Technically, it’s always the Wisconsin Book Festival. The festival, in partnership with the Madison Public Library Foundation, sponsors author events all year round in Madison. But the four-day “fall celebration” Oct. 17-20 is something special, a free cover-to-cover extravaganza featuring 69 authors in four days at four different venues.
Like an 800-page doorstopper of a novel, the festival schedule can seem a little daunting at first. So here’s a guide to some of the many fun things that readers can enjoy during the festival.
For Fiction Lovers
Best-selling YA novelist Nicola Yoon (“The Sun is Also a Star”) will be at the festival at 6 p.m. Oct. 18 to talk about her new social horror novel “One of Our Kind,” about a couple who find the Black utopian community they’ve moved to isn’t all what it seems. Attendees will get free copies of the novel.
Tea Obreht (“The Tiger’s Wife”) will talk about her new dystopian sci-fi novel “The Morningside” at noon Oct. 19. And Lev Grossman (“The Magicians”) will present his cockeyed take on the King Arthur legend, “The Bright Sword,” at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 20.
For Political Junkies
With a big election looming, it’s no surprise the book festival will be featuring several events for politicos. Paolo Ramos’ “Defectors” looks at the surprising rise of far-right sentiment among Latinos at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18.
At 6 p.m. Oct. 18, Mother Jones journalist Ari Berman will talk about “Minority Rule,” which looks at the long history of conservatives trying to undermine democracy in America. And Barbara McQuade digs into the rise of political misinformation in America, and how to guard against it, in “Attack From Within” at 3 p.m. Oct. 19.
For Science Lovers
In conjunction with the Wisconsin Science Festival, which is also going on next week, there are 15 different events in the book festival tied to the STEM fields.
“Frostbite” by Nicola Twilley (10:30 a.m. Oct. 19) is a look inside the history and science of refrigeration that will make you think differently every time you poke your head in the freezer. And Arts + Literature Laboratory is hosting three special events Oct. 19 featuring writers and photographers documenting the natural world.
Mona Susan Power speaks to a roomful of readers at the Wisconsin Book Festival (Shanna Wolf/ Wisconsin Book Festival)
For Poetry Fans
Danez Smith, who graduated in 2012 from the UW-Madison’s First Wave multicultural hip-hop program, returns at 9 p.m. Oct. 18 with “Bluff,” their new book of poetry reckoning with their hometown of St. Paul and the legacy of the George Floyd murder. Free pre-signed copies will be given to all attendees.
And Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha will present “Forest of Noise” (Oct. 19, 3 p.m.), his new book of poems written while his neighborhood in Gaza was being bombed.
For Wisconsin Readers and Writers
Homegrown talent are always given a special place at the Wisconsin Book Festival. In “Chasing the Stars” (Oct. 18, 4 p.m.), James Lattis and Kelly Tyrrell investigate the contributions that Wisconsin astronomers have made to understanding our universe.
In “We Had Fun and Nobody Died” (Oct. 18, 4:30 p.m.) longtime Wisconsin concert promoter Peter Jest shares some wild and nostalgic backstage stories. Free copies will be distributed to all attendees.
And celebrate the next generation of Wisconsin writers at an authors’ reception for the winners of the “WE READ Youth Voices” writing contest – Diya Dhawal, Grace Huang, Nora Moran, and Ash Gartier – at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 19.
Correction: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Nicola Twilley's name and clarify that there are three events happening at Arts + Literature Laboratory Oct. 19.
