:30-6:30 p.m. and following the event: Reception and Art Exhibition
6:30 p.m. Dramatic Reading and Presentation of The Oxford Project at
Carroll University with Peter Feldstein, photographer, and Stephen Bloom, author
Site: Reception and Exhibition: Marceil Pultorak Atrium Gallery
Reading and Presentation: Dorothy Goff Frisch Recital Hall, Shattuck Music
Center, Carroll University, 100 N. East Avenue, Waukesha
Info: Contact Michael Kula, Department of English, 262-524-7262, mkula@carrollu.edu
In 1984, Peter Feldstein set out to photograph every resident of his town, Oxford, Iowa
(pop. 676). Twenty years later, he did it again, but this time those same residents did more than pose. With extraordinary honesty, they shared their memories, fantasies, failures, secrets and fears with writer Stephen Bloom. The result, in the literary and photographic traditions of Studs Terkel and Mike Disfarmer, is a riveting collection of personal stories and portraits that tell much more than the tale of one small Midwestern town. Their book, The Oxford Project, pokes beneath Oxford's everyday surface to explore, in word and image, a complex and wondrous community that embodies the American spirit.
7 p.m., Talk Ettinger Book Artist Series: Chicagoland binder and book artist Karen Hanmer will offer a presentation on her dynamically expressive book works (for a preview of her work, please visit her website at http://www.karenhanmer.com). Site: Special Collections, 4th floor, UWM Libraries
Wednesday, October 8
7 p.m.
Gaelic Literature Night in conjunction with An Leabhar Mor: The Great Book of Gaelic exhibit
Site: UWM Art History Gallery, Mitchell Hall, Room 154
Info: 414-229-3302
An Leabhar Mor is a 21st-century illuminated manuscript and exhibition that brings together the work of more than 150 poets, visual artists, and calligraphers. Scotland and Ireland share a mythology, a rich music tradition, languages and some history. Irish Gaels, known as Scoti, invaded Scotland in the 5th century and gave it their name. An Leabhar Mor is a major artwork which renews the connection between Gaelic Scotland and Ireland and celebrates the diverse strands of contemporary Celtic culture. A beautiful book featuring work from every century between the sixth and the twenty-first--it contains the earliest Gaelic poetry in existence. One hundred visual artists respond to the poetry in a variety of media. The book includes work by poets Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill and Maire Mhac an tSaoi and by artists Allan Davie, Will Maclean and Rita Duffy among others.
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Thursday, October 9
7 p.m., Talk
The Milwaukee Public Library Presents: Jim Schley on the Poetry of Robert Frost
Site: Milwaukee Public Library's Centennial Hall, 733 N. 8th Street
Info: www.mpl.org or call 414-286-3031
Robert Frost's poems--some of the most beautiful and durable in the English language--are more popular and influential than ever, even 45 years after his death. Jim Schley, director at The Frost Place, will talk about the continuing impact of Frost's poetry, describing a variety of ways in which contemporary writers and readers relate to Frost as an artistic forbearer or ancestor.
About the Author:
Jim Schley, a Wisconsin native, is a writer, magazine editor, theater artist, and teacher. He is the director of The Frost Place, a poetry center in Robert Frost's historic farm in Franconia, New Hampshire. Schley has published a chapbook of poems, One Another (Chapiteau Press, 1999) and a full-length book of poems, As When, In Season (Marick Press, 2008).
7:30 p.m., Reading
Milwaukee Poet Laureates Past and Present, featuring John Koethe, Antler, Marilyn Taylor, Peggy Hong and Susan Firer
Site: UWM Hefter Center, 3271 N. Lake Dr.
Info: 414-229-6991
Don't miss this rare and historic event as all of Milwaukee's poet laureates past and present gather for a memorable evening. On hand will be Milwaukee's first poet laureate John Koethe, along with successor laureates Antler, Marilyn Taylor, Peggy Hong, and current laureate, Susan Firer. King James I named Ben Jonson his first poet laureate in 1617, but you need not travel so far in time or distance to hear today's celebrated poets: they will read at UWM's landmark Hefter Center.
