Featured Audio & Video

Please find a selection of recordings of recent programs. We hope to soon also offer selections from our archives, which hold more than four decades of multimedia recordings of Woodland Pattern concerts and poetry readings. 

Please check out our YouTube channel for access to all our recorded events.

30th Annual Woodland Pattern Poetry Marathon & Benefit | Saturday & Sunday, January 27 & 28, 2024

Dedicated in memory of Janine Arseneau (1948–2023)

The 30th Annual Poetry Marathon is presented by Wisconsin's Own Library—A unique collection of Wisconsin authors and illustrators owned by the General Federation of Women's Clubs-Wisconsin, with funding provided by the Gwendolyn M. Schultz Charitable Fund. With additional support from DeWitt LLP, Dana Alexander Kaleta, and Anonymous. And Juneau Park Friends, Karl Gartung & Anne Kingsbury, and Greg Flegel & Rich Greene.

Saturday, January 27th

10 am-11 am: YOUTH HOUR —with students from Woodland Pattern's Poetry Camp, Riverwest Elementary, Hopkins Lloyd Community School, Bayside Middle School, and University School of Milwaukee. Featuring 2023–24 Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate Emily Igwike. Sponsored by Mary Gute Witte & Ned Witte.

11 am-12 pm: COMMUNITY—Paul Druecke, Peter Goldberg, Anna Gurton-Wachter, Martha Kaplan, Ed Makowski, Deborah Meadows, Rick Ollman, R.B. Simon, Joshua Steffey, Jen Tynes, Barbara Wuest, and Michael Yanny. Sponsored by Peter Goldberg.

12 pm -1 pm: COMMUNITY—Jonathan Cardew, Portia Cobb, Peter "Pita" Daniels, Lea Feinstein, Elisabeth Harrahy, Joan Miller & Sally Kuzma, Scott Lowery, Tiffany Rommelfanger-Taylor, Angela Voras-Hills, and Ken Walker + Milwaukee Kitchen ("Coffee & Wine"). Sponsored by Riverwest Realty.

1 pm-2 pm: WEDNESDAY WRITERS—Diane Bezella, Vince Bushell, Karen Haley, Barbara Leigh, María Elena Scott, Suzanne Rosenblatt, Darlene (Lolly) Rzezotarski, Carol Lee Saffioti-Hughes, Virginia Small,and Judit Schugurensky. With a special tribute to poet and former Woodland Pattern Board Member Janine Arseneau. Sponsored by Lorraine Jacobs.

2 pm-3 pm: WISCONSIN FELLOWSHIP OF POETS (CURATED BY ED WERSTEIN)—Anneliese Finke, Ronnie Hess, Maryann Hurtt, Jim Landwehr, Pepe Oulahan, Amanda Ngoho Reavey, Sheryl Slocum, Katrin Talbot, Tori Grant Welhouse, and Ed Werstein + music by PAVDA (Hal Rammel & Linda Binder). Sponsored by Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets.

3 pm-4 pm: WISCONSIN POET LAUREATE COMMISSION (CURATED BY ANGELA TRUDELL VASQUEZ)—Esteban Colon, Nicholas Gulig, Dasha Kelly Hamilton, Dana Maya, Freesia McKee, Margaret Rozga, Marilyn Taylor, Jodi Vander Molen, Angela Trudell Vasquez, and Lisa Vihos. Sponsored by Wisconsin Writers Association.

—INTERMISSION (4-4:30 pm)—

4:30 pm-5:15 pm: INDIGENOUS NATIONS POETS (CURATED BY KIMBERLY BLAESER)—Kenzie Allen, Kimberly Blaeser, Jennifer Elise Foerster, Denise Low, and Melanie Merle + "Poem for a Tattered Planet" (In-Na-Po in collaboration with the Overpass Light Brigade). Sponsored by Scott Gelzer & Sherry Goldsmith.

5:15 pm-6 pm: LATINX FEATURE (CURATED BY BRENDA CÁRDENAS & ROBERTO HARRISON)—Roberto Harrison, Farid Matuk, Cristina Rivera Garza, Raina León, Valerie Martinez, E. Ethelbert Miller, Jenise Miller, Elias Sepulveda, Mónica de la Torre, Vincent Toro, Antonio Vargas-Nieto, and Christina Vega-Westhoff. Sponsored by Infinity Benefit Solutions.

6 pm-7:15 pm: COMMUNITY—Kate Colby, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Karl Gartung, Ish Klein, Oliver Krawczyk, Jacqueline Lalley, Mark Leidner, Eileen Myles, Elizabeth Robinson, and Steve Timm + Milwaukee Kitchen ("Sweet Sourdough"). Also featuring 2023-24 Milwaukee Emerging Poet Fellows Ben Binversie and Tasneem Jassar. Sponsored by Karen Campbell & Kevin Ronnie.

7:15 pm-8 pm: OXEYE PRESS (CURATED BY JORDAN DUNN)—Stacy Blint, Mike Hauser, Richard Meier, Jed Munson, Soham Patel, Lauren Russell, Jennifer Scappettone, and Chuck Stebelton + FILM: Day Dreaming Devices by Anne MacMillan. Sponsored by Standing Partnership & Sam Pekarske.

8 pm-8:30 pm: AFRICAN POETRY BOOK FUND (CURATED BY SIWAR MASANNAT)—Saddiq Dzukogi, Sara Elkamel, Rezina Habtemariam (reading Keorapetse Kgositsile), Alain Jules Hirwa, and Tryphena Yeboah + FILM: Wander by Rebecca Najdowski. Sponsored by Educators Credit Union.

8:30 pm-9 pm: #ALEETLEMOMENT (CURATED BY AE HEE LEE)—Gabrielle Bates, Paul Hlava Ceballos, Farnaz Fatemi, Ae Hee Lee, and Laura Villareal + FILM: Direction of the Road by Janelle VanderKelen. Sponsored by Educators Credit Union.

9 pm-9:30 pm: BLOOF BOOKS (CURATED BY SHANNA COMPTON)—Steven Karl, Becca Klaver, Nicole Steinberg, and Maureen Thorson+ FILM: Hungry Ghost (excerpt) by Takahiro Suzuki. Sponsored by City Point Press.

9:30 pm-10 pm—CITY POINT PRESS (CURATED BY DAVID WILK)—Charles Alexander, Summer Brenner, Barbara Henning, and Maureen Owen. Sponsored by City Point Press.

Sunday, January 28th

10 am-11 am: COMMUNITY—Jenny Benjamin, Gary Beaumier, Bill Embly, Sylee Gore & Meesha Williams, Greg L. Flegel, Matthew Jorgenson, John Kenworthy, Marjorie Pagel, Holly Payne-Strange, Allison Thompson, Jean Tobin, Ann Winschel, and Catherine Young. Sponsored by Paula Kiely.

11 am-12 pm: VETERANS FOR PEACE (CURATED BY BOB HANSON)—Doug Armstrong, Jim Conway, Richard Epstein, Enrique Gautier, James Hackbarth, Holly Haebig, Bob Hanson, Lynn Paluga, Roger Quindel, Harvey Taylor, and Eric Wasileski. Sponsored by Bliffert Lumber & Hardware.

12 pm-1 pm: RACINE / KENOSHA POETS (CURATED BY STEPHEN KALMAR II)—Joe Engel, Debra Hall, Stephen Kalmar II, Jessie Lynn McMains, Jean Preston, and Nick Ramsey + Milwaukee Kitchen ("Some Like It Hot").

1 pm-2 pm: COMMUNITY—Ivars Balkits, Jonathan Bechtel, Elizabeth Gade, Emily Elv Hall, Anna Hillary, L Lois, Eric Lunde, Arianne Moreland, KT Mullen, Eugene O'Connor, Me'Chelle Robinson, Oscar Sanders, Kimberly Shine, Stephanie Snyder, Nathaniel Terrell, and Jennifer Weigel. Sponsored by WE Energies.

2 pm-3 pm: THE MATRIX (CURATED BY BRENDA CÁRDENAS)—Nicole Callihan, Brenda Cárdenas, Jane Creighton, Laura Cronk, Iris Jamahl Dunkle, Janet Jennerjohn, KP Kaszubowski, Michele Kotler, Amy Lemmon, Robin Reagler, and Anna V. Q. Ross. With a special tribute to poet and zinester Jenny Janzer (from Ars Poetica Re: Milwaukee Poets by KP Kaszubowski). Sponsored by Riverwest Currents.

3 pm-4 pm: PALM READINGS (CURATED BY ANTONIO VARGAS-NIETO)—Katie Bedolla, Claire Crews, Noa Micaela Fields, Rudy Medina, Julie Novakofski, CJ Scruton, and Kiara Xolo + FILM: The Girl Who Forgets How to Walk by Julia Parks.

