Nickolas Butler, author of Little Faith, in conversation with Mitch Teich
Boswell is thrilled to host prize-winning Wisconsin author Nickolas Butler, whose previous novel was the much loved Shotgun Lovesongs, for a conversation with WUWM Lake Effect's Mitch Teich about the release of his latest, the story of a Wisconsin family grappling with the power and limitations of faith.
Lyle Hovde is living out his golden years in rural Wisconsin with his wife, Peg, daughter, Shiloh, and six-year old grandson, Isaac. After a troubled adolescence, Shiloh has finally come home, but she has become deeply involved with an extremist church, and the devout pastor courting her is convinced wee Isaac has the ability to heal the sick. While reckoning with his own lack of faith, Lyle soon finds himself torn between unease and his desire to keep his daughter and grandson in his life.
Soon, the church’s radical belief system threatens Isaac’s safety, and Lyle is forced to make a decision from which the family may not recover. Set over the course of one year and beautifully evoking the change of seasons, Little Faith is a powerful and deeply affecting intergenerational novel about family and community, the ways in which belief is both formed and shaken, and the lengths we go to protect our own.
Nickolas Butler was raised in Eau Claire. He is a graduate of UW–Madison and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and is the author of The Hearts of Men, Shotgun Lovesongs, and Beneath the Bonfire.
Wednesday, March 6, 4:00 pm, at Boswell:Sherri Duskey Rinker, author of Celebrate You!
The author of beloved books for children like Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, Steam Train, Dream Train, and Silly Wonderful You visits Boswell with a new book full of irresistible illustrations and an inspiring message that will cheer on and encourage readers of any age. There will be a storytime and activities fun for adults and children age 4 and up.
From the first wobbly baby steps to walking and running and all the way through to the time when we're flying from the nest, this charming picture book celebrates all the small but important milestones on the way to growing up. It lauds those who are strong and tough yet still kindhearted, praises those who learned to be wise and true to themselves.
Sherri Duskey Rinker is The New York Times bestselling author of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, Steam Train, Dream Train, and Silly Wonderful You.
Wednesday, March 6, 7:00 pm, at Boswell:
Keith O’Brien, author of Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History
Fly Girls weaves together the stories of five remarkable women: a high school dropout from Fargo, an Alabama divorcée, Amelia Earhart, the most famous but not necessarily the most skilled, a blue blood who chafed at her family’s expectations, and the young mother of two who got her start selling coal in Wichita. Together, they fought for the chance to fly and race airplanes, and in 1936, one of them would triumph, beating the men in the toughest air race of them all. Don't forget, Keith O'Brien's story is now available in a young reader's edition.
Keith O’Brien is author of Catching the Sky and Outside Shots: Big Dreams, Hard Times, and One Country’s Quest for Basketball Greatness. He’s also written for The New York Times Magazine and reported stories for This American Life.
Thursday, March 7, 6:00 pm, at UWM Student Union Ballroom, 2200 E Kenwood Blvd:UWM Geek Week presents Kari Byron, author of Crash Test Girl: An Unlikely Experiment in Using the Scientific Method to Answer Life’s Toughest Questions
What is geeky? What makes you geek out? What does it mean to be a geek? UWM Geek Week is an exploration and celebration of all things geeky.From Science to Steampunk, and everything in between. This year Geek Week’s keynote speaker is none other than Kari Byron! Kari is best known for hosting on Discovery channel’s Mythbusters. Her TV appearances also include Head Rush and White Rabbit Project.
Kari Byron's story hasn't been a straight line. She started out as a broke artist living in San Francisco, writing poems on a crowded bus on the way to one of her three jobs. Many curve balls, unexpected twists, and yes, literal and figurative explosions later, and she's one of the world's most respected women in science entertainment, blowing stuff up on national television and getting paid for it!
In Crash Test Girl, Kari reveals her fascinating life story on the set of MythBusters and beyond. With her signature gusto and roll-up-your-sleeves enthusiasm, she invites readers behind the duct tape and the dynamite, to the unlikely friendships and low-budget sets that turned a crazy idea into a famously inventive show with a rabid fanbase.
This event is free and open to the public - no registration required. Parking available at the UWM Union garage. More here at the Geek Week site.
Thursday, March 7, 6:30 pm, at Shorewood Public Library, 3920 N Murray Ave:Sue Robinson, author of Networked News, Racial Divides: How Power and Privilege Shape Public Discourse in Progressive Communities
Shorewood Public Library presents University of Wisconsin Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications Sue Robinson.
Robinson examines obstacles to public dialogues about racial inequality for better discourse in mid-sized cities. She narrates the challenges faced when talking about race with a series of stories about each community struggling with K-12 education achievement gaps and explores how privilege shapes discourse and how identity politics can interfere with deliberation.
Drawing on network analysis of community dialogues, interviews with journalists, politicians, activists, citizens, and deep case study of five cities, Robinson chronicles the institutional, cultural, and other problematic realities of amplifying voices of all people while also recommending strategies to move forward and build trust.
Robinson holds a PhD from Temple University and is the Helen Firstbrook Franklin Professor of Journalism endowed research chair at UW-Madison. She earned the Krieghbaum Under-40 Award. After being a reporter for more than a decade, Robinson now teaches and does research about journalism studies, digital journalism, race, and local media.
Thursday, March 7, 7:00 pm, at Boswell:Stephen Mack Jones, author of Lives Laid Away
Hammett Prize and Nero Award-winning Stephen Mack Jones is here to talk about Lives Laid Away, his latest novel about August Snow, a former police officer who fights for the marginalized people living on the fringe of Detroit. Jones will now be in conversation with Boswell's Daniel Goldin.