About the Poets:
John Koethe's most recent collection of poetry is Sally's Hair. Koethe has been recognized for his work with honors including the Kingsley Tufts award, The Frank O'Hara Award for Poetry, and Guggenheim and NEA Fellowships. His poems have appeared in such literary journals as Paris Review, Poetry, and Cream City Review, as well as the PBS project, Poetry Everywhere. Koethe is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at UW-Milwaukee.
Antler spends time every year exploring the wilderness that inspires his poetry. He also travels widely to teach and to perform his poetry. His honors include the Walt Whitman Award, the Witter Bynner Prize awarded by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, the Pushcart Prize, and the Council of Wisconsin Writers' Major Achievement Award. Antler's poem Factory was published in 1980 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. His poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies.
Marilyn Taylor's forthcoming works include a book, Going Wrong (Parallel Press, 2009), and two essays in The Poet in Us: Tips on Writing by and for Today's Women. Her award-winning poems have been included in such anthologies as Thirty American Women Poets of the Twentieth Century and Emily Dickinson Awards Anthology. Taylor teaches, leads writing workshops and is a contributing editor for The Writer magazine.
Peggy Hong's most recent works are the poetry collection Three Truths and a Lie, and a play, Veiled/Unveiled, written with Deborah Clifton. In addition to writing, Hong teaches at Alverno College and Woodland Pattern Book Center. Along with poetry, yoga also is integral to Hong's spirituality and her community work. She is a teacher and director at Riverwest Yogashala.
Susan Firer, Milwaukee's current poet laureate, is an adjunct assistant professor of English at UWM. Her latest book is Milwaukee Does Strange Things to People. Her poems have been published in journals and anthologies including New American Writing, Chicago Review, Exquisite Corpse, Best American Poetry 1992, and the Book of Irish American Poetry.
Friday, October 10
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Workshop
"Intensive Workshop with Literary Agent Sheree Bykofsky"
Learn about the world of literary agents. This one-day session includes information on working with an agent, what to expect from an agent and how to work without an agent. It will include an interactive exercise on creating and presenting your pitch. Enrollment limited to 20. Cost is $99.
Site: UWM School of Continuing Education, 161 W. Wisconsin Avenue, 7th floor.
Registration required: (414) 227-3200 or www.sce.uwm.edu.
Sherry Bykofsky is founder and President of Sheree Bykofsky Associates, Inc. and is a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR). She represents over 100 book authors in all areas of adult non-fiction as well as literary and commercial fiction. Her non-fiction specialties include popular reference, business, health, psychology, poker, spirituality, self-help, humor, cookbooks, pop culture, biography, women's issues, decorating and crafts, music and much more. An Adjunct Assistant Professor of Publishing at New York University, Sheree is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published.
7 p.m., Open Mic
"Teen Coffee House & Open Mic Night" Presented by Red Oak Young Writers
Site: Redbird Writing Studio, 3195 S. Superior St., Milwaukee (Marian Center Rm 210)
Info: 262-901-5171, kim@redoakyoungwriters.com
Youth share their favorite pieces with an audience of other teens who enjoy writing and reading.
Calling all youth who love writing and books: Bring a passage of your favorite writing to share and we'll provide an enthusiastic audience, some light refreshments and an entry in a drawing for a discount coupon for any Red Oak program. The mic will be yours for up to 5 minutes. Please choose material that is appropriate for a preteen/teen audience. Red Oak reserves the right of approval for all pieces.
Reading slots are limited. Arrive early to sign up for the mic.
About Red Oak: Red Oak Young Writers (formerly Redbird Young Authors) is an organization dedicated to young people who like to write. Through summer Creative Writing Camps, year 'round Writers' Circles and other special programs, young writers get the time, space, support and writing community they need to make their writing dreams come true.