—INTERMISSION (4-4:30 pm)—

4:30 pm-5 pm: COMMUNITY—Bryon Cherry, Irene Cooper, Seth Copeland, Sadie Dupuis, Travis Nichols, and Mikey Swanberg. Sponsored by Ono Kine Grindz.

5 pm-5:45 pm: COMMUNITY—Jay Besemer, Ama Birch, Peter Burzyński, Franklin K.R. Cline, Sean Enfield, Allison Friske, Kati Katchever, Alexis Krasilovsky, and Adam White Ossers. Sponsored by Reuter & Associates.

5:45 pm-6 pm: MILWAUKEE KITCHEN EPISODE #21 PREMIERE ("Creature Comforts")—featuring Becky Banks, Flora Coker, Marcie Hoffman, Chuck Stebelton, and Anika Wilson. Created and produced by Paul Druecke. Sponsored by Reuter & Associates.

6 pm-7 pm: GENRE: URBAN ARTS (CURATED BY NAKEYSHA ROBERTS WASHINGTON)—Soldout (Justin) Johnson, Dana Alexander Kaleta, Donnie Moreland, Samihah Pargas, Lyn Patterson, Umar Siddiqui, Shaunteri Skinner, Symphony Swan, Nateya Taylor, Motherboomer (Nancy) Travis, and Nakeysha Roberts Washington with Jordan Thoennes. Sponsored by Genre: Urban Arts.

7 pm-7:30 pm: OUT THERE (CURATED BY ELISE MCARDLE)—Hannah Fischer, King of Salads, Elise McArdle, and Eileen Stillwell. Sponsored by Corazón.

7:30 pm-8 pm: MOODY THE ZINE (CURATED BY MELISSA MURSCH-RODRIGUEZ)—Gloria Glau, Soon Jones, Bee LB, Abu Bakr Sadiq, Christie Valentin-Bati, and Geyl Wells. Sponsored by Howard Leu.

8:00 pm-8:40 pm: THE ARTIFICIALLY INTELLIGENT 40-MINUTE COMEDY HOUR (CURATED BY MAURICIO KILWEIN GUEVARA)—Mauricio Kilwein Guevara, Anja Notanja Sieger, Debra Solomon, Angela Sorby, Spanky, Charles Trimberger, and Kathrine Yets + FILM: Hey You Sandpipers by Kristin Lucas. Sponsored by Outpost Natural Foods.

8:40 pm-9 pm: WYRD (CURATED BY KC HARRISON)—Sam Anderson, T.J. Blanco, Austin Newton, Deanna Schneider, and Cecelia Stadler + FILM: Searching for Melilot by Kathy Hinde. Sponsored by Nice Hair.

9 pm-9:30 pm: SARKA (CURATED BY FRANCESCA KRITIKOS)—Stevie Belchak, Emily Brandt, Kitty St Remy, and Nadia de Vries + FILM: Paisajes Repentinos by Javier de Azkue. Sponsored by Boone & Crockett.

9:30-10 pm: PITYMILK PRESS (CURATED BY CHELSEA TADEYESKE & EDIE ROBERTS)—Zoya Gurm, Dylan Krieger, Claire Rychlewski, Edie Roberts, and Chelsea Tadeyeske + FILM: i am a by Dagie Brundert. Sponsored by Boone & Crockett.

Poetry in the Park takes place in Juneau Park on the second Tuesday of June, July, August, and September. This season’s events are made possible with support from Juneau Park Friends, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Village Church. 

Poetry Reading: Poetry in the Park | in person, September 12, 2023

Featuring readings from Francesca Kritikos, Chelsea Tadeyeske, Antonio Vargas-Nieto, and Mark Leidner

Poetry Reading: Poetry in the Park | in person, August 8, 2023

Featuring readings from Ish Klein, Bryon Cherry, Edie Roberts, and Suzanne Rosenblatt

Poetry Reading: Poetry in the Park | in person, July 11, 2023

Featuring readings from Derrick Harriell, Sean Enfield, Tiffany Miller, and ​​Melissa Mursch-Rodriguez

Poetry Reading: Poetry in the Park | in person, June 14, 2023

June's event (which took place on the rain date of Wed. June 14) features readings from Emily Igwike, Milwaukee’s first ever Youth Poet Laureate, reading with Nicholas Gulig, Wisconsin Poet Laureate 2023-2024; Michaela Lacy, Youth Poet Laureate of Prince George’s County, Maryland, 2018; and Angela Trudell Vasquez, Madison Poet Laureate, 2023-2024.

Fiction Reading: RS Deeren | hybrid, December 7, 2023

Fiction reading celebrating RS Deeren’s short story collection, Enough to Lose (Wayne State University Press, 2023).

Concert: Alternating Currents Live presents Silvia Bolognesi Young Shouts | hybrid, September 24, 2023

Alternating Currents Live presents Silvia Bolognesi Young Shouts, playing two sets. The first trio set will feature Silvia Bolognesi (double bass), Il Pavone (trumpet & vocals), and Ginger B. (drums & electronics); and for the second set they’ll be joined by Nick Mazzarella on alto saxophone.

This event was made possible with support from the Italian Cultural Institute.

Concert: Alternating Currents Live presents Cancel Rescue Mission [The Bridge #2.6] | hybrid, November 5, 2023

Featuring Corey Wilkes—trumpet, electronics Quentin Biardeau—tenor sax, synths Justin Dillard—keys, vocals Etienne Ziemniak—drums

Reading: Imani Elizabeth Jackson and Claire Crews | hybrid, November 18, 2023

Reading featuring Imani Elizabeth Jackson, author of Flag, forthcoming from Futurepoem, for which she received the press's 2020 Other Futures Award, and writer and textiles artist, Claire Crews. This program is part of Unwriting Borders, an ongoing series sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Poetry Reading: Quan Barry | hybrid, October 26, 2023

A poetry reading with Quan Barry in celebration of her latest collection, Auction (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2023). This event is co-sponsored by Boswell Book Company.

Concert: Formations Series for New & Improvised Music | hybrid, October 19, 2023

Set 1—Tim Kaiser

Set 2—Cool Beauty featuring Pedro Gutierrez (keyboards), John Larkin (bass), Didier LePlae (guitar), and Joe Kirschling (Samples and Trap Kit)

Reading: Lisa Fishman and Richard Meier | hybrid, November 10, 2023

Lisa Fishman, author of World Naked Bike Ride (Gaspereau Press, 2022), and Richard Meier, author of A Duration (Wave Books, 2023).

Concert: Alternating Currents Live presents Katie Ernst | hybrid, October 8, 2023
Concert: Formations Series for New & Improvised Music | hybrid, September 21, 2023

Set 1—Cathedral Becomes Tomb (Barry Paul Clark)

Set 2—Gina Laurenzi Dance Project & Allen Russell

Poetry Reading: Kati Katchever and Liat Mayer | hybrid, September 8, 2023
Poetry Reading: The Matrix Group Reading | hybrid, July 13, 2023

Poetry Reading featuring Nicole Callihan, Brenda Cárdenas, Jane Creighton, Laura Cronk, Iris Jamahl Dunkle, Janet Jennerjohn, K.P. Kaszubowski, Michele Kotler, Amy Lemmon, Robin Reagler, and Anna V. Q. Ross.

Reading: Barbara Wuest & James Lewelling | hybrid, August 3, 2023

Reading featuring Barbara Wuest, author of Rhythms All Aquiver (Aldrich Press, 2020), and James Lewelling, author of Little Rooms (Deep Sett Press, 2014).

Panel Discussion: RACR Conversations with MKE Creatives | hybrid, May 20, 2023

Genre: Urban Arts’ Revolutionary Art and Culture Residency presents Conversations with MKE Creatives featuring CK Ledesma, Symphony Swan, and Radaya Ellis, and moderated by Amanda Rubi Luciano

Milwaukee-based BIPOC and BIPOC LGBTQ+ creatives came together to discuss the intersections of race and creativity found through their personal journeys and observations while being a part of the cultural industry.

Presented with support from the Wisconsin Humanities Council and Critical Minded.

Poetry Reading: Syd Staiti & Camille Roy | hybrid, May 27, 2023

Poetry Reading featuring Syd Staiti, author of Seldom Approaches (The Elephants, 2023), and Camille Roy, author of Honey Mine (Nightboat, 2021)

Poetry Reading: Crisosto Apache & Kinsale Drake | hybrid, May 18, 2023

Presented in partnership with Indigenous Nations Poets

This program is presented as part of Native Writers in the 21st Century, made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Now in its sixteenth season, this ongoing reading, workshop, and lecture series focuses on presenting Indigenous writers of significant stature or promise at every stage of their careers.

