Woodland Pattern Book Center
  • Address 720 East Locust Street | Milwaukee, WI 53212
  • Phone 414.263.5001
  • Hours Tue-Fri 11-8pm | Sat-Sun 12-5pm | Closed Mon
  • Hours Tue-Fri 11-8pm, Sat-Sun 12-5pm, Closed Mon
Event Calendar ↓
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readings & workshops
April 6 - Sep 28

Book Club: Readshops led by Karl Gartung

readings & workshops
July 3 - Sep 25

Dhamma MKE

exhibitions
August 1 - Sep 26

The Point Being: Works by Thomas Gaudynski

special events
September 21

¡Palante!: A Celebration of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture

readings & workshops
September 22 - Oct 13

Friction in Fiction: Developing Characters and Conflict

readings & workshops
September 26

Poetry Reading: Jake Skeets & Manny Loley

readings & workshops
September 26

Poem as Field – Understanding Energy in Poetry a craft talk with Jake Skeets

readings & workshops
October 2

Poetry Reading: Alan Bernheimer & Karl Gartung

readings & workshops
October 16

Poetry Reading: Timothy Donnelly & Bethany Price

performances
October 17

Formations Series for New & Improvised Music

readings & workshops
October 19

Language as a Playground

readings & workshops
October 20

Reading: Peter Markus

readings & workshops
October 22 - Dec 31

Welcome Home!: A Veterans Writing Group

readings & workshops
October 23

Reading and Book Launch: Kathie Giorgio

readings & workshops
October 24

Urban Echo Poets

readings & workshops
October 27

Submitathon

readings & workshops
November 1

Reading and Screening: Trisha Low, Stephanie Young, and Zachary Epcar

readings & workshops
November 10 - Dec 8

Shifty Subjects and Unexpected Endings

special events
November 16

39th Anniversary Gala

Featured Upcoming Events

Book Club: Readshops led by Karl Gartung

April 6 - September 28
12:15pm, $Give What You Can

Every other Saturday | 12:15-1:30 PM (Dates are subject to change - call to confirm!) Saturday, July 13 Saturday, July 27 Saturday, August 10 Saturday, August 24 Readshops led by Karl Gartung: Participants will dive into foundational works from the 20th century, beginning with works by “Objectivist" poets such as Louis Zukofsky, Charles Reznikoff, George Oppen, Basil Bunting, and Lorine Niedecker. We will be reading the poetry aloud and discussing it as questions arise, on the spot, as deeply as needed. The only prerequisite is curiosity. The…

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Dhamma MKE

July 3 - September 25
11:00am, $Give What You Can

Dhamma MKE, a breath-based meditation circle in the gallery led by musician and composer Anthony Deutsch Wednesdays | 11-12 PM Dhamma MKE is a breath-based meditation circle established to cultivate awareness in ourselves, our community, and beyond. Sessions will consist of two twenty-minute sitting sessions, a short walking meditation, and a brief reading for contemplation/inspiration. All are welcome. Please bring your own cushion and/or blanket. Chairs will be available for those who request them. Led by musician and composer Anthony Deutsch. Follow them on…

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The Point Being: Works by Thomas Gaudynski

August 1 - September 26
11:00am, Free and open to the public

The Point Being: Works by Thomas Gaudynski Opening reception: Thurs. August 1 | 6-8 PM The Point Being features a selection of Thomas Gaudynski’s drawings created over the past six years that incorporate text art, visual poetry, and found objects, while exploring domestic and musical themes, often in combination. The result is often a “visual confrontation between interiors and still-lifes,” and images that produce auditory effects of both sound and silence. While the works in this exhibition often ask to be read, they…

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¡Palante!: A Celebration of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture

Saturday, September 21
1:30pm, Free and open to the public

An afternoon of poetry, music, art, food, and conversation honoring Puerto Rican culture. This event is free and open to the public. Sat. Sept. 21 | 1:30–5 PM  1:30 PM: Artist Erick "Ck" Ledesma of Cosecha Creative Space will introduce the new mural on the Woodland Pattern façade, painted by Ck in tribute to the lives lost during 2017’s Hurricane María. The mural also incorporates poet Pedro Pietri’s famous work, “Puerto Rican Obituary.” 2 PM: Panel discussion on "Puerto Rican Identity: The Young Lords…

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Friction in Fiction: Developing Characters and Conflict