Saturday, October 11
2 p.m., Panel Discussion
Editor/Agent Panel and Reception at the UWM School of Continuing Education featuring Sheree Bykofsky, Michael Rothenberg, and Jim Schley
Site: 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., Plankinton Building, 7th floor
Info: 414-227-3311
Sherry Bykofsky is founder and President of Sheree Bykofsky Associates, Inc. and is a member of AAR. She represents over 100 book authors in all areas of adult non-fiction as well as literary and commercial fiction. Her non-fiction specialties include popular reference, business, health, psychology, poker, spirituality, self-help, humor, cookbooks, pop culture, biography, women's issues, decorating and crafts, music and much more. An Adjunct Assistant Professor of Publishing at New York University, Sheree is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published.
Michael Rothenberg's most recent editorial project is The Collected Poems of Philip Whalen published by Wesleyan University Press, 2007. Rothenberg is the author of Unhurried Vision and editor of David's Copy: Selected Poems by David Meltzer (Penguin Books, 2005).
Jim Schley, a Wisconsin native, is a writer, magazine editor, theater artist, and teacher. He is the director of The Frost Place, a poetry center in Robert Frost's historic farm in Franconia, New Hampshire. Schley has published a chapbook of poems, One Another (Chapiteau Press, 1999) and a full-length book of poems, As When, In Season (Marick Press, 2008).
7 p.m., Reading
Woodland Pattern Book Center Presents: An evening of poetry with David Meltzer and Michael Rothenberg
Site: Woodland Pattern Book Center, 720 E. Locust St.
Fee: $8 general / $6 members / $7 students and seniors.
Info: www.woodlandpattern.org or call 414-263-5001
One of the most respected poets of the Beat and San Francisco Renaissance periods, David Meltzer has kept alive interest in the interface between jazz and poetry that exploded in the 1950s. Meltzer is joined by San Francisco Bay Area poet Michael Rothenberg, author of Unhurried Vision and editor of David's Copy: Selected Poems by David Meltzer (Penguin Books, 2005).
About the authors:
David Meltzer has published numerous works of poetry, fiction, and collections of essays. He has also released four albums of recordings on the Vanguard and Capitol labels. Meltzer came to prominence with inclusion of his work in the anthology The New American Poetry 1945-1960.
Michael Rothenberg's most recent editorial project is The Collected Poems of Philip Whalen published by Wesleyan University Press, 2007.
Sunday, October 12
1-3 p.m., Workshop
"Pizzazz! Sparking Ideas for Creative Writers Grades 4-6" Presented by Red Oak Young Writers
Site: Redbird Writing Studio, 3195 S. Superior St., Milwaukee (Marian Center Rm 314)
Info: 262-901-5171, kim@redoakyoungwriters.com
Young writers, grades 4-6, participate in activities and exercises to "wake up" the creative sides of their brains, and, of course, write!
Nothing to write about?!? Impossible! In "Pizzazz!" young writers in grades 4-6 will participate in activities and exercises that "wake up" the creative side of their brains and open up a world of writing ideas. Ideas are all around us if we train our eyes to see them. Once we see them, it's much easier to get them onto paper to create realistic characters or inspiring poems. If time permits, our young writers will get a chance to share their work with each other if they'd like.
About Red Oak: Red Oak Young Writers (formerly Redbird Young Authors) is an organization dedicated to young people who like to write. Through summer Creative Writing Camps, year 'round Writers' Circles and other special programs, young writers get the time, space, support and writing community they need to make their writing dreams come true.