Poetry Reading: Brenda Cárdenas & Béatrice Szymkowiak | hybrid, May 6, 2023

Poetry Reading celebrating new collections from Brenda Cárdenas, author of Trace (Red Hen Press, 2023), and Béatrice Szymkowiak, author of B/RDS (University of Utah Press, 2023).

Reading & Conversation: Eileen Myles & Nate Lippens | hybrid, April 22, 2023

Reading and conversation in celebration of Eileen Myles’ latest collection, a “Working Life” (Grove Press, 2023). Presented as part of The First Function of Poetry, a series of readings, conversations, and workshops focused on the intersection between poetry and social justice, which is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Panel Discussion celebrating Latinx Poetics: Essays on the Art of Poetry | hybrid, December 10, 2022

Panel Discussion celebrating the publication of Latinx Poetics: Essays on the Art of Poetry (University of New Mexico Press, 2022) featuring anthology editor, Ruben Quesada, and contributors, Brenda Cárdenas, Daniel Borzutzky, and Laurie Ann Guerrero. This program is part of Unwriting Borders, an ongoing series sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Poetry Reading: Carlos Cumpián & Angie Trudell Vasquez | hybrid, November 5, 2022
Concert: Alternating Currents Live presents Jaap Blonk & Damon Smith Duo | hybrid, October 23, 2022

Set 1: Damon Smith performs Ben Patterson’s Variations for Double Bass 1961, and Jaap Blonk performs Kurt Schwitters’ UrsonateSet 2: Blonk and Smith’s duo version of Hugo Ball’s Six Sound Poems, 1916. This event was held in conjunction with Then as Now: Woodland Pattern 1980–2022

29th Annual Woodland Pattern Poetry Marathon & Benefit | Saturday & Sunday, January 28 & 29, 2023

The 29th Annual Poetry Marathon is presented by: Wisconsin's Own Library—A unique collection of Wisconsin authors and illustrators owned by the General Federation of Women's Clubs-Wisconsin, with funding provided by the Gwendolyn M. Schultz Charitable Fund, DeWitt LLC, and Allison Coleman. With support from Juneau Park Friends, Next Act Theatre, and Karl Gartung & Anne Kingsbury

Saturday, January 28th

10 am-10:45 am: YOUTH & CHILDREN HOUR —with students and teachers from Woodland Pattern's Poetry Camp, Riverwest Elementary, Hopkins Lloyd Community School, Cass Street School, and Goldin Youth & Family Center. Sponsored by Mary Gute Witte & Ned Witte, and Diane Bezella.

10:45 am-12 pm: COMMUNITY—Jean Marie Riquelme, Shauna Singh Baldwin, Sue Blaustein, Elizabeth Hoover, Martha Kaplan, Scott Lowery, Kelly Hoffer, Barbara Wuest, Peter Goldberg, Deborah Meadows, Margie Bruce, Bre Legan, Phyllis Wax, Stephanie Snyder, Marjorie Pagel, & Benjamin Binversie. Sponsored by the Shorewood Women's Club.

12 pm -1 pm: WEDNESDAY WRITERS—Janine Arseneau, Diane Bezella, Vince Bushell, Judit Schugurensky Gomez, Karen Haley, Barbara Leigh, Suzanne Rosenblatt, Darlene Rzezotarski, Carol Lee Saffioti-Hughes, María Elena Scott, & Virginia Small. Sponsored by Riverwest Currents. 

1 pm-2 pm: WISCONSIN FELLOWSHIP OF POETS (CURATED BY ED WERSTEIN)—DeWitt Clinton, Anneliese Finke, Susan Firer, Ronnie Hess, Maryann Hurtt, CK Kubasta, Sandy Lindow, Ed Werstein, & Kathrine Yets. Plus 2022 Poetry in the Park performances by Nikki Wallschlaeger and Milwaukee Poet Laureate Mario Willis. Sponsored by Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets.

2 pm-3 pm: WISCONSIN POET LAUREATE COMMISSION (CURATED BY ANGELA TRUDELL VASQUEZ)—Esteban Colon, Dasha Kelly Hamilton, Max Garland, Nicholas Gulig, Freesia McKee, Rita Mae Reese, Margaret Rozga, Marilyn Taylor, Angela Trudell Vasquez, Jodi Vander Molen, & Lisa Vihos. Plus: Episode 17 ("Stir Fried") Premiere of Milwaukee Kitchen. Sponsored by Margaret Rozga.

3 pm-4 pm: LATINX POETS FEATURE (CURATED BY BRENDA CÁRDENAS & ROBERTO HARRISON)—Brenda Cárdenas, Anthony Cody, Shyanne Figueroa Bennett, Suzi Garcia, Mauricio Kilwein Guevara, Jose-Luis Moctezuma, Emily Pérez, Rafael Pérez y Pérez, & Elias Sepulveda. Plus: Excerpt of Carlos Cumpián reading from Human Cicada (November 5, 2022) and short film SMASH Dance Marathon by Takahiro Suzuki. Sponsored by Ortiz Brothers Barbers.

—INTERMISSION (4-4:30 pm)—

4:30 pm-5:15 pm: INDIGENOUS NATIONS POETS (CURATED BY KIM BLAESER)—Kimberly Blaeser, Tacey M. Atsitty, Aja Couchois Duncan, Max Early, Anthony Ceballos, Jennifer Foerster, Halee Kirkwood, & Annie Wenstrup. Sponsored by Scott Gelzer & Sherry Goldsmith + Outpost Natural Foods.

5:15 pm-6 pm: COMMUNITY—Deborah Heim & Ross Hightower, Chuck Stebelton, Janet Jennerjohn, Irene Cooper, Bryon Cherry, Mike Hauser, Alison Friske, Jay Besemer, Ish Klein, & Steve Timm. Sponsored by Bliffert Lumber & Hardware.

6 pm-7 pm: COMMUNITY—Paul Druecke, Krystal Languell, Daniel Townsend, Angela Voras-Hills, Richard Meier, Lauren Russell, Rick Ollman, Jacqueline Lalley, Karl Gartung, & Hal Rammel + Linda Binder. Plus: Jaap Blonk performing the first movement of Kurt Schwitters' famous sound poem "Die Ursonate" and short film Mountainsides by Zebulon Zang. Sponsored by Peter Goldberg.

7-10 PM FEATURED SMALL PRESSES 

7 pm-7:30 pm: CITY POINT PRESS (CURATED BY DAVID WILK)—Barbara Henning. Dale Herd, E. Ethelbert Miller, Maureen Owen, David Wilk. Sponsored by City Point Press.

7:30 pm-8 pm: CITY LIGHTS PUBLISHERS (CURATED BY GARRETT CAPLES)—Will Alexander, Micah Ballard, Clark Coolidge, Evan Kennedy, & Mimi Tempestt. Sponsored by City Lights.

8 pm-8:25 pm: NION EDITIONS (CURATED BY CLAIRE MARIE STANCEK)—Roberto Harrison, Matthew Rana, Ed Roberson, Alli Warren, & Mia You. Plus: Roserade by Véro Marengère. Sponsored by Greg Flegel & Rich Greene.

8:25 pm-8:35 pm: BLACK OCEAN (CURATED BY CARRIE OLIVIA ADAMS) —Carrie Olivia Adams, Hussain Ahmed, Sadie Dupuis, & Brian Foley. Sponsored by Greg Flegel & Rich Greene.

8:35 pm-9:00 pm: PATHETIC LITERATURE (CURATED BY EILEEN MYLES) —Rae Armantrout, Ama Birch, Tom Cole, Eileen Myles, & Sparrow. Sponsored by Greg Flegel & Rich Greene.

9 pm-9:30 pm—RESCUE PRESS (CURATED BY CARYL PAGEL)—Daniel Khalastchi, Caryl Pagel, Marc Rahe, Adrienne Raphel, & Philip Sorenson. Plus: short film Roserade by Véro Marengère. Sponsored by Paula Kiely.

9:30 pm-10 pm—NOEMI PRESS (CURATED BY ANTHONY CODY & SUZI GARCIA)—Catherine Chen, Sarah Gzemski, Megan Kaminski, Angela Peñaredondo, & Sandra Simonds. Plus: short film Language Unknown by Janelle VanderKelen. Sponsored by Paula Kiely.

 Sunday, January 29th

10 am-10:45 am: WRITE ON, DOOR COUNTY (CURATED BY JEROD SANTEK & NANCY RAFAL)—Albert DeGenova, Edward John DiMaio, Ann Heyse, Ralph Murre, Mike Orlock, Carrie Sherrill, Peter Sherrill, & Karen Wilson. Sponsored by Door County Poets Collective.

10:45 am-11 am: POETS FROM ST JOHN'S ON THE LAKE—Sandy Duffy, Kent Mayfield, & Nick Pabst. 

