Literary Vampire Schennanigans on Halloween at Avol's Books.

Above: Why, yes that IS the Capitol Building on the cover of Fred Schepartz's book, Vampire Cabbie.

Madison's own Fred Schepartz will read from his new book Vampire Cabbie on Halloween night at 7:00 p.m. at Avol's Books, 315 West Gorham Street in Downtown Madison.

Call Avol's at (608) 255-4730 for more info.

UW-Madison Readings Blog v. 2.0

Above: Various examples of telephones as evidence that technology does, in fact, evolve. Right now, this blog is somehwere between cans+twine and the rotary phone, but we're getting there.

Just a note to let everybody (the thousands upon thousands of visitors who check in with this blog) know that there are a couple of new features in the sidebar to the right. First, you can now sign up to recieve email updates. Every time we post a new reading or event here on the blog, you'll get an email notification. You'll always be in the know about UW-Madison readings and literary events. Isn't that rad? Why, yes. Yes it is.

Also, if you're all technological and stuff, you an subscribe to our RSS feed as well. See the little widget logo thingy over there? Apparently, you can click that and it'll let you do the subscription thing or whatever. I honestly have no idea how that works, but never let it be said that we don't work hard to increase our functionality here at uwreadings.blogspot.com.

Okay. That is all.

End of transmission.

Not a Reading, But She Did Just Read: Samar Fitzgerald in The Southern Review!

Above: The cover of the Autumn 2007 issue of The Southern Review which features a story by UW-Madison's own MFA student, Samar Fitzgerald.

You know The Southern Review. That literary magazine that's published some of the nation's (and the world's) most excellent writers (Robert Penn Warren (the mag's founding editor), Mark Van Doren, T. S. Eliot, Herbert Agar, W. H. Auden, Wallace Stevens, John Crowe Ransom, Aldous Huxley, Allen Tate, Katherine Anne Porter, Ford Madox Ford, Kenneth Burke, and Caroline Gordon).

Well, UW-Madison's very own MFA student Samar Fitzgerald has a story in the latest issue! Go get it, it's an excellent story in an excellent magazine.

Jean Valentine Reading: Thursday 10/25

Above: The Jacket for Jean Valentine's latest collection of poems, Little Boat.

Poet Jean Valentine will read from her latest collection, Little Boat, this Thursday in 6191 Helen C. White Hall at 7 p.m.

There's an excellent resource on her website, where you can read and/or listen to her read some of her work. Check that out
here.

Blue Ox Volume 1: Samar Fitzgerald & Nate Brown

Above: The Beautiful Poster for the first of the '07-'08 Blue Ox MFA Reading Series Was Designed by Michael Fusco of Michael Fusco Design. An Incomparable Artist and Designer, Mike's Other Work Can Be Seen here.

The Blue Ox Reading Series features work by MFA candidates working in UW-Madison's MFA program. For the first intstallment of this year's Blue Ox Readings, Samar Fitzgerald and Nate Brown will read their fiction at Avol's Books this Thursday, Oct. 18th at 7 p.m.

Book Fest Day 5: In Which We Collectively Realize That There's Only One Day Left!

Above: Author Michael Cunningham Will Read Tonight at The Orpheum Theatre and Will Be Preceded by Author Joshua Henkin.

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Brewed Awakenings: An Illustrated Journey to Coffeehouses in Wisconsin (and Beyond)
History / Wisconsin Ties
Mount Horeb Public Library

12:00 - 1:45 PM Jean Feraca & Patricia Hampl: Memory and Voice
Memoir/Biography / Poetry / Wisconsin Ties
Wisconsin Studio/Overture

12:00 - 1:30 PM Low Blows / Golpes bajos: Alicia Borinsky History / Memoir/Biography / Politics
Red Gym

12:00 - 1:45 PM Luis Alberto Urrea and Ana Castillo: Border Crossings
A More Perfect Union / Fiction / History / Nonfiction / Politics
Promenade Hall/Overture

12:00 - 1:45 PM Seeking Tranquil Voices in Young Adult Literature: The Evolution of Self-Image
Fiction / Wisconsin Ties / Youth/Kids
Madison Public Library-Main Branch

12:00 - 1:45 PM Finding Freedom: The Untold Story of Joshua Glover, Runaway Slave
History / Wisconsin Ties
A Room of One's Own Feminist Bookstore

2:00 - 3:30 PM Odd Wisconsin: Amusing, Perplexing, and Unlikely Stories from Wisconsin's Past
History / Wisconsin Ties
Wisconsin Historical Museum-Capitol Square

2:00 - 3:45 PM Home on the Range: Stories of Domestic Tranquility
Spoken Word / Wisconsin Ties
Madison Public Library-Main Branch

2:00 - 3:00 PM The Search for Tranquility: Kirin Narayan
Memoir/Biography / Wisconsin Ties
Red Gym