Monday, October 13
7 p.m., Reading
Wisconsin Authors Night at Marquette University featuring Sandra Kring, Lesley Kagen and many more
Site: Marquette University's Weasler Auditorium, 15th and Wells
Info: 414-288-7179
Featuring new work by Sandra Kring, Thank You for All Things and The Book of Bright Ideas, and Lesley Kagen, Land of a Hundred Wonders and Whistling in the Dark, a cornucopia of authors will perform before your very eyes a literary can-can line of brief readings. Writers scheduled to read include Isabel Sharpe, As Good As It Got, Liam Callanan, All Saints, Brenda Cardenas, Boomerang, Valerie Laken, Dream House, Marquette's own Paul Salsini, The Cielo, Angela Sorby, Bird Skin Coat, Larry Watson, Sundown, Yellow Moon, and C.J. Hribal, The Company Car. A reception and book signing follow.
About the authors:
Liam Callanan's latest novel, All Saints, was named a Target Bookmarked Breakout Book. His previous novel, The Cloud Atlas, was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. A frequent essayist for local and national public radio, Liam coordinates the graduate program in creative writing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.Brenda Cardenas's chapbook of poetry From the Tongues of Brick and Stone was
published in 2005, and her full-length collection Boomerang is forthcoming from
Bilingual Review Press. Most recently, her poems have appeared in the
anthologies The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry and The City Visible: Chicago Poetry for the New Century. She teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
C.J. Hribal's most recent novel is The Company Car. His collection of short fiction, The Clouds in Memphis won the Associated Writing Programs Award in Short Fiction. His other books include the novel American Beauty and the story collection Matty's Heart. He is the recipient of Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships.Lesley Kagen's new novel, sure to be a bestseller, is Land of a Hundred Wonders. She's also the author of Whistling in the Dark, set in a working class neighborhood in Milwaukee. In addition to writing fiction, she owns and operates Restaurant Hama with her husband Peter.
Sandra Kring's newest novel, Thank You for All Things, has been selected as Walmart's Read of the Month for October. Her debut novel, Carry Me Home, was a Book Sense Notable pick and a 2005 Midwest Booksellers' Choice Award nominee, while The Book of Bright Ideas was a Target Bookmarked Selection and was named to the New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age list in 2007.
Valerie Laken has two books forthcoming. Her first novel, Dream House, will be published in February 2009, to be followed by her short story collection, Separate Kingdoms. Her short stories have been published in many journals and have been honored with a Pushcart Prize, a Missouri Review Editors' Prize, and two Hopwood Awards. Paul Salsini was a longtime reporter, editor and writing coach at the Milwaukee Journal and now teaches journalism courses at Marquette. He is the author of the award-winning The Cielo: A Novel of Wartime Tuscany and its sequel, Sparrow's Revenge: A Novel of Postwar Tuscany. Isabel Sharpe is the author of As Good As It Got and Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakthrough. She's also the author of 20 novels in the Blaze and Duets series published by Harlequin. Angela Sorby's new book, Bird Skin Coat, won the 2008 Brittingham Prize from the University of Wisconsin Press and is forthcoming in April. She is also the author of Distance Learning: Poems, and her work has appeared widely, including in the North American Review, Third Coast, Southern Review, and Best American Poetry.Larry Watson's newest novel is Sundown, Yellow Moon. He is the author of six other novels, among them Montana 1948, Orchard, Laura, and White Crosses. His writing has appeared in the Chicago Sun Times, New England Review, North American Review, Washington Post and numerous anthologies.
Tuesday, October 14
7 p.m., Reading
Council for Wisconsin Writers Winners Night including Linda Aschbrenner, Christi Clancy, Jean Feraca, Benjamin Percy and Paul Zimmer
Site: Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop - 2559 N. Downer Ave.
Info: schwartzbooks.com or call 414-332-1181
Winners in the 2008 CWW contest for fiction, nonfiction and poetry will read from their award-winning works. Scheduled to read are Jean Feraca (nonfiction book), Ben Percy (fiction book), Paul Zimmer (book-length poetry), Christi Clancy (short fiction) and Linda Aschbrenner (Sholes award for encouraging writers).