11:00 am-12 pm: RACINE/KENOSHA POETS (CURATED BY STEPHEN KALMAR)—Joseph Engel, Debra Hall, Stephen Kalmar II, Jessie Lynn McMains, Nick Ramsey, Nicholas Ravnikar, Carol Lee Saffioti-Hughes, Jean Preston, & Rachel Wiedower. Plus: short film Performing Grace by Portia Cobb. Sponsored by Ed & Brooke Krishok. 

12 pm -1 pm: VETERANS FOR PEACE (CURATED BY BOB HANSON)—Doug Armstrong, Penny Lee Deere, Richard Epstein, James Hackbarth, Bob Hanson, Roger Quindel, Paul Moriarity, Larry Reed, & Harvey Taylor. Plus: short film Mirror Test by Duncan Marquiss. Sponsored by Janine Arseneau.

1 pm-1:30 pm: UNTOLD STORIES (CURATED BY AUSTIN REECE)—Peter "Pita" Daniels, Melissa Davis, Christina Deimel, Deborah Estrada-Carson, Austin Reece, & Ed Block. Sponsored by Centro Cafe.

1:30 pm-2 pm: COMMUNITY—Paul McComas, Ben Turk, Greg Flegel, Brad Fiore + Sarah Boots, Tiffany Rommelfanger-Taylor, Eva Hagenhofer, & Matthew Jorgenson. Sponsored by Centro Cafe.

2 pm-3 pm: COMMUNITY—Louisa Loveridge Gallas, Evan Craig Reardon, Leila Bilick, Jeanie Marie Dean, Sally Kuzma, Scott Stark, Seth Copeland, Brad Vogler, Josie Hymes, Catherine Young, Jean Tobin, Jessica Drake Thomas, Dan Knauss, & Marie Mellott. Sponsored by Karen Campbell & Kevin Ronnie.

3 pm-4 pm: UWM QUEST PROJECT (CURATED BY DANA KALETA) in partnership with Life Center MKE, America Works of Wisconsin, UWM TRIO & Pre-College Programs, and UWM Writing Project Youth Programs—Dana Kaleta, April L. Holland, Earl Thompson, Kathrine Yets, Trynit Cardine, Yakira Robinson, Jenny Hussa, Michelle Streed, & Candance Doerr-Stevens. Plus: What's Best by Lydia Moyer. Sponsored by Dana Kaleta.

—INTERMISSION (4-4:30 pm)—

4:30 pm-5 pm: COMMUNITY—Peter Burzyński, Liat Mayer, Katie Bedolla, Franklin KR Cline, & Ed Makowski. Sponsored by Riverwest Realty.

5:00 pm-6 pm: PALM READINGS (CURATED BY ANTONIO VARGAS-NIETO)—Matthew Czarnecki, Diya Gitanjali Mark, Annie Grizzle, Karina Hinojosa Zavala, Robbie Jewell, Anika Kowalik, Francesca Kritikos, Rudi Medina, Melissa Mursch-Rodriguez, Antonio Vargas-Nieto, Sarah Yanni, & Carl Bogner. Sponsored by Odd Duck.

6-6:30 pm: #ALEETLEMOMENT (CURATED BY AE HEE LEE)—Joan Kwon Glass, Ae Hee Lee, Chloe Martinez, Joshua Nguyen, & Margaret Ray. Plus: My Mulholland by Jessica McGoff. Sponsored by Cactus Club.

6:30-10 PM FEATURED SMALL PRESSES (MILWAUKEE)

6:30 pm-7 pm: PITYMILK PRESS (CURATED BY CHELSEA TADEYESKE & EDIE ROBERTS)—Rebecca Felix, KP Kaszubowski, edie roberts, & Chelsea Tadeyeske. Plus: Leave Your Body by Natasha Cantwell. Sponsored by Milwaukee Film. 

7 pm-8 pm: MOODY THE ZINE (CURATED BY MELISSA MURSCH-RODRIGUEZ)—Zhawa East, Ophelia Hix, Sindie Ho, Nick Naudi, Marr Reyes, Paola Segura, Artemis Sidikman, Kiara Xolo, & Araceli Zuniga. Plus: Tribute to George Perry Floyd, Jr. (Nine Minutes and Twenty-Nine Seconds) by Douglas Ewart. Sponsored by Reuter & Associates.

8 pm-9 pm: GENRE: URBAN ARTS (CURATED BY NAKEYSHA ROBERTS WASHINGTON)—Mikey Apollo, Portia Cobb, Edith Gonzalez, Gia Grillo, Fatima Laster, Amanda Luciano, Samihah Pargas, Nakeysha Roberts Washington, Fariba Safai, Umar Siddiqui, & Johnson Soldout. Sponsored by Genre: Urban Arts.

9-10 pm: VEGETARIAN ALCOHOLIC PRESS (CURATED BY FREDDY LAFORCE)—John Colburn, Janelle Cordero, Jeremy Delgado, Łukasz Drobnik, Marream Krollos, Georgia Lundeen, Jenn Marie Nunes, Lindsey Frances Pellino, Raegen Pietrucha, & Anthony Rodriguez. Plus: short films What's Best by Lydia Moyer and So That Humanity Can Survive by Teja Miholič. Sponsored by Vegetarian Alcoholic Press.

Poetry Reading: Poetry in the Park with Terimarie Degree, Janet Jennerjohn, Rick Ollman, and Elias Sepulveda | in person, September 13, 2022

Poetry in the Park takes place in Juneau Park on the second Tuesday of June, July, August, and September. This season’s events are made possible with support from Juneau Park Friends, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Village Church.

Poetry Reading: Poetry in the Park with Sass Denny, Paul Druecke, Ed Roberson, & Nikki Wallschlaeger | in person, August 9, 2022

Poetry in the Park takes place in Juneau Park on the second Tuesday of June, July, August, and September. This season’s events are made possible with support from Juneau Park Friends, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Village Church.

Poetry Reading: Poetry in the Park with Zack Pieper, Lane Hall, Portia Cobb, and Duriel E. Harris | in person, July 12, 2022

Poetry in the Park takes place in Juneau Park on the second Tuesday of June, July, August, and September. This season’s events are made possible with support from Juneau Park Friends, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Village Church.

Poetry Reading: Poetry in the Park with Abraham Smith and Mario “The Poet” Willis | in person, June 14, 2022

Poetry in the Park takes place in Juneau Park on the second Tuesday of June, July, August, and September. This season’s events are made possible with support from Juneau Park Friends, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Village Church.

Reading & Conversation: Rescue Press | hybrid, May 19, 2022

An Evening with Rescue Press featuring readings and a conversation with Caryl Pagel, Daniel Khalastchi, Sevy Perez, Zach Savich, Hilary Plum, and Alyssa Perry. The program begins with brief readings from each of the participants, followed by a conversation focused on various aspects of publication. 

Poetry Reading: Saddiq Dzukogi, thabile makue, Cheswayo Mphanza, & Romeo Oriogun | online, April 14, 2022 

Presented in partnership with the African Poetry Book Fund and hosted by APBF founder Kwame Dawes.

A Jewish Literary Sabbath: A Mini-Symposium | Reading: Adeena Karasick, Ariel Resnikoff, Marina Temkina, and Matvei Yankelevich | hybrid, Saturday, March 26, 2022

Jewish writers convened in Milwaukee for a weekend of conversation and readings held at The Bindery. Moderated and curated by Lewis Freedman, two unique panel conversations on aspects of Jewish writing took place during the day on Saturday and were bookended by readings on Friday and Saturday evenings.

A Jewish Literary Sabbath: A Mini-Symposium | Panel: The Poetry & Poetics Of Jewish Soviet Émigrés | hybrid, Saturday, March 26, 2022

Panel: The Poetry & Poetics Of Jewish Soviet Émigrés Four Jewish poets, each of whom emigrated to the US from the former Soviet Union, will discuss how this experience shapes and has shaped their relations to writing and language—with Matvei Yankelevich, Eugene Ostashevsky, Natalie Lyalin, and Marina Temkina. Moderated and curated by Lewis Freedman.

A Jewish Literary Sabbath: A Mini-Symposium | Panel: Writing With/In Jewish Texts | hybrid, Saturday, March 26, 2022

Four poets who have written in interaction with Jewish texts will discuss how and why a Jewish textual and interpretive tradition appears in their writing at the levels of content, method, and theory—with Lisa Fishman, Adeena Karasick, Ariel Resnikoff, and Robert Yerachmiel Sniderman. Moderated and curated by Lewis Freedman.

