Wisconsin Book Festival

This #AAPIHeritageMonth, the #WIBookFest is sharing some of the incredible titles we’ve hosted by Asian American authors over the past few seasons. The festival prides itself in connecting our literary community with writers of different backgrounds and elevating stories from diverse perspectives. Head to your local branch of @madisonpubliclibrary and check out a copy of these books today!

The #WIBookFest open proposal period is accepting submission for two more weeks! Authors, from now until May 31, submit your title for consideration for this year’s Fall Celebration. The festival prides itself in offering a wide variety of genres and voices at our events, and these proposals play a role in ensuring we reach that goal. Swipe through to read about Dean Robbins’ (@deanprobbins ) experience presenting at last year’s Fall Celebration for his book, WISCONSIN IDOLS. Learn more about how to apply at the link in our bio.

Join the #WIBookFest for an evening with Joy Harjo (@joyharjoforreal ) at the Milwaukee Public Library** for her new book GIRL WARRIOR and a community-focused exploration of identity, ancestry, and the meaning of home. A celebrated poet and musician of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Harjo will illuminate the layered meanings of "home," drawing on themes of land, memory, displacement, and resilience. This event is presented in partnership with the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters (@wisconsin_academy ) and Milwaukee Public Library (@milwaukeepubliclibrary ). This event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. See you at Milwaukee Public Library’s Central Library on Wednesday, May 20 at 6:30 p.m.! Learn more at the link in our bio. 📸: Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters

Drop what you’re scrolling and join the #WIBookFest and @roomofonesownbooks for an evening with Caro Claire Burke (@caroclaireburke ) for her novel YESTERYEAR, one of the buzziest books out this spring! One morning, trad-wife influencer Natalie, whose Instagram account has amassed 8 million followers, wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. YESTERYEAR is a gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood. See you on Tuesday, May 19 at 7 p.m. at @madisonpubliclibrary 's Central Library! Come early as we do expect a big crowd! No pre-registration or tickets required, admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 6 p.m. Learn more at the link in our bio. Burke will be in conversation with Room’s Mira Braneck.

This Mother’s Day, the #WIBookFest reflects on the relationships and family ties that we hold closest to our hearts. Earlier this week at @mplfoundation ’s annual Lunch for Libraries fundraiser event, we welcomed two-time Nation Book Award winner and bestselling author Jesmyn Ward (@jesmynward ) to Madison for a conversation with Nate Marshall about her newest essay collection, ON WITNESS AND REPAIR. In it, Ward ruminates on her approach to both fiction and life, reflecting on the power of the novel, how to raise a Black son in an era of rising divisiveness and cruelty, as well as her own personal tragedies. This year, #LunchForLibraries raised over $165,000 for the festival and gave away 850 books. We’re so grateful for our literary community’s continual support—your generosity is crucial to our ability to host exceptional free programming year after year. Photo Credit: @shannawolfphotography

A huge congratulations to Fall Celebration featured authors Mandy Moe Pwint Tu (@mandrigall ) and Emily Callaci (@ejcallaci ) for their recent Wisconsin Writers Award wins! Tu and Callaci presented at the 2025 Fall Celebration for their books FABLEMAKER and WAGES FOR HOUSEWORK, respectively. The #WIBookFest is proud to showcase some of our state’s most talented writers, year after year.

We can hardly wait for our evening with Jane Smiley for her new book, LIDIE, and neither can the rest of Madison! Swipe through to see who’s been buzzing about the #WIBookFest this past week. Ahead of tomorrow night’s event, check out Denise Robbins’ (@denisesrobbins ) exclusive interview with Smiley for the Cap Times (@captimesmadison ) at the link in our bio. See you tomorrow (5/6) at 7 p.m. at Central Library!

The #WIBookFest open proposal period is accepting submissions for one more month! Authors, from now until May 31, submit your title for consideration for this year’s Fall Celebration. The festival prides itself in offering a wide variety of genres and voices at our events, and these proposals play a role in ensuring we reach that goal. Swipe through to read about poet Meg Kim’s (@megpieinflight ) experience presenting at last year’s Fall Celebration for their poetry chapbook, INVISIBLE CARTOGRAPHIES. Learn more about how to apply at the link in our bio.

The WE READ Youth Voices Writing Contest is officially open! Here to encourage you to submit to the contest and share your voice are two members of the Forward Madison FC team, Tenzing Manske and Collin McCamy! These two will serve as judges for this year's contest, and they can't wait to read what you submit on this year's theme: Community in Action. You're invited to attend the kick-off event for the contest, which will take place during @forwardmadisonfc 's home opener against Detroit City FC on Sat, May 16. Madison Public Library will have a table inside the stadium from 5-7pm that families can visit to pick up free writer's notebooks, learn more about the contest theme, and snag a WE READ Youth Voices bookmark. Learn more about the contest, the kick-off event, and this year's theme at madpl.org/youthvoices Additional thanks go to @mplfoundation for providing financial support to young writers, and to the @wibookfest for continuing to foster youth voices in our community. #MadisonPublicLibrary #PublicLibrary #Library #Libraries #MadisonWi #MadisonWisconsin #ForwardMadisonFC #GoMingos #YouthVoicesWritingContest #YouthWritingContest #WeReadMadison

Spring is still in full bloom here at the #WIBookFest. We’re rounding out our season with some stellar events with literary powerhouses like Jane Smiley and Joy Harjo (@joyharjoforreal ), and celebrating debut novelists like Caro Claire Burke (@caroclaireburke ). Visit our website (link in bio) for our full calendar—you won’t want to miss this!

The Wisconsin Book Festival is hiring! We are looking for a new Communications and Events Coordinator to assist the festival Director with all things #WIBookFest. If you’re a detail-oriented communicator with organized project management skills and experience hosting live events, we want to hear from you! Apply to be part of the small but mighty team that puts on Wisconsin’s premier literary event, along with stellar stand-alone events all year long. 📍 Madison, WI | 32 hrs/week | $23–$25/hr + benefits (health insurance, 401(k) + more) 🗓 Deadline: May 15 Apply: jrotonda[at]mplfoundation.org Applications are due on Friday, May 15. Visit the link in our bio to learn more. #Hiring #BookFestival #LiteraryJobs #EventPlanning #Communications

Travel back in time with the #WIBookFest as we host Jane Smiley for her new historical novel, LIDIE. Featuring the protagonist from her 1998 book THE ALL-TRUE TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES OF LIDIE NEWTON, this novel follows Lidie and her niece, Annie, as they flee a divided America towards a hopeful future and away from a troubled past. See you on Wednesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. at @madisonpubliclibrary ’s Central Library! Learn more at the link in our bio.