Bob Woodward
David Zucker
Robin Hemley


Writers from Wisconsin and the surrounding area will be featured at the 14th Annual Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Waukesha. Headliners include journalist Bob Woodward, and film writer and director David Zucker, known for the comedy classic Airplane!

At 7 pm Friday, November 3, David Zucker who, with his brother Jerry and Jim Abrahams, created the comedy classic film, Airplane!, will be interviewed about his new book, Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! and his connection to Wisconsin. Gino Salamone, WITI Channel 6 Film Critic will ask the questions. It will be held in the UWM-Waukesha Lunt-Fontanne Theater. The Keynote and open to the public but Requires Advance Registration.

At 9 am Saturday, November 4, Novelist Robin Hemley will speak on “The Hopefulness of the Long-Distance Writer.” Hemley says he wants to talk about being an older writer and being in it for the duration, as well as retaining ambition and drive while managing expectations. His favorite time of the book process is when a book has been accepted for publication but hasn’t yet appeared. He wants to discuss hopefulness rather than all the things that naturally distress writers, such as AI. He will also read from his most recent novel, Oblivion, and be interviewed by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Book Editor Jim Higgins. This event is a free public lecture and will be held in the Commons Hub.

On Thursday, November 16, at 7 pm, American journalist Bob Woodward, will present a program entitled, “The Past, Present and Future of the American Presidency.” Woodward’s appearance is presented by the UWM College of General Studies and sponsored by the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership . It will be held in the UWM-Waukesha Lunt-Fontanne Theater. This is a free public lecture that Requires Advance Registration.

Please Note: Bob Woodward has changed his appearance at UWM-Waukesha from Thursday, November 2 to Thursday, November 16. Persons with reservations will receive a notice about the change.

The Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books is the largest book festival all under one roof in Wisconsin. This free event will provide talks, readings and panel discussions on topics that include poetry, history, travel, mystery, current events, food, popular culture, and contemporary literature. Author discussions, musical performances, exhibits, book sales and book signings will add to the festivities. The kickoff event on Friday night, November 3, will be followed by a day-long event featuring book discussions, readings, and topical presentations for readers and writers of all genres on Saturday, November 4.

For more information, please see our full Calendar of Events