A Jewish Literary Sabbath: A Mini-Symposium | Reading: Lisa Fishman, Natalie Lyalin, Eugene Ostashevsky, Robert Yerachmiel Sniderman | hybrid, Friday, March 25, 2022

Jewish writers convened in Milwaukee for a weekend of conversation and readings held at The Bindery. Originally planned for September 2020, this mini-symposium is long anticipated. Moderated and curated by Lewis Freedman, two unique panel conversations on aspects of Jewish writing took place during the day on Saturday and were bookended by readings on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Poetry Reading: Karl Gartung and Peter Burzyński | hybrid, March, 16 2022

Reading in celebration of Peter Burzyński's A Year Alone inside of Woodland Pattern (Adjunct Press, 2022).

Poetry Reading: “The future lives in our bodies”: Poetry & Disability Justice | online, March 13, 2022

“The future lives in our bodies”: Poetry & Disability Justice, a virtual reading and discussion, will feature Meg DayCyrée Jarelle JohnsonLeah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and Travis Chi Wing Lau, who will also host and moderate. 

Lambda Literary and Woodland Pattern Book Center are partnering to host this pre-recorded poetry reading and conversation as part of the Poetry Coalition’s shared programming around a theme of social importance. The readings will be followed by a discussion among presenting artists on the topic of Poetry & Disability Justice. The broadcast features ASL interpretation and captioning.

The title “The future lives in our bodies” is taken from the poem “Femme Futures” by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

28th Annual Woodland Pattern Poetry Marathon | Saturday & Sunday, January 29 & 30, 2022

The 28th Annual Poetry Marathon is presented by: DEWITT LLP with Matthew Hills & Angela Voras-Hills, JUNEAU PARK FRIENDS, Wisconsin’s Own Library, a unique collection of Wisconsin authors and illustrators owned by THE GENERAL FEDERATION OF WOMEN’S CLUBS—WISCONSIN, with funding provided by the Gwendolyn M. Schultz Charitable Trust. With support from Janine Arseneau, Anne Kingsbury & Karl Gartung, Mary Gute Witte & Ned Witte, Reilly, Penner & Benton, and Saint John’s on the Lake.

Saturday, January 29

10 am-11 am: YOUTH HOUR —with students and teachers (Virnette Adams, Brooklyn Dixon, Destinny Fletcher, Molly Hassler, Peter Whalen, Mary Gute Witte) from Woodland Pattern's Poetry Camp, Riverwest Elementary, Hopkins Lloyd Community School, Carmen Northwest, & Milwaukee High School of the Arts. Sponsored by Mary Gute Witte & Ned Witte, and Diane Bezella.

11 am-12 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR—Bob Druker & Steve Dawson, Jeanmarie Riquelme, Debra Gillispie, Ed Makowski, Rick Ollman, Jennifer Morales, Ellen Bravo, Sally Kuzma, Margie Tayone Bruce, Peter Blewett, Jenny Benjamin, Angela Sorby, & Barbara Wuest. Sponsored by Louisa Loveridge Gallas.

12 pm -1 pm: SAINT JOHN'S ON THE LAKE (CURATED BY SANDY DUFFY)—Virginia Chappell, Sandy Duffy, Nick Pabst, Pat Busalacchi, Joan McCracken, Kent Mayfield, & Bernice Popelka + MUSIC by Linda Binder, Ian Cullen, & Clay Schaub. Sponsored by Saint John's on the Lake. 

1 pm-2 pm: WEDNESDAY WRITERS—María Elena Scott, Lynn Cohen, Suzanne Rosenblatt, Janine Arseneau, Barbara Leigh, Judit Schugurensky Gomez, Raquel Garcia Lauritzen, Karen Haley, Virginia Small, Diane Bezella, Vince Bushell, & Darlene Wesenberg Rzezotarski. Sponsored by Riverwest Currents.

2 pm-3 pm: WISCONSIN FELLOWSHIP OF POETS (CURATED BY ED WERSTEIN)—Ron Czerwien, Sylvia Cavanaugh, Lisa Vihos, Cathryn Cofell, Mark Zimmerman, Ronnie Hess, Maryann Hurtt, Christina Kubasta, Katy Phillips, & Ed Werstein + MUSIC by The Transatlantic Bridge. Sponsored by Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets.

3 pm-4 pm: WISCONSIN POET LAUREATE COMMISSION (CURATED BY ANGELA TRUDELL VASQUEZ)—Vida Cross, Nathan J. Reid, Portia Cobb, Marilyn Taylor, Margaret Rozga, Dasha Kelly Hamilton, Jodi Vander Molen, Esteban Colon, & Angela Trudell Vasquez + MILWAUKEE KITCHEN "Dream Team" by Paul Druecke. Sponsored by Reuter & Associates.

—INTERMISSION (4-4:30 pm)—

4:30 pm-5:15 pm: UWM CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM (CURATED BY MAURICIO KILWEIN GUEVARA)—Danielle Harms, Canese Jarboe, John Thurgood, Kathryne Gargano, Nora Boxer, Elizabeth Hoover, Philip Parrish, & Angela Voras-Hills. Sponsored by UWM Creative Writing.

5:15 pm-6 pm: LATINX FEATURE (CURATED BY BRENDA CÁRDENAS & ROBERTO HARRISON)—Brenda Cárdenas, Roberto Harrison, Francisco Aragón, Mauricio Kilwein Guevara, Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Urayoán Noel, Óscar Moisés Díaz, Shyanne Bennett Figueroa, Elias Sepulveda, & Darrel Alejandro Holnes. Sponsored by Vince Bushell.

6 pm-6:30 pm: IN-NA-PO (INDIGENOUS NATIONS POETS, CURATED BY KIMBERLY BLAESER)—Jennifer Foerster, Laura Tohe, Gordon Henry Jr, Margaret Noodin, & Kimberly Blaeser + FILM: Aerosol Parasol Jump by Carolyn Lambert. Sponsored by Scott Gelzer & Sherry Goldsmith.

6:30 pm-7 pm: #ALEETLEMOMENT (CURATED BY AE HEE LEE)—Ae Hee Lee, Kelli Russell Agodon, Derrick Austin, Akosua Zimba Afiriyie-Hwedie, & Rachel Mennies + archival clip of Dunya Mikhail reading "My Poem Will Not Save You." Sponsored by Outpost Natural Foods.

7 pm-8 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR—CJ Scruton, Janet Jennerjohn, Stacy Blint, Susan Firer, Paul Druecke, Lauren Russell, Anja Notanja Sieger & John Sieger, Mike Hauser, Chuck Stebelton, Stacy Szymaszek, Kimberly Alidio, Ish Klein, Anna Gurton-Wachter, & Dara Wier + MILWAUKEE KITCHEN "Crowded Soup" by Paul Druecke. Sponsored by Karen Campbell & Kevin Ronnie.

8-10 PM FEATURED SMALL PRESSES 

8 pm-8:30 pm: MEEKLING PRESS (CURATED BY ANNE YODER)—Chad Morgan, Jay Besemer, Natasha Mijares, Brad Vogler, & Mairead Case + FILM: A Valley Without Trees by Janelle Vanderkelen. Sponsored by Paula Kiely.

8:30 pm-9 pm: JUBILAT (CURATED BY CARYL PAGEL & EMILY PETTIT)—Carolina Ebeid, Vanessa Jimenez Gabb, Andrea Rexilius, Michelle Taransky, Lynn Xu + FILM: thank you, thank you, thank you by Chester Vincent Toye. Sponsored by Paula Kiely.

9 pm-9:30 pm: FONOGRAF EDITIONS (CURATED BY JEFF ALESSANDRELLI)—Mark Leidner, Charles Valle, Emily Kendal Frey, Brandi Katherine Herrera, & Krystal Languell + FILM: Inheritance: the space between breaths, Recitation #13  by Lois Bielefeld (featuring "Poem Written after September 11, 2001" by Juliana Spahr). Sponsored by Portrait Society Gallery.

9:30 pm-10 pm—THE CANARY (CURATED BY JOSH EDWARDS)—Brandon Shimoda, Sandra Simonds, Dot Devota, Roberto Tejada, & Imani Elizabeth Jackson + FILM: Life, Like Water, Flows to Greater Bodies by Takahiro Suzuki. Sponsored by Portrait Society Gallery.

Sunday, January 30th

10 am-11 am: READSHOP (READING THE MIDNIGHT BY SUSAN HOWE)—Karl Gartung, Tinker Greene, Maureen Magee, Tonen O’Conner, Jenny Penberthy, Chuck Stebelton, & Michael Wendt. Sponsored by Ed & Brooke Krishok.

11 am-12 pm: RACINE/KENOSHA POETS (CURATED BY STEPHEN KALMAR)—Carol Lee Saffioti-Hughes, Rachel Elizabeth Wiedower, Joe Engel, Debra Hall, Jean Preston, Nick Ramsey, Alex Reilly, & Stephen Kalmar II + MUSIC by Kari Lueneberg & Paul McComas w/ Fake Blind Date. Sponsored by WE Energies Foundation.