2:00 - 3:45 PM Meet the Author of American Girl's Addy Books: Connie Porter
Wisconsin Ties / Youth/Kids
Harambee - South Madison Health & Family Center

2:00 - 3:45 PM Crossing Boundaries in Young Adult Fiction: Kashmira Sheth and e.E. Charlton-Trujillo
Fiction / Wisconsin Ties / Youth/Kids
A Room of One's Own Feminist Bookstore

2:00 - 3:30 PM The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports: Dave Zirin
Nonfiction / Politics
Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative

2:00 - 3:30 PM David Obey, Raising Hell for Justice: The Washington Battles of a Heartland Progressive
History / Politics / Wisconsin Ties
Promenade Hall/Overture

2:00 - 3:45 PM Across the Divide: Poetry Panel
Poetry / Wisconsin Ties
Wisconsin Historical Museum-Capitol Square

2:30 - 3:45 PM Small Arms -- Children of Conflict: Michael Kienitz Gallery Talk
Art/Visual / Politics / Wisconsin Ties
Chazen Museum of Art

4:00 - 5:45 PM The Power and Healing of Personal Memoirs in African American Life
Memoir/Biography / Wisconsin Ties
MATC-Downtown Education Center

4:00 - 4:55 PM Anne-Marie Cusac and Sara Greenslit -- Adventures in Form: Poetic Fiction and a Novel in Poems
Fiction / Poetry / Wisconsin Ties
Avol's Bookstore

4:00 - 5:00 PM Exploring the Quilts of the Underground Railroad: A Hands-On Workshop for Kids
Art/Visual / History / Youth/Kids
Harambee - South Madison Health & Family Center

4:00 - 5:30 PM The Trouble With Diversity: Walter Benn Michaels
History / Politics
Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative

4:00 - 5:45 PM Rabbi Harold Kushner: Overcoming Life's Disappointments
Nonfiction
Orpheum Theatre: Main

4:00 - 5:45 PM Danielle Trussoni and Benjamin Percy: The Intersection of Memory and Imagination
Fiction / History / Memoir/Biography / Wisconsin Ties
Wisconsin Studio/Overture

4:00 - 5:45 PM Wisconsin German Land and Life: Presented by the Max Kade Institute
History / Wisconsin Ties
Wisconsin Historical Museum-Capitol Square

5:00 - 5:50 PM Domestic Interiors: Political Poetry Turned Inside Out
Poetry / Wisconsin Ties
Avol's Bookstore

6:00 - 7:45 PM A Year of Living Differently: A.J. Jacobs and Logan Ward
Memoir/Biography
Wisconsin Studio/Overture

6:00 - 7:45 PM Chris Farley Biography: Book Launch Event
Memoir/Biography / Wisconsin Ties
Cafe Montmartre

6:00 - 7:00 PM The Book and the Cook: Writing about Food: Our Love Affair with Anything Edible
Culinary / Nonfiction / Wisconsin Ties
Whole Foods

6:00 - 7:30 PM Michael Cunningham: Welcomed by Joshua Henkin
Fiction
Orpheum Theatre: Main

7:00 - 8:30 PM The Book and the Cook: Soup to Nuts: A Food and Wine Reception for Lovers of Cookbooks
Culinary / Nonfiction / Wisconsin Ties
Whole Foods

A Busy Saturday (And some shameless plugging)

Above: Arabica coffee beans, which contain caffeine, a stimulant of the central nervous system. I'd suggest having some, 'cause today's kind of busy (see below).

Note: I've shamelessly bolded events that involve folks associated with the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing and/or UW-Madison's Program in Creative Writing, or who are loosely affiliated with those programs (and, in one case, features the mother of a former UW-Madison MFA student).

8:00 AM - 2:00 PM Fall Children's Book Sale
Helen C. White Hall

10:00 - 11:30 AM Ethnic Melodies: Helping African American Children and Youth Enjoy Reading (A Teacher Resource Madison Public Library-Main Branch

10:00 - 11:45 AM Novels by our Neighbors: Allen Ruff and Sherry Lucille
Wisconsin Historical Museum-Capitol Square

10:00 - 11:30 AM Native Voices of Wisconsin: Presented by Kathleen Tigerman
Wisconsin Historical Museum-Capitol Square

10:00 - 11:30 AM Alan Weisman: The World Without Us
Promenade Hall/Overture

10:00 - 11:30 AM Katha Pollitt: Learning to Drive and other Life Stories
A Room of One's Own Feminist Bookstore

10:00 - 11:30 AM Making Families in the 21st Century: Adoption & Fertility Treatments
Wisconsin Studio/Overture

10:30 AM - 3:00 PM Fall 2007 Book Sale: Friends of the UW-M Libraries $2/Bag Sale: After 2pm, all remaining books are free!
Memorial Library

