Creative writing, reading and collaborating: University of Wisconsin’s Fifth annual Literature Festival is a literature buff’s paradise. WUD Publication Committee will hold the week-long event from April 27 until May 1. The Lit Fest is planned by students for students and aims to celebrate the benefits of literacy by providing a free space for sharing ideas. The festival features Madison-related lecturers while highlighting students’ literary work. The overall goal is to provide students with insight from professionals and a vision for what literature is like in the real world.
Nickolas Butler
UW graduate Nickolas Butler will spend the evening inspiring and advising young writers as well as discussing his bestselling novel “Shotgun Lovesongs.” This book reflects Butler’s nostalgia about growing up in Eau Claire with a sort of fictional retrospective. The stories explore a group of high school friends — now grown — who have returned to their hometown and reconnected. Although he cites his previous friendship with indie singer Justin Vernon as an inspiration, the main characters in his novel are winter and Wisconsin. The New York Times called his work an “unmistakably American novel.” A Q&A and a book signing with copies of “Shotgun Lovesongs” available for purchase will follow his lecture.
Who should attend: aspiring writers
Why you should attend: Butler is a local author turned national bestseller
Location: Great Hall, Memorial Union
Time: April 29, 7-9 p.m.
Kathy Brozyna
Brozyna is a Madison Magazine food writer. At Lit Fest, she will discuss tips on how to professionally write about food. Brozyna interviews top chefs and restaurants around Madison for her weekly column “The Chow Down” and the magazine’s monthly column “Quick Bites.” The way people react around a dinner table inspires her, and she firmly believes every person has a “food story” worth sharing. She grew up listening to her family’s stories and realized how important food is when bringing people together. Her frequently updated blog not only features healthy and original recipes, but also includes a multitude of Madison-centric food choices.
Who should attend: foodies
Why you should attend: food + literature
Location: Memorial Union fourth floor Council Hall
Time: April 27, 5-6 p.m.
Jon Kjarsgaard
As an editor of both Jonk Music and the Music & Entertainment section for the Isthmus, Kjarsgaard will discuss his background and teach others more about the music writing industry. Kjarsgaard started his website, Jonk Music, while he was a student back in 2005 to produce daily content centered on indie bands. He aims for the website to produce creative material from a more down to earth perspective with the website’s most viral content being its staff-created playlists. He covers national bands for Isthmus, but he also focuses on the many local bands Madison has to offer.
Who should attend: music lovers, aspiring indie writers
Why you should attend: to learn more about the Madison music scene
Location: Memorial Union fourth floor Council Hall
Time: April 27, 7-8 p.m.
Lisa Harris
Harris, an author of “Fashion Meets Poetry,” will discuss how she cultivated the idea of uniting fashion with women’s empowerment. She will also read some poems from her book and explore the publishing process. Harris graduated from UW’s business school and strives to promote confidence by examining the concept that beauty is not just skin deep. Her poems focus on the notion that women have many layers and that external beauty doesn’t mean there is no internal beauty. Although she has been writing her whole life, her inspiration for these poems comes from society. “Women are my muse and writing is my insecurity,” she said in an interview with PropellerGirl.
Who should attend: fashionistas & feminists
Why you should attend: #yesallwomen
Location: Memorial Union fourth floor Council Hall
Time: April 28, 6-7 p.m.
The Titanic Players
The final event for Lit Fest features student improv group the Titanic Players performing skits based on the audience’s favorite books. The Titanic Players are part of the largest collegiate improvisation organization in the country. The Madison chapter is the first group outside of the organization’s birthplace of Northwestern University. This group regularly has scheduled events around campus throughout the school year. The time follow the performance will be used as a free space for people to relax and read a book of their choice.
Who should attend: everyone, people who enjoy off-the-cuff comedy
Why you should attend: pre-finals de-stressor
Location: Union South
Time: April 30, 6-7:30 p.m.
