Registration for our first-ever hybrid Poetry Marathon is now open! 
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Sat. & Sun., JAN 25 & 26 | 10 am-10 pm 
HYBRID * In person and livestreaming via Crowdcast

Presented Live in The Arc Theater @ SAINT KATE – The Arts Hotel | 139 E Kilbourn Ave, Milwaukee

OCTOBER EVENTS

Reading: Oxeye Reader
*IN PERSON*

Join us for two nights of readings in celebration of Issue 2 of the Oxeye Reader, featuring poets from the Milwaukee area. Each night will feature a unique lineup of poets, so we hope you can get to both readings!

At Carthage College: Tue. Oct. 29 | 6 PM | $Give What You Can

At Woodland Pattern: Wed. Oct. 30 | 7 PM | $Give What You Can 

Oxeye Reader Readings_Web_Video

NOVEMBER EVENTS

Exhibition Reception: As I Fall Asleep to My Great Aunt’s Fable of a Herder Boy, work by Nomka Enkhee
*IN PERSON*

Sat. Nov. 2 | 5-8 PM with a reading at 6 PM

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Reading and Conversation: Isaac Jarnot
*HYBRID*

Sat. Nov. 9 | 7 pm CST | $Give What You Can

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Talk: Niedecker’s Binoculars with Patrick Morrissey
*ONLINE*

Sun. Nov. 10 | 7 pm CST | $Give What You Can

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Reading: United We Read 
*IN PERSON*

Fri. Nov. 15 | 7 pm CST | $Give What You Can

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Concert: Alternating Currents Live presents The Bridge #2.11 

Featuring Greg Ward (alto saxophone), Nicolas Peoc’h (alto saxophone), Hélène Labarrière (double bass), and Isaiah Spencer (drums)

*HYBRID*

Sun. Nov. 17 | 7 pm CST | $15 ($13 Members)

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Concert: Formations Series for New & Improvised Music

SET 1) Voices & VersesKarel Sucky and friends

SET 2) FelstegDave Schoepke and Matt Meixner

*HYBRID*

Thur. Nov. 21 | 7 pm CST | $10

Promotional banner with bright yellow and green background, pink, mustard, light blue, dark red, and lavender text that reads
Open Mic: resound return
*IN PERSON*

Fri. Nov. 22 | 7 PM | Open to the public

resound return_Spring-Summer 2024_Web_Video

Read Our Annual Report

Woodland Pattern's 2022 annual report is available to view online. You can also download a PDF by clicking on the button below or request a print version by mail. Learn about our programming efforts, revenue sources, and how we spent our funds. 

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Click on the image above to open the interactive PDF viewer.

Visit our unique collection of small-press poetry

Did you know Woodland Pattern is home to a nationally recognized collection of over 25,000 small-press poetry titles? To the largest selection of haiku in North America? To the biggest selection of books by Native American authors in Wisconsin? To broadsides, zines, chapbooks, pamphlets, and other hand-made items? 

The dissemination of independent literature—particularly poetry, unconventional texts, works that honor bookmaking as a visual art, books by small- and micro-press publishers, and literature by writers from historically marginalized backgrounds—has been central to our purpose since our founding. Our inventory decisions are mission-driven, allowing us to support writers and publishers in ways that are inconceivable for a commercial bookseller.

Come in and discover. We encourage visitors to read and study at their leisure, and to use our space to learn more about poetry, book arts, and small-press publishing. You can also visit our online book center to browse selections from our  inventory, or give us a call at (414) 263-5001 to see if we have a title in stock. As always, we will gladly place special orders, ship books to your home, and offer contactless pick-up at your request.

We acknowledge that in Milwaukee we live and work on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee homelands along the southwest shores of Michigami, part of North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee, and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida, and Mohican nations remain present. 

We further acknowledge the grave evil colonialism introduced to these lands ​through genocide as well as slavery, and also via racist and xenophobic ​beliefs, laws​, and practices that continue to inflict harm upon Black, brown, and Indigenous lives. We honor those who have lived—and do live, now—at these intersections of identity and experience, and are committed to the active dismantling of white supremacy.

Read our statement on racial justice

720 E. Locust Street
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Phone: 414 263 5001

Hours: Tues–Sun | 12-7 pm

Closed Mon


Building Accessibility: Despite the age of our physical location, and attendant limitations to access, Woodland Pattern is committed to making its programs and facilities available for as many as possible. Please call for more information.

Events Accessibility: Woodland Pattern is able to offer captioning services for its online events and with advanced notice can provide ASL interpretation for live events. Please contact us with accommodation requests and questions.

© Woodland Pattern 2024