Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books

press release: The 10th annual Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books will be held Nov. 1 and 2 on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Waukesha campus. Organized by the UWM at Waukesha Foundation, this year’s annual community celebration of literacy and the arts, with its theme of Opening Doors, will feature two prominent keynote authors: novelist, memoirist and National Book Award finalist Andre Dubus III; and current Wisconsin Poet Laureate Margaret Rozga. The two-day festival will feature more than 60 authors from Wisconsin and around the country.

“It’s such a pleasure and privilege to have Mr. Dubus open our 10th annual Festival of Books. Many readers know him for his No. 1 New York Times bestselling novel ‘House of Sand and Fog,’ which was made into an Academy Award-winning film, but for me, it’s his passion for the art of fiction that fuels the story, truth and beauty of his work,” said Barry Wightman, festival program chair. “Mr. Dubus has a list of honors and awards a mile long. His memoir, ‘Townie,’ was a No. 4 New York Times bestseller and a New York Times ‘Editor’s Choice,’ and his new novel, ‘Gone So Long,’ named on many ‘Best Books’ lists, is another addition to the canon of great American fiction.”

Dubus has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Magazine Award for Fiction, two Pushcart Prizes, and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature. His books are published in over 25 languages, and he teaches full time at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. 

During his keynote conversation on Nov. 1, Dubus will talk about reading and writing in this age of glowing screens – the lasting power of words. He’ll describe literature's singular ability to carry human beings deeply into their own hearts and minds in a way that no other medium can match, even in the 21st century’s Digital Age.

The ticketed event is $10 for general admission. For an additional fee, attendees can receive a copy of “Gone So Long.”

Margaret Rozga, current Wisconsin poet laureate and former UWM at Waukesha professor, brings to that role an active and activist’s voice. Her poems draw on her interest in history, the environment, women’s roles and social justice issues.

Her most recent book, “Pestiferous Questions: A Life in Poems,” was written with support from the American Antiquarian Society. She has been a resident at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, the Ragdale Foundation and Sundress Academy for the Arts.

Rozga will share her unique keynote presentation – an exploration of woke poetry – on Nov. 2, with guest poet and past Wisconsin Poet Laureate Kimberly Blaeser. This event is free to the public.

“It’s wonderful to have authors of such stature – National Book Award finalist Dubus and Wisconsin Poet Laureate Rozga – as keynoters, sharing and opening doors to their stories with our festival goers.” Wightman said. 

Books and Company of Oconomowoc returns for its fifth year as festival bookseller and will be selling festival author books all weekend on site.

The Opening Doors theme also runs through the 2019 Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books Century Fence Middle & High School Student Essay Contest and the festival’s Poetry Contest, which is new this year and open to all middle school and high school students in Waukesha County. To be eligible for cash prizes of up to $250, students must submit an original essay based on the theme by the Oct. 1 deadline. 

Just announced, the Duane Stein Short Story Contest – named after the local educator and past festival event chair – is open to middle school and high school students in Waukesha County. To be eligible for cash prizes of up to $2,000, students must submit an original short story by the Oct. 1 deadline.

On Oct. 25, Festival Authors Connect to Schools returns for its third year. It’s a program in which several Wisconsin authors will visit Waukesha County schools to discuss their inspirations and writing processes, as well as their own published works.

A Writer’s Marketplace is also available for authors and organizations to promote their work for a small fee, and volunteers are needed for the event. 

Visit sewibookfest.com or email sewibookfest@uwc.edu with questions or for information about the writing contests or volunteering.