September 22 - October 13
3:00pm, $100 General | $90 Member

A four-session, generative writing workshop focused on character-building and conflict-generation exercises. Through guided writing exercises, group sharing and commenting, and short readings/homage-writings, participants will learn how to create complex characters and dynamic conflicts.  September 22, 29 & October 6, 13 from 3-4:30 PM Friction in Fiction tuition: General $100.00 USDMember $90.00 USD RS Deeren is a writer from rural Michigan where he's worked as a line cook, a lumberjack, a landscaper, and a bank teller. His fiction is influenced by…

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Poetry Reading: Jake Skeets & Manny Loley

Thursday, September 26
7:00pm, $Give What You Can

Jake Skeets, author of Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers (Milkweed, 2019), and writer and editor Manny Loley.  Jake Skeets is Black Streak Wood, born for Water’s Edge. He is Diné from Vanderwagen, New Mexico. He holds an MFA in poetry from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Skeets is a winner of the 2018 Discovery/Boston Review Poetry Contest and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Skeets edits an online publication called Cloudthroat and organizes a poetry salon…

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OFF-SITE: Poem as Field – Understanding Energy in Poetry a craft talk with Jake Skeets

Thursday, September 26
12:30pm, Free and open to the public

Poem as Field – Understanding Energy in Poetry a craft talk with Jake Skeets at Special Collections at UWM Libraries Charles Olson, in “Projective Verse,” states that poetry is energy transference from poet to poem to reader. This idea is one birthed from an understanding of land, place, and field. It is one closely related to Diné thought and lifeway. This craft talk will explore Diné understanding of world, art, and language as a means to understanding and writing poetry.    Part of…

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Poetry Reading: Alan Bernheimer & Karl Gartung

Wednesday, October 2
7:00pm, $Give What You Can

Alan Bernheimer’s latest collection of poetry is From Nature (Cuneiform Press, 2019). Recent work has appeared at Across the Margin and at SFMOMA’s Open Space and in The Equalizer, The Delineator, and Hambone. The Spoonlight Institute was published by Adventures in Poetry in 2009. Born and raised in Manhattan, he has lived in the Bay Area since the 1970s. He produces a portrait gallery of poets reading on flickr. His translation of Philippe Soupault’s memoir, Lost Profiles: Memoirs of Cubism,…

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Poetry Reading: Timothy Donnelly & Bethany Price

Wednesday, October 16
7:00pm, $Give What You Can

Timothy Donnelly is the author of The Problem of the Many, which will be published in October by Wave Books. His other books include Twenty-seven Props for a Production of Eine Lebenszeit (Grove, 2003) and The Cloud Corporation (Wave, 2010), winner of the 2012 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Prize. With John Ashbery and Geoffrey G. O’Brien, he is coauthor of Three Poets (Minus A Press, 2012) and his chapbook Hymn to Life was published in 2014 by Factory Hollow Press. His…

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Formations Series for New & Improvised Music

Thursday, October 17
7:00pm, $6

Formations is a monthly music series dedicated to fostering the growth of new and improvised music in Milwaukee, WI. Set 1: Steve Nelson-Raney (drums & saxophone) and Jack Grassel (prepared banjo) Set 2: John McCoy (modular synthesizer)

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Language as a Playground

Saturday, October 19
12:00pm, $50 General | $45 Members of WP or Lynden | $20 Teachers

In this three-hour workshop, writer and longtime arts educator Peter Markus will pull from twenty-five years of teaching creative writing in the public schools of Detroit to offer teachers and teaching artists a variety of methods and model poems to bring back into their own classrooms. Markus believes there is a poet in every child and is visiting Milwaukee to make good on that belief.  This workshop takes place at Lynden Sculpture Garden - 2145 West Brown Deer Road. Milwaukee, WI…

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Reading: Peter Markus

Sunday, October 20
2:00pm, $Give What You Can

Peter Markus is the author of Inside My Pencil: Teaching Poetry in Detroit Public Schools, as well as six other books of fiction, among them The Fish and the Not Fish and We Make Mud, both from Dzanc Books. His fiction has appeared in such places as Chicago Review, Iowa Review, Black Warrior Review, and BOMB, and his essays on teaching poetry to youth have appeared frequently in Teachers & Writers Magazine. He is the Senior Writer with InsideOut Literary…

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Welcome Home!: A Veterans Writing Group

October 22 - December 31
6:00pm, $Give What You Can

WELCOME HOME! We invite all veterans to join us for this new writing group meeting twice a month. These two-hour sessions will be a time of conversation and writing poems, songs, short stories, or that novel you always wanted to try. Even if you’ve never tried to write, come along for the fun! We’ll have plenty of mud (coffee) too. This group will be led by Bob koshin Hanson, USN, reserves. Hanson is a Vietnam-era vet, and a writer and…

