Monday Event Post--Three Events, Plus We're Open Ten to Five on Easter.

After closing for Easter last year, we've decided to try opening for our standard holiday hours of ten to five. Starbucks is open, the Downer and Oriental Theatres are open, and several places in our neighborhood have Easter brunch going on. My expectations are low, but I suspect we will get a couple of "thank you for being open" comments. So if you stop by, say hi, as I will definitely be working.

Note that I did forego events on Good Friday/first night of Passover, as well as Easter itself, so we've only got three things going on this week.

Tuesday, April 3, 12:30 pm, is a our reception for Creative Critters, our art project that I blogged about last week with the students from MCFI's school. We'll also have cupcakes, celebrating their artwork as well as our third anniversary. Pictured is another of the works on display; Nan refers to her as Lady Gaga, but I think that's not the exact title. That said, it does look like an outfit she might wear.

On Wednesday, April 4, 7 pm, we've got Susan Troller, author/editor of Cluck: From Jungle Fowl to City Chicks. This collection of essays (including entries from Jane Hamilton and Michael Perry) looks at the pheonemon of raising chickens for meat, eggs, or just as pets. It's all part of the urban farming trend that we've seen blossom in the area, leading us (led by Stacie) to creat a new subsection of books. If you liked Novella Carpenter's Farm City and contemplate taking your interest to the next level, Cluck might be you're inspiration.

For the city of Milwaukee, you can keep up to four chickens with the following provisions:
a. No roosters
b. No slaughtering
c. By permit only
d. Not allowed on commercial or mixed-use occupancies.
Visit the chicken page for more info.

On Saturday, April 7, we host Bradley Beaulieu's launch reading for The Straits of Kalahesh, the follow-up to last year's Winds of Khalakovo, a well-reviewed fantasy series (itself called The Lays of Anuskaya) that plays off of Russian mythology.

Here's a handle on what's going on. "West of the Grand Duchy of Anuskaya lies the Empire of Yrstanla, the Motherland. The Empire has lived at peace with Anuskaya for generations, but with political turmoil brewing and the wasting disease still rampant, opportunists from the mainland have begun to set their sights on the Grand Duchy, seeking to expand their empire.

"Five years have passed since Prince Nikandr, heir to the scepter of Khalakovo, was tasked with finding Nasim, the child prodigy behind a deadly summoning that led to a grand clash between the armies of man and elder elemental spirits. Today, that boy has grown into a young man driven to understand his past – and the darkness from which Nikandr awakened him. Nikandr’s lover, Atiana, has become a Matra, casting her spirit forth to explore, influence, and protect the Grand Duchy. But when the Al-Aqim, long thought lost to the past, return to the islands and threaten to bring about indaraqiram – a change that means certain destruction for both the Landed and the Landless – bitter enemies must become allies and stand against their horrific plans.

"Can the Grand Duchy be saved? The answer lies hidden within The Straits of Galahesh." More on the Quillings blog.

I'm getting the hang of this stuff. We're going to call our fantasy series The Aisles of Boswell.