Summer 2013
Foundation
MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY a quarterly newsletter from the Madison Public Library Foundation
FOUNDATION NEWS 2013 Wisconsin Book Festival October 17 - 20… and then some! The Wisconsin Book Festival is settling into its new home with a fresh direction, centralized venues, and an enthusiastic event coordinator, Conor Moran. “About half of the events will take place in the beautiful spaces at the new Central Library to give the festival a geographical home,” says Moran. “As always, the audience will see a mix of Wisconsin’s literary talents as well as some of the national voices that can contribute to the Wisconsin conversation.”
More than 50 programs incorporating literature, spoken word, art, and performance will take place October 17 - 20, but the festival doesn’t stop there. Wisconsin Book Festival programming will take place in branch libraries and other venues all year long. This past April, the book festival partnered with UW-Madison’s Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives for events featuring authors Adam Mansbach and H. Samy Alim. Mansbach featured his New York Times bestseller at Bedtime Stories, in an adults-only story time, and Alim addressed language and racial politics at Articulate While Black. In May, award-winning journalists and authors of More Than They Bargained For, Jason Stein and Patrick Marley, shared their inside account of the 2011 - 2012 struggle over collective bargaining in Madison. David Rhodes also debuted Jewelweed, the follow-up to his 2008 novel Driftless, at Sequoya Branch.
Stay in the Know: Follow Wisconsin Book Festival on Facebook and Twitter , or sign up for email updates on the library’s website. OMAI Director Willie Ney, author Adam Mansbach, and Library Director Greg Mickells at Bedtime Stories
Author, Musican Ben Sidran to Speak at Lunch for Libraries, June 11 A man of many talents, Ben Sidran is an internationally known musician, award-winning show host, and acclaimed author with a Ph.D in philosophy and musicology. His thesis on African-American culture and music in the United States became his first book, Black Talk, published in 1971. Many years, dozens of albums, and a few books later, Sidran began writing There Was a Fire: Jews, Music, and the American Dream. Sidran will discuss There Was a Fire at the foundation’s Lunch for Libraries: Off-beat with Ben fundraiser in support of the Wisconsin Book Festival.
“Having a book festival in Madison is essential because it gathers so many different perspectives in one space. These individual voices contribute collectively to the Wisconsin Idea that we value so much.” -Ben Sidran
“Having a book festival in Madison is essential because it gathers so many different perspectives in one space,” said Sidran, who spoke at last year’s event. “These individual voices contribute collectively to the Wisconsin Idea that we value so much.” Hear what else Ben has to say at Lunch for Libraries. A limited number of tickets are available at mplfoundation.org.
Ben Sidran performing in France in 2011 Photo: bensidran.com