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Reading and Book Launch: Kathie Giorgio

Wednesday, October 23
7:00pm, $Give What You Can

Acclaimed Wisconsin-based author Kathie Giorgio will read from her latest novel, If You Tame Me (Black Rose Writing, 2019)  Kathie Giorgio is the critically acclaimed author of five novels, The Home For Wayward Clocks (2011), Learning To Tell A (Life) Time (2013), Rise From The River (2015), In Grace’s Time (2017), and her latest If You Tame Me (September 2019), as well as two short story collections, Enlarged Hearts (2012) and Oddities & Endings: The Collected Stories Of Kathie Giorgio (2016),…

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Urban Echo Poets

Thursday, October 24
7:00pm, $Give What You Can

Open Mic: The Urban Echo Poets observe and experience nature, then express these observations in poetry and essay. This reading is open-mic style with the Urban Echo Poets reading alongside members of the public. Sign up is open on the day of—please arrive 15 minutes early to ensure a spot!

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Submitathon

Sunday, October 27
1:00pm, $Give What You Can

Submitathon with writers and editors Su Cho, Paige Towers, and Angela Voras-Hills: Whether you’re trying to publish your first piece in a lit mag, looking to place your manuscript, or applying for a residency, we will make it a party! We’ll kick off with a conversation about the ins and outs of submitting your work, what editors are looking for, and how to handle (probably a lot of) rejection. We’ll spend the remaining time sharing lists of places to submit,…

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Reading and Screening: Trisha Low, Stephanie Young, and Zachary Epcar

Friday, November 1
7:00pm, $Give What You Can

Trisha Low is a poet and performer living in the East Bay. She is the author of The Compleat Purge (Kenning Editions, 2013) and Socialist Realism (Emily Books/Coffee House Press, 2019). Stephanie Young lives and works in Oakland. Her books of poetry and prose include Pet Sounds, It's No Good Everything's Bad, Ursula or University, Picture Palace, and Telling the Future Off. Young is a member of the Krupskaya Books editorial collective.  Zachary Epcar is a filmmaker currently based in Milwaukee. His…

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Shifty Subjects and Unexpected Endings

November 10 - December 8
3:00pm, $100 General | $90 Member

In this four-session workshop, we’ll focus on creating tension and surprise in poetry by exploring contemporary poems that shift focus, leaving us disoriented and shaken awake in the end. We’ll pay attention to the moments that push these poems in new directions and how their endings satisfy our expectations. Based on our readings and with the help of writing exercises, we’ll draft poems that make similar use of a good turn. Writers will be encouraged to share their work for…

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39TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

Saturday, November 16
5:00pm, Program + Reception: $80 individual / $150 couple | Program Only: $25 advance

Join us for Woodland Pattern’s 39th Anniversary Gala as we celebrate and honor members from our community. The evening will feature a reception, silent auction, and program with performances by award-winning poet Ron Padgett and musical group Ruth B8r Ginsburg. Proceeds raised will benefit Woodland Pattern’s ongoing programming for contemporary literature and the arts. at The Cooperage - 822 S. Water St., Milwaukee 5 PM: Reception (hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, and silent auction) 7 PM: Program (featuring Ron Padgett and Ruth B8er Ginsburg) Reception…

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Featured Upcoming Events


readings & workshops
Apr 6 April 6 - September 28
12:15pm, $Give What You Can
Book Club: Readshops led by Karl Gartung

Every other Saturday | 12:15-1:30 PM (Dates are subject to change - call to confirm!) Saturday, July 13 Saturday, July 27 Saturday, August 10 Saturday, August…

Read More
readings & workshops
Jul 3 July 3 - September 25
11:00am, $Give What You Can
Dhamma MKE

Dhamma MKE, a breath-based meditation circle in the gallery led by musician and composer Anthony Deutsch Wednesdays | 11-12 PM Dhamma MKE is a…

Read More
exhibitions
Aug 1 August 1 - September 26
11:00am, Free and open to the public
The Point Being: Works by Thomas Gaudynski

The Point Being: Works by Thomas Gaudynski Opening reception: Thurs. August 1 | 6-8 PM The Point Being features a selection of Thomas…

Read More
special events
Sep 21 Saturday, September 21
1:30pm, Free and open to the public
¡Palante!: A Celebration of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture

An afternoon of poetry, music, art, food, and conversation honoring Puerto Rican culture. This event is free and open to…

Read More
readings & workshops
Sep 22 September 22 - October 13
3:00pm, $100 General | $90 Member
Friction in Fiction: Developing Characters and Conflict