12 pm -1 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR—Kathie Giorgio, Elisabeth Harrahy, Cristina Norcross, Carrie Schonhoff, Gaetano Marangelli, Greg Flegel, Amanda Luciano, Anne Koller, AK Cola, Kathrine Yets, Arika Kaosa, Jessica Harvey, Stephen Anderson, Julie Kramer, Zoe Ranson, & Shira Dentz. Sponsored by AllWriters' Workplace and Workshop.

1 pm-2 pm: UNTOLD STORIES (CURATED BY AUSTIN REECE)—Donna Jenson, Laurel Blackstone, Jean Suarez Del Real, Deborah Estrada-Carson, Sooz Jeson, Hannah Lenzo, Liz Luckett, Paula Vestin, Ashley Nicole Williams & Pita + MILWAUKEE KITCHEN "Free Lunch" by Paul Druecke & MUSIC by The Transatlantic Bridge. Sponsored by Lotus Legal Clinic.

2 pm-3 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR—Deborah Meadows, Paula Goldman, Shauna Singh Baldwin, John Walsh, Marjorie Pagel, Gabriel Gudding, Dana Alexander Kaleta, Heather McShane, Tinker Greene, Peter Goldberg, Jean Tobin, & Mike Michaels. Sponsored by Peter Goldberg.

3 pm-4 pm: WRITE ON! DOOR COUNTY (CURATED BY JEROD SANTEK & NANCY RAFAL)—Lauren Ward, Nancy Rafal, Estella Lauter, Thomas Davis, Karen Wilson, Annette Langlois Grunseth, Mike Orlock, Amy Phimister, Alessandra Rolffs, & Ethel Mortenson Davis + MUSIC by The Transatlantic Bridge Sponsored by Door County Poets Collective.

—INTERMISSION (4-4:30 pm)—

4:30 pm-5 pm: DRY HOOTCH WARRIOR POETS (CURATED BY BOB HANSON)—Bob Hanson, Douglas Armstrong, Jim Conway, James Hackbarth, & Roger Quindell + POETRY FILM: Swerve by Paolo Javier & Lynn Sachs. Sponsored by Louisa Loveridge Gallas.

5-7 PM FEATURED SMALL PRESSES (MILWAUKEE)

5:00 pm-5:15 pm: MOODY THE ZINE (CURATED BY MELISSA MURSCH-RODRIGUEZ)—Z Moralez, Antonio Vargas-Nieto, Nick Naudi, & Sea Jay John + FILM: Solastalgic Soliloquy by Ayla Dmyterko. Sponsored by Colectivo Coffee.

5:15 pm-6 pm: GENRE: URBAN ARTS (CURATED BY NAKEYSHA ROBERTS WASHINGTON)—Fatima Laster, Aysheh Manaei, Lyn Patterson, Shaunteri Skinner, Justin Johnson, Gwendalynn Roebke, Samihah Pargas, & Nakeysha Roberts Washington + FILM: Clouds Clouds [...] We Knew Nothing by Annemarie Cilon. Sponsored by Colectivo Coffee.

6 pm-6:30 pm: PITYMILK PRESS (CURATED BY CHELSEA TADEYESKE & EDIE ROBERTS)—JC Holburn, Kamal Kimball, Jessie Knoles, Elyse Johnson, & edie roberts + FILM: Wear & Tear by Jason Robinson. Sponsored by Mobile Car Care.

6:30 pm-7 pm: VEGETARIAN ALCOHOLIC PRESS (CURATED BY FREDDY LAFORCE)—Tiffany Babb, Samantha Fain, Jane-Rebecca Cannarella, & Adedayo Agaru + FILM: Voyage Pathologique by Lisa Marie Schmitt. Sponsored by Mobile Car Care.

7 pm-8 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR (CURATED BY MIKEY SWANBERG)—Lila Quinn, Ciona Rouse, Clayton Spencer, Ashley Keyser, Danni Quintos, Meg Wade, Robin Rahija, Franklin K. R. Cline, Michael Swanberg, & Mikey Swanberg + MUSIC by The Transatlantic Bridge. Sponsored by Mikey Swanberg.

8 pm-8:15 pm: MILWAUKEE KITCHEN EPISODE 15 PREMIERE: "HEAT"—featuring Flora Coker, Kerensa DeMars, Marcie Hoffman, Ariana Vaeth, Howard Leu, & Chelsea Wait and produced by Paul Druecke. Sponsored by City Point Press.

8:15-9 pm: COMMUNITY HOUR—Sue Blaustein, Peter Burzynski, Steve Timm, Zach Pieper, David Wilk, Bryon Cherry, Karl Gartung, Jackie Lalley, & Anne Kingsbury + MUSIC by Kati Katchever. Sponsored by City Point Press.

Poetry Reading: Kelsey Marie Harris, Mikey Swanberg, travis tate, & Gina Tron | hybrid, November 18, 2021

A reading in celebration of Milwaukee-based Vegetarian Alcoholic Press, featuring Kelsey Marie HarrisMikey Swanbergtravis tate, and Gina Tron, and organized by publisher and poet Freddy La Force. This is the first event of Small Press Appreciation, an ongoing series celebrating small-press culture and the groundbreaking role independent publishers play in making space for new writers and literatures.

Poetry Reading: Aja Couchois Duncan, Roberto Harrison, & Paolo Javier | hybrid, November 13, 2021

Poetry Reading with Aja Couchois Duncan, author of Vestigial (Litmus Press, 2021), Roberto Harrison, author of Tropical Lung: EXI(S)T(S) (Omnidawn Press, 2021), and Paolo Javier, author of O.B.B. (Nightboat Books, 2021).

Poetry Reading: Lewis Freedman, Gabriel Kruis, & Jennifer Nelson | hybrid, November 3, 2021

Poetry Reading with Lewis Freedman, author of I Want Something Other Than Time (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2021), Gabriel Kruis, co-founder of Wendy’s Subway and the author of Acid Virga (Archway Editions, 2020), and Jennifer Nelson, author of Harm Eden (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2021).

Conversation: Lois Bielefeld’s To commit to memory | hybrid, October 16, 2021

In celebration of Lois Bielefeld’s To commit to memory, we welcomed Lois Bielefeld in conversation with Shannon Brennan, Assistant Professor of English and Women’s and Gender Studies at Carthage College, and Debra Brehmer, Gallery Director at Portrait Society Gallery.

Conversation: Martha Bergland & Chuck Stebelton | hybrid, September 22, 2021

Martha Bergland, in conversation with Wisconsin Master Naturalist volunteer Chuck Stebelton, discussing her new book, The Birdman of Koshkonong: The Life of Naturalist Thure Kumlien. Presented with Milwaukee Audubon Society.

Poetry Reading: Juan Felipe Herrera, Dasha Kelly Hamilton, and Margaret Rozga | online, July 24, 2021

A poetry reading featuring outgoing Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Margaret Rozga, and incoming state Laureate, Dasha Kelly Hamilton, with Juan Felipe Herrera, who served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2015-2016. With introductions by Brenda Cárdenas, Nick Demske, and Angela Trudell Vasquez.

Presented with the Saint John’s on the Lake, Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission, and Bonk!, and made possible with generous support from Wisconsin’s Own Library, a unique collection of Wisconsin authors and illustrators owned by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs – Wisconsin, and with funding provided by the Gwendolyn M. Schultz Charitable Trust.

Book Launch and Pride CelebrationWe Will Always Be Here: A Guide to Exploring and Understanding the History of LGBTQ Activism in Wisconsin | online, June 24, 2021

Woodland Pattern Book Center, Milwaukee Pride, and WHS Press welcomed authors Jenny Kalvaitis and Kristen Whitson for the launch of their new book, We Will Always Be Here. Jenny and Kristen were joined at this special Pride Month event by teen panelists for a wide-ranging discussion of Wisconsin's rich history of LGBTQ+ activism.

Conversation: Anne Waldman: Celebrating A Visionary Outrider Life & Poetics—Interviewed by CAConrad | online, June 4, 2021

We were so pleased to virtually welcome our friends Anne Waldman and CAConrad for a conversation around poetic practice, activism, and spiritual existence. CA interviewed Anne with questions offered from other poets and artists influenced by her life and work, including Hoa Nguyen, Raquel Salas Rivera, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Thurston Moore, Callie Gardner, and LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs.