About the Authors:
Linda Aschbrenner will be a featured writer at the Great Lakes Writers Festival at Lakeland College in November. She writes poetry, essays and short stories. She is also founder and publisher of Free Verse and Marsh River Editions. Christi Clancy's stories have been published in journals including Hobart, Glimmer Train, The Cream City Review, and The Wisconsin Academy Review. Her short story, "Home, I Hope," appeared on literarymama.com. She is a graduate student in the Creative Writing Program at UWM. Jean Feraca's latest book is I Hear Voices: A Memoir of Love, Death, and the Radio. She also has published three collections of poetry. Feraca is executive producer and host of Here on Earth: Radio without Borders on Wisconsin Public Radio. She has won a number of awards for her broadcasting work. Benjamin Percy's newest collection of stories is Refresh, Refresh, whose title story won the Plimpton Prize and was anthologized in Best American Short Stories. The Pushcart Prize-winning writer is also the author of The Language of Elk. This fall, he began teaching in the Iowa State University MFA program. Graywolf Press will publish Percy's novel, The Wilding, in 2009.Paul Zimmer's most recent book is Crossing to Sunlight Revisited: New and Selected Poems. His honors include Pushcart Prizes, the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award for Literature, and the Open Book Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors. His distinguished career also includes nearly 40 years in university press publishing.
The Council for Wisconsin Writers is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting local, state, and national awareness of Wisconsin's great literary heritage and to encouraging excellence among today's Wisconsin writers. Founded in 1964, the CWW is operated entirely by volunteer writers, editors, publishers, booksellers, and other supporters who serve on its board of directors.
7 p.m., Talk Seth Tobocman, co-founder and editor of the longest-running, political comic book/zine in the U.S., World War 3 Illustrated, will offer a presentation on his 28 years with this influential magazine. Site: Conference Center, 4th floor, UWM Libraries
Ongoing Exhibitions:
An Leabhar Mor: The Great Book of Gaelic at UWM Golda Meir Library and the UWM Art History Gallery
"World War 3 Illustrated: America's Longest Running Political Comic Book" September 2-December 12, 2008 Fourth Floor Exhibition Gallery UWM Libraries, 2311 E. Hartford Ave, Milwaukee Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. "People of the Book: Jewish and Israeli Book Arts" September 2-October 19, 2008 Main Floor, West Wing, UWM Libraries Hours: All the hours the library is open: http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/hours/ A small exploration of Jewish book arts, including works by Karmela Berg, Diane Fine, Carol Hamoy, Tana Kellner, Mirta Kupferminc, David Moss, Carol Rosen, and Caryl Seidenberg. "Women of the Book: Mirta Kupferminc and Shirah Apple" September 14-October 19, 2008 Mary L. Nohl Galleries Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts 3rd floor, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd., Milwaukee, WI 53211 Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, Noon-5 p.m. Books, especially scripture and scriptural commentary, have always been central to Jewish life and culture; so much so that Jews are often called a "people of the book." The book is a powerful medium and a symbolic form, and it is through Jewish regard for the book that the centrality of this medium has become integral to the fabric of Western civilization. "Women of the Book" explores this centrality by pairing two Jewish artists from opposite ends of the western hemisphere who deal with issues of the book. Mirta Kupferminc is internationally-recognized printmaker and book and installation artist from Argentina. Shirah Rachel Apple is a Milwaukee mixed-media and installation artist who has also worked in the book form. The exhibition places special emphasis on Kupferminc's exquisitely produced artist's book, Borges and the Kabbalah: Paths to the Word [Borges y la Cábala: senderos del verbo], which includes 29 original etchings and aquatints. Currently, UWM is the only institution in the U.S. to hold this work. Apple will also be represented by work that is informed by books and words. In addition she is creating site-specific work that responds not only to Kupferminc's prints and bookwork, but also to the gallery space as part of the Zelazo Center's historic function as the long-time home of Milwaukee's Congregation Emanu-El.
Media Sponsor: Shepherd Express newspaper
Funded in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.