Readers, authors, writers, audiences and admirers of craft take note, the annual Wisconsin Book Festival is upon us once again. The 10th annual free, five-day program of literary festivities in downtown Madison begins Wednesday, Oct. 19, and it's not to be missed.
Touting the mission statement of ""Community through Conversation,"" the Wisconsin Book Festival is the brainchild of the Wisconsin Humanities Council, an independent nonprofit organization that works to connect people through activities like this tradition. With events spread all over Madison, from campus to downtown, this festival has something for everyone.
Throughout the five days of the Wisconsin Book Festival, attendees can participate in a variety of events. Among some of the many possibilities are workshops in writing, poetry, performance and dialogue. There will also be film screenings, conversations with authors and lectures from renowned literary minds. Festival-goers can take part in some literary musings with unique shopping opportunities marking this year's event.
For a festival working toward open communication in a community, many events aptly reference group voice. This makes it simple to find outings that relate to one's interests and pursuits.
One in particular to look out for is the ""Voices of Empowerment"" series, spanning three days and 15 events, and spotlighting artists that fought hard to have their voices heard. Focusing on messages of social justice and struggles to find voice within the literary world, the showcase promises to be inspiring for aspiring authors looking to learn more about the world they live in.
On an entertaining note, this series celebrates real voices boasting the power of storytelling in varied forms. Attendees can engage in films, spoken word and on-stage performances, as well as interactive storytelling. UW-Madison's own First Wave urban art performers will put their skills on display in ""Passing the Mic/Just Bust Spoken Word & Hip Hop Open Mic,"" happening on Thursday, Oct. 20 from 9-11 p.m. Members of the group will also perform at ""An Intergenerational Tribute to Sonia Sanchez and Danny Simmons,"" taking place from 8-10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22, and appear in the film screening ""Louder than a Bomb"" on Friday, Oct. 21 from 9:30-11:30 p.m.
The series ""Voices of Conflict, Voices of Change"" allows festival-goers to be part of age-old literary conversations. Issues that are still pertinent today, changes and conflicts in democratic principles, capitalism, American wars and the collapse of journalism are just some of the topics up for discussion. Madisonians may be particularly impacted by events focused on the recent capitol protests, including ""Voices from the Protests: The Poets of Verse WI"" and ""We Are Wisconsin: The Wisconsin uprising in the words of the activists, writers and everyday Wisconsinites who made it happen"" on Sunday, Oct. 23.
Other featured event series include ""Voices of Land & Nature, Food & Bounty,"" ""Voices from Wisconsin's Past,"" ""Voices of Place and Displacement,"" ""Visual Voices"" and ""Voices of Incarceration.""
For those looking for something else or more, the Madison Zinefest will also be taking place during the Wisconsin Book Festival. Zinefest is a celebration of underground press culture, including (but not limited to) leaflets, magazines, comics and books that are produced outside of the major publication system. You can catch the Zinefest at 10 a.m. in Varsity Hall at Union South on Saturday, Oct. 22. Other events for Zinefest include Zinefest Open Mic at Rainbow Bookstore on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. and ""Zines, Comics, Life (and Music)"" at the Project Lodge on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.
More information about the events mentioned in this piece, as well as a full schedule of Book Festival happenings can be found online at wisconsinbookfestival.org.
