Waukesha, Wisconsin – The Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books has released its lineup of nonfiction presentations for the 13th Annual Festival, which will be held at the UW-Milwaukee at Waukesha campus November 5th.
At 10:15 am, the Festival presents “Gun Talk: Stories of Violence”, a discussion of gun violence and what should be done about it, a topic that isn’t very far from people’s minds. Every day, we are reminded through yet another news story about a shooting at a school, a shopping mall, a business, or a random spree through town. Panelists Robert Glenn Howard, founder and Director of Digital Studies and DesignLab and Professor of Communication in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Leslie Harris, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Sheri Williams Pannell, who has performed, directed or written for a number of Milwaukee’s theater and arts organizations, and Simon Bronner, Dean of the College of General Studies and Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, come together to talk about the experience and what it all means. Dr. Bronner will also moderate the panel.
Also at 10:15 am, Festival visitors can discovery history without a textbook in “The Other Kind of History Book.” The discussion will feature Phong Nguyen (Bronze Drum), whose stories have been published in more than 50 national literary journals and anthologies, Lisa Vihos (The Lone Snake) , the first poet laureate of Sheboygan, and Chris Yogerst (Hollywood Hates Hitler! Jew-Baiting, Anti-Nazism, and the Senate Investigation into Warmongering in Motion Pictures), associate professor of communication in the department of arts and humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, three authors who will share stories of history in very diverse and unexpected ways.
At 12:15, “Women: The Power to Be” showcases authors Alice Kehoe (Girl Archaeologist: Sisterhood in a Sexist Profession), who tackled the male-dominated world of archeology and Linda Benjamin (The Girls’ Guide to Aging with Grit and Gusto), who faced being alone and independent in her later years and now encourages other women to face aging head-on. Both of these writers talk about what it means to be women during difficult times and facing difficult expectations.
