Fox Cities Book Festival 2019 Has Events for All
by,
September 24, 2019

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… [Read More]

The Importance of Independent Bookstores
by,
July 23, 2019

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… [Read More]

Making Science Fun – An Interview with Larry Scheckel
by,
October 30, 2018

As we go through our everyday lives, science is at work all around us, though many of us take little notice. Teacher, author, and presenter Larry Scheckel has made it his mission “to show that science is valuable, a worthy human pursuit, and just plain fun.” And that’s exactly what he does in his latest book I Wondered About That, Too: 111 Questions and Answers… [Read More]

Gear Up for Fox Cities Book Festival 2018
by,
September 11, 2018

No matter what season, there is often no pastime more pleasant than curling up with a good book. However, this fall, readers will have the chance to not only read their favorite authors, but also to meet them as well. The eleventh annual Fox Cities Book Festival is happening from October 8 to 14 at venues all across the Fox Cities and continues in its mission to… [Read More]

Book Festivals
by,
August 7, 2018

Around the country there are a variety of book festivals which bring authors and readers together. Book festivals are different than literary festivals which are intended for writers instead of readers. They are opportunities for authors to promote and market their book directly to their audience. Readers find them celebrations of their favorite books and authors with readings, signings, presentations, special events, and performances. While… [Read More]

Fox Cities Reads 2018 Ruta Sepetys, Salt to the Sea
by,
February 20, 2018

It is a privilege to serve on the board of the Fox Cities Book Festival and it is with great excitement I can share the news about the 2018 selection for the Fox Cities Reads. Each year one book brings together the communities of the Fox Cities. This year that one book is Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. In 1945, World War II… [Read More]

Searching for Moshe Rynecki
by,
September 26, 2017

Elizabeth Rynecki is the author of Chasing Portraits: A Great-Granddaughter’s Quest for her Lost Art Legacy published by NAL/Berkley/Penguin Random House in September 2016. An odyssey spanning generations, decades, and countries, Chasing Portraits is the true story of Elizabeth Rynecki’s search for the lost art of her great-grandfather, Moshe Rynecki. His unique paintings focused primarily on the Jewish-Polish community in Warsaw between the first and… [Read More]

Fox Cities Book Festival October 9-15
by,
September 12, 2017

Connecting writers and readers for ten years, the Fox Cities Book Festival celebrates books, ideas, stories, and community in the Fox River Valley this October. In January 2017 I joined the board and have been excited about this year’s new developments. This is the first year the festival will be held in the fall instead of the spring. The Fox Cities Reads program—one book one… [Read More]

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
by,
August 29, 2017

Kent State University Press will publish Death of an Assassin: The True Story of the German Murderer Who Died Defending Robert E. Lee in its True Crime History series on September 1, 2017. Congratulations to Ann Marie Ackermann who kicks off her book launch with several events in Germany and then brings her book tour to the U.S. for the month of October. She’ll be… [Read More]

Writing Advice from Will Schwalbe
by,
April 28, 2015

On Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at the Atlas Coffee Mill, three dozen Fox Cities writers filled a meeting room for a workshop with Will Schwalbe, author of End-of-Your-Life Book Club (Knopf, 2012) and editor at Macmillan. Friday afternoon there were two readings to packed houses as part of the Fox Cities Book Festival. I listened to him at UW Fox Valley where the audience spilled… [Read More]