Wisconsin Book Festival

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courtesy Wisconsin Book Festival

The 20th anniversary logo for the Wisconsin Book Festival.

Following an all-virtual celebration in 2020 and a hybrid 2021, the Wisconsin Book Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary with a return to its traditional fall celebration, with four days of in-person events. And it has an impressive lineup of authors, from Wisconsin and beyond, spread across more than 40 events, mostly taking place in person at Central Library. Read more in our previews at isthmus.com, and find the full schedule at wisconsinbookfestival.org (or in the calendar here).

media release: It's the 20th Anniversary of the Fall Celebration of the Wisconsin Book Festival this year. We are looking forward to the 4-day celebration October 13-16.

This year, the Wisconsin Book Festival is hosting an array of fiction titles that will transport you to other worlds. From the mountains of Chile to India, these authors take you on epic journeys of love, secrets and family chaos. Explore outer space, travel back in time to World War I, dive into the mystery that haunted a 1970’s Minnesota Reservation and more. The Wisconsin Book Festival has something for everyone, you won’t want to miss it!

Fiction Authors at the 4-Day Festival:

Thursday, October 13:  Sinister Graves by Marcie Rendon | 5:30PM; Painting Beyond Walls by David Rhodes | 7PM (canceled) *

Friday, October 14: Bronze Drum by Phong Vu Nguyen | 4:30PM; Rainbow Rainbow by Lydia Conklin | 6:00PM; Switchboard Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini | 6:00PM *; The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang | 7:30PM

Saturday, October 15: Illuminations by Alan Moore | 10:30AM, Virtual [live on Crowdcast, also screening at Central Library]; Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah | 12PM; Honor by Thrity Umrigar | 3PM; The Billboard by Natalie Y. Moore | 3PM;  Zorrie by Laird Hunt | 4:30PM; Fruiting Bodies by Kathryn Harlan | 6:00PM*; We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz | 6:00PM*

*Wisconsin Authors

This year's nonfiction choices for the Wisconsin Book Festival offer a wide range of topics and perspectives. Authors will share stories from the White House, the tragedies of school shooting violence, online battles, the struggles of our democracy and more. Join us for the Wisconsin Book Festival this year to hear of these riveting topics.

Here is a highlighted selection of Nonfiction titles for the four-day festival:

Thursday, October 13: Reading for Our Lives by Maya Payne Smart | 5:30PM; Bending Granite by Maury Cotter, Tom Mosgaller, Ben Reynolds, & Michael Williamson | 5:30PM; The Violence Project by James Densley | 7PM;  Crossroads of Ideas by Latif Nasser | 7PM, Discovery Building

Saturday, October 15: Demystifying the Publishing Industry by Ty Chapman, Ari Tison & Rachel Werner, | 10:30AM; Meet Me by the Fountain by Alexandra Lange | noon; Meme Wars by Emily Dreyfuss | noon; On the Line by Daisy Pitkin | 1:30PM; Off With Her Head by Eleanor Herman | 1:30PM; Civil War By Other Means by Jeremi Suri | 3PM; Slenderman by Kathleen Hale | 4:30PM; One Person, One Vote by Nick Seabrook | 4:30PM; Sandy Hook by Elizabath Williamson | 6PM; Voice of the Fish by Lars Horn | 7:30PM; Leaving Breezy Street by Brenda Myers-Powell | 7:30PM; How to Win the War on Truth by Samuel Spitale | 9PM

Sunday, October 16: Refuse to Be Done by Matt Bell | 10:30AM; Grace & The West Wing and Beyond by Cody Keenan & Pete Souza | 1:30PM

All events are at the Central Library unless otherwise indicated. Save the date for your favorite authors and see the full lineup online!