12:00 - 1:30 PM James Campbell: Ghost Mountain Boys
Wisconsin Veterans Museum

12:00 - 1:30 PM Coming of Age Around the World: Faith Adiele
A Room of One's Own Feminist Bookstore

12:00 - 1:45 PM Margaret Beattie-Bogue and Peter Annin: The Great Lakes -- Mapping their History, Preserving their Madison Public Library-Main Branch

12:00 - 1:45 PM Fred McKissack Speaks: Encouraging Young Readers
Wisconsin Studio/Overture

12:00 - 1:45 PM Generations: Established Writers Introduce New Voices
Wisconsin Historical Museum-Capitol Square

12:00 - 1:45 PM Stories from Untranquil Territory: Susan Abulhawa and Margot Singer
Promenade Hall/Overture

1:00 - 2:30 PM The Power of Poetry: A Craft Talk for "Young" Poets of All Ages
Red Gym

1:00 - 1:30 PM Wisconsin Center for the Book's 2007 BookMark Award for Poetry: Presentation and Reading
Memorial Library Featuring Poet Heather Swan Rosenthal

1:00 - 7:00 PM Wisconsin Publishers' Showcase
Memorial Library

1:30 - 3:00 PM In Defense of Change: The Changing Nature of the Book
Memorial Library

2:00 - 3:30 PM Provoking Democracy: Why We Need the Arts
Helen C. White Hall

2:00 - 3:45 PM Devi, Mother of My Mind: Tranquility in Poetry and Tantra Yoga
Perfect Knot Yoga Center

2:00 - 3:45 PM Gun Violence and Gun Control: Domestic Tranquility and the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
Wisconsin Studio/Overture

2:00 - 3:45 PM Agent & Publisher & Editor Panel: Inviting Wisconsin writers of color to learn the basics of publishing literary works and securing an agent
Harambee - South Madison Health & Family Center

2:00 - 3:30 PM James DeVita: The Silenced
Promenade Hall/Overture

2:00 - 3:45 PM Renewing the Countryside and Celebrating Wisconsin: Jerry Apps and Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)
Madison Public Library-Main Branch

2:00 - 3:45 PM Domestic Tranquility: Poetry Panel
Wisconsin Historical Museum-Capitol Square

2:00 - 6:00 PM Zine Day: Readings From Small Self-published Works
Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative

2:00 - 3:45 PM On the Road: Writers as Wayfarers
A Room of One's Own Feminist Bookstore

3:00 - 5:00 PM Getting the Words Right: A Craft Talk for "Young" Prose Writers of All Ages
Red Gym

3:30 - 5:00 PM Adapting to Change: The Changing Nature of the Book
Memorial Library

4:00 - 5:45 PM Same Time, Same Station: TV in the USA
Wisconsin Studio/Overture

4:00 - 5:45 PM Singing and Acting in Children's Literature: With Roscoe Orman (Gordon from Sesame street) and Leotha Stanley
Promenade Hall/Overture

4:00 - 5:45 PM Imagining the Worlds of Edward Steichen and Isaac Babel: Historical Fiction
A Room of One's Own Feminist Bookstore

4:00 - 5:45 PM Yes, Wisconsin, There is a Poet Laureate: Readings by Wisconsin Poets Laureate and Commended Poets
Wisconsin Historical Museum-Capitol Square

5:00 - 7:00 PM The Milagro Beanfield War Movie Screening
Cinematheque

5:00 - 6:30 PM Free Expert Help With Your Book Ideas: Writers' Pitch Session
Memorial Library

5:00 - 9:00 PM ARTBOOK Exhibit Opening: Exploring the Concept of Books as Art
100 North Hamilton Street

6:00 - 6:50 PM Examining Russ Feingold and the Politics of Domestic Tranquility in post-9/11 America: Featuring Biographer Sanford Horwitt
Promenade Hall/Overture

6:00 - 6:50 PM Second Languages, Second Homes: Meena Alexander and Ellen Litman
Wisconsin Studio/Overture

6:00 - 6:50 PM Telling Tongues: A Latin@ Anthology on Language Experience
Con Safos

7:00 - 8:45 PM Book Club Night Club: A Gala Celebration Featuring Ellen Baker and Judy Merrill Larsen
Promenade Hall/Overture

7:00 - 8:00 PM First Wave Hip-Hop Theater Premiere
Lathrop Hall

7:00 - 8:45 PM Lake Effect Poets Showcase Reading: Homelands -- Secure and Insecure
Wisconsin Studio/Overture

7:30 - 8:45 PM Communities Without Borders: Photos and Stories from David Bacon
Red Gym

8:00 - 11:00 PM Talking Gods and Lyrical Legacies: All-Star Showcase of the Diaspora
Memorial Union Theater

9:00 - 10:00 PM Petal Pusher & Paint it Black: Rock & Roll Worlds
Cafe Montmartre

Bookfest Day 3: It's Friday!