When former Detroit police officer Snow’s beloved Mexicantown neighborhood is caught in the crosshairs of a human trafficking scheme, Detroit PD wants the case closed fast. Snow is pulled into the case not by a client, but by his conscience. The body of a young woman is found, dressed in an outlandish costume. It turns out she’s Latinx and undocumented, and this leads to thoughts that she might be the victim of human trafficking. The trail leads him all over metro Detroit, sleazy strip clubs to ultra-luxe subdivisions, and much in between.
In a guns-blazing wild ride across Detroit, Snow puts his own life on the line to protect the community he loves in this highly anticipated sequel. Tom Nolan in The Wall Street Journal offered this rave review: "Mr. Jones’s action-packed book has echoes of Raymond Chandler’s banter and bursts of Dashiell Hammett’s violence, with a tip of the porkpie hat to Walter Mosley. What’s more, Lives Laid Away delivers a bracing amount of rough humor and a whole lot of heart."
Stephen Mack Jones was also awarded the Kresge Arts in Detroit Literary Fellowship.
Thursday, March 7, 7:00 pm reception, 7:30 pm talk, at Lynden Sculpture Garden, 2145 W Brown Deer Rd:Ariel Lawhon, author of I Was Anastasia
Lynden Sculpture Garden's Women's Speaker Series, produced by Milwaukee Reads, welcomes Ariel Lawhon, author of I Was Anastasia, a historical novel that unravels the extraordinary twists and turns in Anna Anderson's fifty-year battle to be recognized as Anastasia Romanov.
Tickets cost $23, $18 for members, available at lyndensculpturegarden.org/ariellawhon or by phone, at (414) 446-8794. Each ticket includes admission to the event as well as the Lynden Sculpture Garden (come early and stroll the grounds!), light refreshments, and a copy of I Was Anastasia.
Russia, July 17, 1918. Under direct orders from Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik secret police force Anastasia Romanov to face a merciless firing squad. Germany, February 17, 1920. A young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Anastasia Romanov is pulled shivering and senseless from a canal. Soon, this frightened, mysterious woman claims to be the Russian grand duchess.
As rumors begin to circulate through European society that the youngest Romanov daughter has survived the massacre at Ekaterinburg, old enemies and new threats are awakened. The question of who Anna Anderson is and what actually happened to Anastasia Romanov spans fifty years and touches three continents. This thrilling saga is every bit as moving and momentous as it is harrowing and twisted.
I Was Anastasia has long been a fixture on our "what to read after A Gentleman in Moscow" table. And don't forget about our event with Amor Towles at Turner Hall Ballroom on April 3 - that is going to sell out.
Friday, March 8, 7:00 pm, at Boswell:
Kristine Hansen, author of Wisconsin Cheese Cookbook: Creamy, Cheesy, Sweet, and Savory Recipes from the State's Best CreameriesBay View-based journalist and Milwaukee Magazine contributor Kristine Hansen chats with Carole Nicksin, Editor-in-Chief of Milwaukee Magazine, about the artisan cheesemakers who make Wisconsin known world-wide as America’s dairy capital.
Wisconsin’s artisan cheese scene is steeped in tradition and bursting with innovations. Local cheesemakers attract visitors from all over the world, and cheese is a huge part of the state’s tourist draw and homegrown character. Everyone who calls Wisconsin home or visits for a day will love this book of the best recipes to cook with cheese.
Stunning photos and 60 recipes from the 28 creameries featured will include comfort-food staples and wow-worthy dinner-party favorites, plus picnic-friendly salads and delicious breakfasts. Noteworthy creameries covered include Carr Valley Cheese and Emmi Roth in Southwest Wisconsin, BelGioioso Cheese and Sartori in Northeast Wisconsin, Holland’s Family Cheese in Northwest Wisconsin, and Clock Shadow Creamery in Southeast Wisconsin.
Kristine Hansen has written about food, drink, travel, and cheese for Travel + Leisure, Time, and Cooking Light Magazine, and covers Wisconsin agriculture and its many personalities for Milwaukee Magazine.
Monday, March 11, 7:00 pm, at Boswell:Elinor Lipman, author of Good Riddance
Enjoy a wonderful evening at Boswell with one of our favorite authors, Elinor Lipman, in conversation with Boswell's own Daniel Goldin. Lipman is author of many novels, including The Inn at Lake Devine and On Turpentine Lane. In addition to the usual writerly talk, we'll also have some high-school-yearbook-themed fun and games. Why not share your yearbook photo?
This event is free, but we'd love for you to register at lipmanmke.bpt.me.Her latest is about Daphne Maritch, a young woman living in Hells Kitchen who inherits an obsessively annotated high school yearbook from her mother. When Daphne puts it out with the recycling, a neighbor grabs it, deciding it would make the perfect source material for a documentary. Needless to say, Daphne does not take this well, and things go from bad to worse when the yearbook holds the key to a family secret.
Early reviews are enthusiastic. Publishers Weekly writes, "In a lesser writer's hands, the plot could have devolved into a soapy mess, but Lipman ably turns it into a charming romantic comedy... intelligent and lyrical prose, [make] this novel a delightful treat readers will want to savor." And Mary Pols writes in The New York Times Book Review: "Good Riddance is a caper novel, light as a feather and effortlessly charming. It will not save lives or enrich them in an enduring way (as Marie Kondo can do; two years in, my sock drawer can attest to that). But the book inspires a very specific kind of modern joy. I read it fast, in a weekend, during which I did not find my social media accounts or tidying my house nearly as diverting as what was on these pages. Being more attractive than Twitter may sound like a low bar, but in these distractible times, it feels like a genuine achievement."
More info about upcoming events at Boswellbooks.com/upcoming-events.
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