For twelve years, the Fox Cities Book Festival has been connecting writers and readers of all ages and interests, and this year the festival will take place over the week of October 7-13. Different this year compared to previous festivals, “Each day, a different Fox Cities community will become the focus of the festival with all, or most of the events taking place in one location,” states their website. This means no competing events and no rushing across the Fox Valley to get to the next event. Instead, festival attendees can sit back and relax without having to worry about too much travel time. The headliner for this year’s festival is Elizabeth Letts, “the #1 New York Times bestselling author of both historical fiction and non-fiction.” She will be at the Lawrence Memorial Chapel on October 13 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. to discuss writing her newest novel, Finding Dorothy. “This richly imagined novel tells the story behind The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the book that inspired the iconic film, through the eyes of author L. Frank Baum’s intrepid wife, Maud,” reads the book’s description. Find out more about Elizabeth Letts and her event at the Fox Cities Book Festival here. No matter what your favorite genre is or how old you are, Fox Cities Book Festival has something for you. Hone your writing skills at a workshop, enjoy a reading or performance by authors from every genre, get advice on publishing and writing craft, and attend a presentation…

When thinking about your local bookstore, what comes to mind? Is it a familiar friendly face greeting you as you walk in? Is it a sense of comfort and calm? There is a simple magic to independent bookstores, and they’re a refuge for many in the neighborhoods they serve, playing an important role in benefitting the community. Local independent bookstores are vital pillars in the community. Writer’s Digest states that unlike big chain stores, “Independent bookstores directly serve the community and the individual. Their contributions are invaluable… Independent bookstores support core values of community, creativity, convening, civility, and contact.” They provide a place to connect with like-minded individuals and to feel recognized in a world where we often feel like just another face in the crowd, a safe haven of comfort in our ever more fast-paced world. Booksellers at indie bookstores focus on personalized service for each individual and fostering longstanding relationships with people in the community. The Reader’s Loft, an independent bookstore in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has a mission statement that says, “Our goal at the Reader’s Loft is to create an atmosphere where people can come together to browse the shelves in search of something not yet known, to meet in our gathering space to discuss the latest book club pick, to hear poetry performed by our area’s fellowship of poets, or to meet a favorite author. We invite you to get lost in the stacks, to connect, and to grow.” Thomas A. Lyons Fine Books in Neenah,…

Congratulations to Ann Marie Ackermann! The German translation of her book Death of an Assassin: The True Story of the German Murderer Who Died Defending Robert E. Lee will be published in September by the Silberburg-Verlag publishing house. Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior will sponsor her launch party as one of 16 nationwide events as part of their promotion of regional literature. The launch party will be held on the evenings of September 25 and 26 in the Zander Museum for Naïve Art at the spectacular Bönnigheim Palace, and speakers include the mayor of Bönnigheim on the first night, as well as the editor-in-chief of Silberburg-Verlag. Attendees will enjoy a champagne reception and a reenactment of scenes from the 1835 murder investigation. Several local actors will play a part in the presentation, including city council members, a local policeman, students in the school theater club, and the head of the Bönnigheim Historical Society. Afterward, there will be an opportunity to purchase a copy of the book and get it signed by Ann Marie Ackermann. The event is co-sponsored by the city of Bönnigheim and publishing house Silberburg-Verlag. Then on April 5, 2020, the Museum im Steinhaus in Bönnigheim is opening an exhibit titled “Mord am Bönnigheimer Bürgermeister – Urknall der Kriminalballistik 1835” (Murder of Bönnigheim’s Mayor—Ballistics’ Big Bang) about the murder of Mayor Rieber almost 200 years ago and the case’s connection to the birth of forensic ballistics. The chief of the Baden-Württemberg State Police, Ralf Michelfelder, will be…