Poetry Reading: Dunya Mikhail & Mai Der Vang | online, May 20, 2021
Conversation: Dunya Mikhail & Mai Der Vang | online, May 19, 2021
Reading: Wednesday Writers | online, April 17, 2021

Featuring readings by Lolly Rzezotarski, Raquel Lauritzen, Barbara Leigh, Maria Elena Scott, Janine Arseneau, Virginia Small, Susan Winecki, Suzanne Rosenblatt, and Karen Haley.

Poetry Reading: Bryon Cherry, Sam Pekarske, and Matthew James Gutierrez | online, April 15, 2021

Introduced by Dasha Kelly Hamilton. Presented with St. John's on the Lake in celebration of National Poetry Month.

Poetry Reading: Through This Door: Wisconsin in Poems | online, March 25, 2021

Hosted by editors Margaret Rozga and Angela Trudell Vasquez, and featuring readings from Vida Cross, Reggie Finlayson, Ronnie Hess, Dana Maya, Karen Middleton, Nancy Rafal, Tracey Sperko, and Mark Zimmermann.

Poetry Reading: Dr. Craig Santos Perez, Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy, and Brian Teare | online, March 19, 2021

Presented with the Poetry Coalition as part of shared programming around a theme of social importance, and also as part of The First Function of Poetry: A Social Justice Series

Conversation: Dr. Craig Santos Perez, Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy, and Brian Teare | online, March 18, 2021

Presented with the Poetry Coalition as part of shared programming around a theme of social importance, and also as part of The First Function of Poetry: A Social Justice Series

Poetry Reading: Ted Rees, Jasmine Gibson, and D.S. Marriott | online, Feb. 18, 2021

Poetry & Economic Justice: Part of The First Function of Poetry: A Social Justice Series, with events organized and hosted by Stacy Szymaszek. This program is sponsored by the Milwaukee Arts Board and the Wisconsin Arts Board.

Woodland Pattern's 27th Annual Poetry Marathon | online, Jan. 30–31, 2021

Presented by Wisconsin's Own Library, a unique collection of Wisconsin authors and illustrators owned by The General Federation of Women's Clubs—Wisconsin, with funding provided by the Gwendolyn M. Schultz Charitable Trust. This year's Marathon was also made possible by Dewitt LLP, Saint John's on the Lake, and Juneau Park Friends

SATURDAY, Jan. 30th 

10-11 am YOUTH HOUR, sponsored by Mary & Ned Witte, Diane Bezella, Pizza Shuttle, and Shorewood High

Finn Engelbart, Sofia Hansen Cardona, Noa Biener, Zekiah Talton,  Atahlia Lopez-Johnson, Aveon Hudson, Graydin Lohre, Griffin DK, Nikki Janzen, Jocelyn Banks, Persia Wright, Henry Heyden, Alexzandria Harmon, Gerardo Medina Jr., Isabella Glenn, Will DK, & Niles Janzen  

11 am-12 pm COMMUNITY HOUR, sponsored by Louisa Loveridge Gallas

Analysis, Liat Mayer, Dan Knauss, Laniece McGee, Judith Harway, Renee Glembin, Reggie Finlayson, Sharon Daly, Angela Sorby, Peter Whalen, Sue Blaustein, Jenny Benjamin, Anne Koller, Patricia Clark, & Eloisa Gómez

12-1 pm COMMUNITY HOUR, sponsored by Cornell College MFA in Creative Writing

Martha Kaplan, Kathryn Gahl, Ed Makowski, Kathrine Yets, Parker Weaver, Jayne Marek, Jim Landwehr, Barbara Wuest, Courtney Raatz, Peter Blewett, Terimarie Degree, Bailey Flannery, Ted Dargis, & Sarah Rosenblatt  //  from our archives: Morgan Parker—May 9, 2019

1-2 pm WEDNESDAY WRITERS, sponsored by Janine Arseneau 

Suzanne Rosenblatt, Judit Gomez, Barbara Leigh, Maria Elena Scott, Daniel O'Keefe, Janine Arseneau, Darlene Rzezotarski, Virginia Small, & Susan Winecki // from our archives: Silvia Bolognesi & Russ Johnson, for Alternating Currents Live—September 15, 2019

2-3 pm WISCONSIN FELLOWSHIP OF POETS, sponsored by Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets

Lisa Vihos, Ronnie Hess, Scott Lowery, Elisabeth Harrahy, Mark Zimmermann, Sylvia Cavanaugh, Sheryl Slocum, Nathan Reid, Angela Voras-Hills, & Maryann Hurtt  // from our archives: "Bike-U / Haiku," Poems from the Riverwest 24—July 27, 2019

3-4:45 pm POETS FROM SAINT JOHN’S ON THE LAKE, sponsored by Saint John’s on the Lake

Kent Mayfield, Sandy Duffy, Jana Troutman-Miller, Barbara Byer, Nick Pabst, John Schmitt, Virginia Chappell, Alex Molnar, Pat Busalacchi, Bernice Popelka, & Elliot Lipchik 

3:45 pm —INTERMISSION—4:00 pm

4-5 pm A TRIBUTE TO SALLY TOLAN, sponsored by Tom Tolan & family

Readings from the life’s work of the late Milwaukee poet Sally Tolan, 1927-2020, by Tom Tolan, Sandy Tolan, Yam Tolan, Mary Tolan, Kathleen Tolan, Sandra Maier, Paraska Tolan-Szkilnik, & John Tolan // from our archives: Urs Leimgruber & Jim Baker, for Alternating Currents Live—May, 26, 2019

5-6 pm WISCONSIN POETS LAUREATE, sponsored by Riverwest Realty 

Nick Demske, Abayomi Animashaun, Jodi Vander Molen, Vida Cross, BJ Hollars, Ed Werstein, Margaret Rozga, Angela Trudell Vasquez, Esteban Colon, & Dasha Kelly Hamilton // from our archives: Ruth B8r Ginsburg, for the Woodland Pattern gala—November 16, 2019

6-10 pm WOODLAND PATTERN 40TH ANNIVERSARY HOURS, sponsored by LiveWriters, Greg Flegel & Rich Greene, Scott Gelzer & Sherry Goldsmith, Colectivo Coffee, and Anne Kingsbury & Karl Gartung. 

Featuring poetry, film, and music from current and former Woodland Pattern staff, volunteers, curators, board members, and community members from near and far. 

6-7 / Susan Firer, Portia Cobb, Rick Ollman, Janet Jennerjohn, Paul Druecke, Bryon Cherry, Zack Pieper, Freesia McKee, Mike Michaels, Ae Hee Lee, RS Deeren, & Bob Hanson & Karen Ingvoldstad // from our archives: Anthony Deutsch, for Formations Series for New & Improvised music—October 12, 2018 / & ALASH, Tuvan Throat Singers—April 19, 2018 

7-8 / Takahiro Suzuki (Studies in the Folly of Man), Karl Gartung, Jacqueline Lalley, Greg Flegel, Jen Benka, Ching-In Chen, Franklin K.R. Cline, John Koethe, Sam Pekarske, Brenda Cárdenas, & Roberto Harrison

8-9 / Peter Burzynski, Stacy Szymaszek, Chuck Stebelton, Tyrone Williams, Maureen Owen, Elizabeth Robinson, Diane Glancy, & Joe McPhee  // from our archives: PaVda (Hal Rammel & Linda Binder), for Formations Series for New & Improvised Music—March 15, 2018 / & The Transatlantic Bridge #2.1 (Dan Bitney, Rob Frye, JayVe Montgomery, Olivia Scemama, & Simon Sieger), for Alternating Currents Live—May 5, 2019 

9-10 / CAConrad, Joshua Beckman, TC Tolbert, Janelle VanderKelen (Clara), Anselm Berrigan, Nikki Wallschlaeger, David Wilk, Jennifer Scapettone, Duriel E. Harris, Ed Roberson,  Eileen Myles, & Kati Katchever

SUNDAY, Jan. 31st

10-11 am RIVERWEST CURRENTS, sponsored by Riverwest Currents and dedicated to the poet Antler

Vince Bushell, Harvey Taylor & Susie Krause, Thomas Treder, Ellen Warren, Desmond Bone, Mooney James, & Shell Bells

11 am-12 pm UNTOLD STORIES + RACINE/KENOSHA FEATURE, sponsored by Lotus Legal Clinic 

11-11:30 / Laurel Blackstone, R.C. Nicole, Deborah Estrada-Carson, Hannah Lenzo, Pita, Jamie Lovely, & Austin Reece

11:30-12 / Nick Ramsey, Rachel Wiedower, Jean Preston, Joseph Engel, Carol Lee Saffiotti-Hughes, Debra Hall, & Stephen Kalmar II

12-1 pm COMMUNITY HOUR, sponsored by AllWriters' Workplace & Workshop

Robin Lane & Paul McComas, Robb Astor, Lindsay Tigue, Jesse DeLong, Liandra Skenandore, Kathie Giorgio, Garin Cycholl, Karen Haley, Lisa Krawczyk, Tim Kloss, Stephen Anderson, Steve Pump, & Grzegorz Wróblewski

1-2 pm WHOSE LANGUAGE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND by Kim Kielhofner, sponsored by WE Energies Foundation

Named after a novel by the late Austrian writer Marianne Fritz (1948-2007), Whose Language You Don’t Understand (2018) is a video cycle exploring the limits of language. Fritz spent most of her life, over 30 years, working on a cycle of dense and complex novels she called “The Fortress,” consisting of over 10,000 pages—and still unfinished at the time of her death. Her project is an unusual and astonishing one that challenges the conventions of writing and reading. In Fritz’s work, writing sustains a reality. Writing becomes a movement into an alternative world, and readership offers radical possibilities.