Above: The schedule grid for today, Friday, Oct. 12th, is pretty packed as you can see.

-- The Friends of UW-Madison Libraries Book Sale is Awesome. Lots of good books at good prices. Check it out.

-- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is here today.

-- TC Boyle tonight. The New Yorker loves the guy right now. Check him out at The Orpheum tonight at 7 p.m.

-- Found Magazine is awesome and funny and touching and sad. Hear from creator/editor Davy Rothbart tonight from 9 p.m. - 11 p.m. at The Orpheum. This should be a really fun and funny event.

Wisconsin Book Fest Day 2!

Above: The schedule grid for the second day of literary events at the Wisconsin Book Festival. Click to enlarge!

Okay, people, get out there. Lots of stuff to see and do!

Book Fest Preview #1: What To Do Tomorrow

Above: The stolen schedule grid from the good folks at The Wisconsin Humanities Council. For more information, and the full schedule grid of Book Festival events, go to the Wisconsin Book Festival Website.

All of a sudden it's chilly in Madison? And the leaves are changing all over the place? And big, beautiful pumkins and colorful mums are gracing everybody's porches? And all of these authors are headed into town for the Wisconsin Book Festival? Is this mere coincidence?

Some might have you believe that it is.

But those of us in the know understand that Wisconsin Humanities Council Director Dean Bakopoulos runs this town, weather and all. The whole sha-bang-a-bang.

So make him happy, and get out to those readings. And remember: pace yourselves people -- it's going to be a busy week.

Rae Armantrout: The Poetic Dance of Consciousness

Above: The poster for Rae Armantrout's reading: Thursday, 7 p.m., 6191 Helen C. White Hall. Be there.

This is going to be a busy, busy week. But be sure put Rae Armantrout's reading on your calendar. She'll be reading on Thursday night, from 7 - 8:30 in 6191 Helen C. White Hall.

From Poets.org:

Rae Armantrout was born in Vallejo, California, in 1947, and grew up in San Diego. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied with Denise Levertov, and a master's degree in creative writing from San Francisco State University. She has published nine books of poetry, including: Up to Speed (Wesleyan 2004), a finalist for the PEN USA Award in Poetry; Veil: New and Selected Poems (2001), also a finalist for the PEN Center USA Award; The Pretext (2001); Made To Seem (1995); and The Invention of Hunger (1979). Her forthcoming collection, Next Life, was published by Wesleyan in February.

Part of the first generation of Language poets on the West Coast, her work has been praised for syntax that borders on everyday speech while grappling with questions of deception and distortion in both language and consciousness. About her poems, Robert Creeley has described “a quiet and enabling signature,” adding, “I don’t think there’s another poet writing who is so consummate in authority and yet so generous to her readers and company alike.”

In the preface to her selected poems, Veil, Ron Silliman describes her work as: "the literature of the anti-lyric, those poems that at first glance appear contained and perhaps even simple, but which upon the slightest examination rapidly provoke a sort of vertigo effect as element after element begins to spin wildly toward more radical...possibilities."

Okay, This Is a Ton of Information: Wisconsin Book Fest Countown

Above: Yes, that's right. Lots of big, awesome author types are headed here--to Madison--next week. Word to your mother, it's going to be awesome.

The sixth annual Wisconsin Book Festival is next week. Begining Wednesday, Oct. 10th, a whole bunch of writers/authors/poets/wordsmiths and other assorted literary types will be right here in Madison for a series of incredible events. Some of the folks who will be here are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Rick Bass, T.C. Boyle, Michael Cunningham, Jane Hirshfield, Rabbi Harold Kushner, Benjamin Percy, Danielle Trussoni, Ellen Litman, Zakes Mda, Luis Alberto Urrea, and Terry Tempest Williams.

For More Information, see The Wisconsin Humanities Council's Book Festival Homepage.

We'll be posting about a few of those events that we're excited about as we get closer to Wednesday, so check back in, okay? Okay.

Ann Packer at Borders West Tomorrow Night!

Above: The jacket image of Ann Packer's second novel is subtle and pleasing, and includes a lamp I really like. Seriously, that would be a sweet addition to my living room.

Former Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellow and nationally bestselling author of The Dive From Clausen's Pier Ann Packer will read from her new novel Songs Without Words at Borders west, 3750 University Ave. tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

People magazine says of Packer's new book:
“Welcome back to Packer country, a richly psychological terrain where finding the balance between responsibility to others and obligation to oneself is never obvious or easy. . . . Engrossing, forgiving and quietly wise, Songs never makes a false step as Packer keeps both the pages and her readers’ minds turning until the very end.”

And over here at Identity Theory is a great interview with the author herself.


Ann Packer
Borders (west)
3750 University Avenue
7 p.m.

More Info: (608) 232-2600