What's Going on This Week at Boswell (and a Bit of Elsewhere).

With me in New York for the week, I promised Stacie I wouldn't over-schedule the events at the store.  Plus she's got another gig now, as the Pfister  Narrator.  This is a great gig, documenting the comings and goings, the hubbub and the behind the scenes, and Milwaukee's beloved hotel.  Her most current post is a conversation with Rick Springfield's intensely loyal fans, who tend to stay at his hotel when he's on tour.  I promised that I would dig through my 45 collection for some sort of Springfield memorabilia.  I was pretty sure that I did not own "Jessie's Girl", but might have one of the lesser hits, like "I've Done Everything for You" (the link is to the video) that I picked up as a promo copy while working at my college radio station.

On Tuesday, May 24, we're doing a double gig with Elaine Petrone, author of  The Miracle Ball Method and the new Miracle Ball Method for Pregnancy.  We're co-sponsoing this event with Invivo Salon and Fitness, and here's the schedule:

--4 pm, a free class with Elaine Petrone, focusing on the new pregnancy book at Invivo, 2060 North Humboldt.  You must register beforehand, as limited slots are available.  Call (414) 265-6065.

--7 pm, a traditional Boswell-style talk and Q&A at Boswell, 2559 N. Downer Ave. This is also free and registration is not necessary. And yes, your questions do not have to be about the new pregnancy book.  Now don't mix this up--4 pm class at Invivo (call first) and 7 pm talk at Boswell (no call necessary, unless you want to say hi).

As an aside, our friend Catherine came in (from pretty far away--thanks, Catherine!) to trade in some books and use her credits on various accoutrements de bookstore.  In her pile was a copy of the new book, The Miracle Ball for Pregnancy.  Looking for a little more information before I offered congratulations, she quickly countered, "Oh, I really should get the first book, but I want the purple balls, not the old turquoise ones." As we share a deep and abiding love of purple, I totally understood.

On Wednesday, May 25, we're having another of our very popular poetry events, and this one's a special treat.  It's a celebration of the publication of An Endless Skyway: Poetry from the State Poets Laureate, featuring Marilyn Taylor and Bruce Deflefsen (poet laureates both, thank goodness I now know how to pluralize that) reading their own work, as well as selection of others in the anthology.  It's a lovely companion to Elizabeth Hun Schmidt's The Poets Laureate collection that came out last fall (and sold very, very well).  While the national program is not seemingly in danger, I'm not sure of the state of the Wisconsin one, but last I heard, the state had pulled funding. Show your support of the arts by attending.

What else is going on, author wise?

Sandra Dallas, author of many fine historical novels (Alice's Tulips, The Persian Pickle Club, Tallgrass, et cetera), offers The Bride's House, the newest in that fascinating subgenre of historical novels where the inspiration point is a house, with the sub-subgenre being the author's own house. She's at Next Chapter on Monday, May 23rd, at 7 pm, and the Oconomowoc Arts Center (641 E. Forest Ave.) on Tuesday, May 24.  Next Chapter is free but Oconomowoc's (sponsored by Books & Company) is a book and ticket package.  You were going to buy the book anyway, so why not?  Call (262) 567-0106.

And if you're not in a poetry mood, you can catch Jen Lancaster on Wednesday, May 25, 7 pm, at the Mayfair Barnes and Noble store. After funny true books, Lancaster has written her first funny novel out, If You Were Here, about buying and renovating a home in the Chciago suburbs.  See the trend?  I'll bet this is actually based on Lancaster's house!  The new book is said to be rollicking.  Yikes, this is a lot of competition for our poetry event, but I'm just suggesting that if you go to Dallas or Lancaster, you assuage your guilt by making one of your friends go to ours.

Lancaster has appeared in Milwaukee before, and it's a very fun event. You may wonder why she usually reads at B&N here, but I've noticed that many authors like to go back to places that do a good job for them.  She's not all chain--her Richmond event was sponsored by the wonderful Kelly at Fountain Book Store, the KC event by always-innovative Rainy Day Books, and the Seattle-area event is at the wondrous Third Place. More on the Jennsylvania blog.

Also on May 25, don't forget Mary Doria Russell, author of The Sparrow and Dreamers of the Day, is going to be at Next Chapter in Mequon for Doc, the beloved new novel of Doc Holliday. The curtain goes up at 7 pm. 

Oh, and just one more thing to do.  It's not until next week, but I'm sure I'll lose the info by then.  Darlene Wesenberg Rzezotarski's new exhibit of Polish folk sculpture is opening at the Fine Art Gallery (Marshall Building, 207 E. Buffalo, suite 210) in the Third Ward.  Rzezotarski is a member of one of the writing groups that meet at Boswell and I was enchanted by her work, and there is now a limited-edition book available.  It's so limited that we don't have it, but I hear it's going to be at the opening reception on June 3, 6-10 pm.  If you can't make it, the show continues until July 23rd.  I'd include a picture, but I don't have any images.  Visit the gallery for more info.