2-3 pm GENRE: URBAN ARTS, sponsored by Anonymous on behalf of Teens Grow Greens & Girls on the Run

Marcus Emel, Lyn Patterson, Colleen Rowe, Aysheh Manaei, Dana Kaleta, Shaunteri Skinner, Anita Holloway, Samihah Pargas, Ananda Deacon, & Nakeysha Roberts Washington

3-4 pm QUEER HOUR + IN-NA-PO (INDIGENOUS NATIONS POETS), sponsored by The Queer Curatorial Fund of the UWM Department of Film, Video, Animation, & New Genres and Scott Gelzer & Sherry Goldsmith

3-3:30 / Jennifer Morales, Siwar Masannat, Elizabeth Hoover, Jenni Moody, CJ Scruton, franciszka voeltz, & Canese Jarboe 

3:30-4 / Craig Santos Perez, Margaret Noodin, LeAnne Howe, Jake Skeets, & Kimberly Blaeser

4 pm —INTERMISSION—4:15 pm

4:15-5 pm LATINX POETS FEATURE, sponsored by Erick “CK” Ledesma & Howard Leu

Rosa Alcalá, Carmen Murguia, José Felipe Alvergue, alida cardós whaley, Daniel Borzutzky, Marili Pizarro, Matthew Gutierrez, José Manuela García Oquendo, Jose-Luis Moctezuma, Mauricio Kilwein-Guevara, & Urayoán Noel

5-6 pm OSCAR PRESENTS, sponsored by Ed & Brooke Krishok

Jordan Dunn, Andy Gricevich, Stacy Blint, Steve Timm, Mike Hauser, Abraham Smith, Timothy Yu, Richard Meier, Lewis Freedman, & Lauren Russell // Anouk Chambaz: 06:24

6-10 pm SMALL PRESS FEATURE with CHAX PRESS, CANARIUM BOOKS, UGLY DUCKLING PRESSE, BELLADONNA*, FATHOM BOOKS, PITYMILK PRESS, BATHMATICS, & VEGETARIAN ALCOHOLIC PRESSsponsored by Reuter & AssociatesThe New Order of Saint Agatha, Karen Campbell & Kevin Ronnie, FATHOM BooksOutpost Natural Foods, Polonez, & Mobile Car Care

6-7 (Chax Press) / David Weiss, Andrew Levy, Maryrose Larkin, Steven Salmoni, Michael Gottlieb, Simon Pettet, Eli Goldblatt, Saba Syed Razvi, Sarah Rosenthal, & Charles Alexander // Takahiro Suzuki: How to Draw a Line

7-7:30 (Canarium Books) / Ishmael Klein, Darcie Dennigan, Paul Killebrew, Suzanne Buffam, & giovanni singleton //  Anouk Chambaz: A View from the Cliffs, Extract 1

7:30-8 (Ugly Duckling Presse) / Jean Day, Anna Gurton-Wachter, Sawako Nakayasu, Jennifer Nelson, Corina Copp, & Rachel Levitsky // Anouk Chambaz: A View from the Cliffs, Extract 2

8-8:30 (Belladonna*) / Krystal Languell, Gabrielle Civil, Maxe Crandall, Ashna Ali, Becca Klaver, & Kimberly Alidio // Anouk Chambaz: A View from the Cliffs, Extract 3

8:30-9 (FATHOM Books) / Joseph Spece, Stephanie Adams-Santos, Eric Westerlind, Marissa Bognanno, & Youna Kwak // Anouk Chambaz: To have an existential crisis

9-9:15 (Pitymilk Press & Bathmatics) / Edie Roberts & Chelsea Tadeyeske

9:15-10 (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press) / Kelsey Marie Harris, Lauren Turner, Janelle Cordero, Travis Tate, Denise Jarrott, Gina Tron, Al Russell, & Sierra-Nicole Qualles

When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through | online, January 17, 2021

A poetry reading in celebration of When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry edited by Joy Harjo, LeAnne Howe, and Jennifer Elise Foerster. Featuring readings by Gordon Henry Jr., Roberta Hill, Cedar Sigo, and Tanaya Winder, and hosted by Kimberly Blaeser. Presented in partnership with In-Na-Po (Indigenous Nations Poets), this reading is part of our series Native Writers in the 21st Century, which is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Conversation: White Whales, White Males, Whitehead: A lecture with Lisa Jarnot  | online, Dec. 17, 2020

Presented in partnership with The Bagley Wright Lecture Series.

Poetry Reading: Tongo Eisen-Martin and Cecily Nicholson | online, November 19, 2020

The second event in Poetry & Mass Incarceration, part of The First Function of Poetry: A Social Justice Series. Presented in partnership with The Retreat and sponsored by the Milwaukee Arts Board and the Wisconsin Arts Board

Poetry Reading: Heid E. Erdrich (excerpt) | online, November 8, 2020
Poetry Reading: Ross Gay, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and Kelsey Marie Harris | online, October 17, 2020
Conversation: The Poetics of Urban Gardening | online, October 16, 2020

Ahead of their Saturday reading, authors and gardeners Ross Gay, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and Kelsey Marie Harris joined Venice Williams, the executive director of Alice’s Garden in Milwaukee, to discuss the intersections between creative collaboration, gardening, poetry, social justice, and well-being. Woodland Pattern executive director Jenny Gropp moderated, and the conversation opened to a Q & A toward the program’s end.

Poetry Reading: 100 Thousand Poets for Change | online, September 26, 2020

September 26, 2020 marked the 10th anniversary of 100 Thousand Poets for Change, and poets from around the globe hosted events in support of peace, justice, and sustainability. Enjoy this amazing gathering of Milwaukee poets: Sue Blaustein, Peter Burzynski, Brenda Cárdenas, Bryon Cherry, Terimarie Degree, Bob Hanson, Roberto Harrison, Anne Koller, Scott Lowry, Siwar Massanat, Kathleen Phillips, Suzanne Rosenblatt, Margaret Rozga, Liandra Skenadore, Lisa Vihos, Ed Werstein, Peter Whalen, alida cardós whaley, and Kathrine Yets.

Poetry Reading: Tara Betts and Jennifer Steele | online, September 18, 2020
Poetry Reading: Roberto Harrison and Peter O'Leary | online, September 10, 2020
ONE POEM: A Protest Reading in support of Black Lives | online, August 18, 2020

Presented in collaboration with the Poetry Coalition: Prisca Afantchao, Sojourner Ahebee, Kazim Ali, Kimberly Blaeser, Jericho Brown, Meera Dasgupta, Kwame Dawes, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Safia Elhillo, Martín Espada, Sesshu Foster, Kimberly Jae, Raina J. León, Mwatabu Okantah, Arsimmer McCoy, Alberto Ríos, Terisa Siagatonu, Matthew Thompson, Emma Trelles, Nikki Wallschlaeger (reading on behalf of Woodland Pattern), Monica Youn, and avery r. young.

Poetry Reading: Gathering Place of the Poets | online, July 24, 2020

Featuring Brenda Cárdenas, Bryon Cherry, Elias Dorsey, Kimberley Ellingson, Susan Firer, Bailey Flannery, Julia Frank, Allison Friske, Annie Grizzle, Kelsey Marie Harris, Nadjah Hasan, Kiara Honeysucker, Sam Pekarske, Dasha Kelly Hamilton, Gabe O'Neil, Rithi Punyamurthula, Margaret Rozga, Alea Samone, Elias Sepulveda, Chelsea Tadeyeske, Monica Thomas, Parker Adams, and Bethany Price.

Poetry Reading: Stephanie Burt | online, June 7, 2020
Poetry Reading: TC Tolbert | online, May 24, 2020
Poetry Reading: Eléna Rivera and Dominique Salas | online, May 16, 2020
Poetry Reading: Marilyn Chin | online, April 10, 2020
Poetry Reading: Mónica de la Torre and José Felipe Alvergue | online, April 4, 2020

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.

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