A four-session, generative writing workshop focused on character-building and conflict-generation exercises. Through guided writing exercises, group sharing and commenting, and…

Read More
readings & workshops
Sep 26 Thursday, September 26
7:00pm, $Give What You Can
Poetry Reading: Jake Skeets & Manny Loley

Jake Skeets, author of Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers (Milkweed, 2019), and writer and editor Manny Loley.  Jake…

Read More
readings & workshops
Sep 26 Thursday, September 26
12:30pm, Free and open to the public
OFF-SITE: Poem as Field – Understanding Energy in Poetry a craft talk with Jake Skeets

Poem as Field – Understanding Energy in Poetry a craft talk with Jake Skeets at Special Collections at UWM Libraries Charles…

Read More
readings & workshops
Oct 2 Wednesday, October 2
7:00pm, $Give What You Can
Poetry Reading: Alan Bernheimer & Karl Gartung

Alan Bernheimer’s latest collection of poetry is From Nature (Cuneiform Press, 2019). Recent work has appeared at Across the Margin…

Read More
readings & workshops
Oct 16 Wednesday, October 16
7:00pm, $Give What You Can
Poetry Reading: Timothy Donnelly & Bethany Price

Timothy Donnelly is the author of The Problem of the Many, which will be published in October by Wave Books.…

Read More
performances
Oct 17 Thursday, October 17
7:00pm, $6
Formations Series for New & Improvised Music

Formations is a monthly music series dedicated to fostering the growth of new and improvised music in Milwaukee, WI. Set 1:…

Read More
readings & workshops
Oct 19 Saturday, October 19
12:00pm, $50 General | $45 Members of WP or Lynden | $20 Teachers
Language as a Playground

In this three-hour workshop, writer and longtime arts educator Peter Markus will pull from twenty-five years of teaching creative writing…

Read More
readings & workshops
Oct 20 Sunday, October 20
2:00pm, $Give What You Can
Reading: Peter Markus

Peter Markus is the author of Inside My Pencil: Teaching Poetry in Detroit Public Schools, as well as six other…

Read More
readings & workshops
Oct 22 October 22 - December 31
6:00pm, $Give What You Can
Welcome Home!: A Veterans Writing Group

WELCOME HOME! We invite all veterans to join us for this new writing group meeting twice a month. These two-hour…

Read More
readings & workshops
Oct 23 Wednesday, October 23
7:00pm, $Give What You Can
Reading and Book Launch: Kathie Giorgio

Acclaimed Wisconsin-based author Kathie Giorgio will read from her latest novel, If You Tame Me (Black Rose Writing, 2019)  Kathie Giorgio…

Read More
readings & workshops
Oct 24 Thursday, October 24
7:00pm, $Give What You Can
Urban Echo Poets

Open Mic: The Urban Echo Poets observe and experience nature, then express these observations in poetry and essay. This reading…

Read More
readings & workshops
Oct 27 Sunday, October 27
1:00pm, $Give What You Can
Submitathon

Submitathon with writers and editors Su Cho, Paige Towers, and Angela Voras-Hills: Whether you’re trying to publish your first piece…

Read More
readings & workshops
Nov 1 Friday, November 1
7:00pm, $Give What You Can
Reading and Screening: Trisha Low, Stephanie Young, and Zachary Epcar

Trisha Low is a poet and performer living in the East Bay. She is the author of The Compleat Purge…

Read More
readings & workshops
Nov 10 November 10 - December 8
3:00pm, $100 General | $90 Member
Shifty Subjects and Unexpected Endings

In this four-session workshop, we’ll focus on creating tension and surprise in poetry by exploring contemporary poems that shift focus,…

Read More
special events
Nov 16 Saturday, November 16
5:00pm, Program + Reception: $80 individual / $150 couple | Program Only: $25 advance
39TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

Join us for Woodland Pattern’s 39th Anniversary Gala as we celebrate and honor members from our community. The evening will…

Read More
View Full Calendar

New Arrivals

Small Press Lorine Niedecker in Spain Natalia Carbajosa
  bruise bullet flower Rachel Eliza Griffiths
  from unincorporated territory [lukao] Craig Santos Perez
  Do Not Bring Him Water Caitlin Scarano
  The Amplified Palette: A History in Pictures Hal Rammel
  Crawlspace Nikki Wallschlaeger


Read This

bruise bullet flower by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

Small Press

bruise bullet flower documents the strength, vulnerability, and beauty of black, brown, and mostly queer-identified individuals living under the daily threat of gun violence in the United States.

View this in the Bookstore