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KEYNOTE SPEAKERSWEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 | A Conversation with Sarah VowellSarah Vowell Vowell was a contributing editor for the public radio show This American Life from 1996-2008, where she produced numerous commentaries and documentaries and toured the country in many of the program’s live shows. She was one of the original contributors to McSweeney’s, also participating in many of the quarterly’s readings and shows. She has been a columnist for Salon.com, Time, San Francisco Weekly, and is a contributing op-ed writer for the New York Times, where she writes about American history and politics, education and life in Montana. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18Nigel Poor FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19Felton Thomas, Jr.
FEATURED SPEAKERSNOTE: WLA members and members of the Wisconsin library community-at-large, who are conference presenters, are not included in this listing. Nevertheless, their participation is critical to the success of our conference and we are grateful for their participation! For contact information, members may consult the online directory at https://wla.memberclicks.net/. For non-member contact information, please refer to the printed Conference Booklet, which will be available at the conference and posted on the website as soon as it's available. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 | YSS LUNCHEON SPEAKERCathy Camper Born and raised in Wisconsin, Cathy Camper is the author of the Lowriders in Space series, Bugs Before Time: Prehistoric Insects and Their Relatives, and Ten Ways to Hear Snow. She is also the author of two zines, Sugar Needle and The Lou Reeder, and is a founding member of the Portland Women of Color Zine collection and a graduate of VONA/VOICES workshops for writers of color. She has also written articles, reviews, and stories for the magazines Cricket, Wired, and Giant Robot, the LAMBDA Literary website, and was on the board of the Arab Literary magazine Mizna. A huge believer of diversity and authenticity, Camper advocates for representation for all in books, magazines, and other media. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon working as an outreach librarian for kids in grades K-12. In her spare time, Camper likes to make art out of seeds and is a huge proponent for daydreaming. Cathy is the recipient of the 2021 Burr/Worzalla Award.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18 | LUNCHEON SPEAKERRobyn Gigl Robyn Gigl is an author, attorney, speaker and activist who has been honored by the ACLU-NJ and the NJ Pride Network for her work on behalf of the LGBTQ community. Appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court to the Committee on Diversity Inclusion and Community Engagement, she is active in the New Jersey State Bar Association where she is a member of the Diversity Committee, the Women in the Profession Section and a Past Chair of the Bar's LGBT Rights Section. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s largest LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Organization and a frequent lecturer on diversity issues. She lives in New Jersey. Photo Credit – Wendy Tumminello FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19 | LUNCHEON SPEAKERSteven Wright Steven Wright teaches both law and creative writing at UW-Madison. Professor Wright is a clinical associate professor and co-director of the Wisconsin Innocence Project. The Wisconsin Innocence Project seeks to exonerate the innocent and to train the next generation of legal leaders. Professor Wright has also taught first-year criminal law and appellate advocacy. During his time with the Wisconsin Innocence Project, Professor Wright has participated in several exonerations including the exoneration of Daniel Scheidell and Sam Hadaway. He's also won cases in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.
FEATURED BREAKOUT SESSION SPEAKERSCharlie Donlea is the critically acclaimed, USA Today, Indiebound and #1 internationally bestselling author of Summit Lake, The Girl Who Was Taken, Don't Believe It, Some Choose Darkness, The Suicide House, and Twenty Years Later. Published in nearly 30 countries and translated into more than a dozen languages, Donlea has been praised for his "soaring pace, teasing plot twists" (BookPage) and talent for writing an ending that "makes your jaw drop" (The New York Times Book Review). He was born and raised in Chicago, where he continues to live with his wife and two children. Visit Charlie Donlea online at www.CharlieDonlea.com.
Erica Ruth Neubauer is the Agatha Award-winning author of the Jane Wunderly Mysteries, as well as an Anthony Award and Lefty Award finalist. She spent eleven years in the military, nearly two as a Maryland police officer, and one as a high school English teacher, before finding her way as a writer. She has been a reviewer of mysteries and crime fiction for publications such as Publishers Weekly and Mystery Scene Magazine for several years, and she’s a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Erica Ruth lives in Milwaukee, WI. Visit her at EricaRuthNeubauer.com.
Norman Gilliland is a longtime host-producer at Wisconsin Public Radio. In addition to hosting weekday classical music broadcasts, he reads for Chapter A Day. He does interviews for WPR’s University of the Air and PBS Wisconsin’s University Place Presents. He’s the author of three novels—Sand Mansions, Midnight Catch, and Downeast Ledge—and two books about classical music—Grace Notes for a Year and Scores to Settle. His audio productions include Beowulf: The Complete Story—a Drama and Oedipus Rex. Since 1990 he’s been the emcee of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra’s popular Concerts on the Square. He lives in Middleton with his wife Amanda.
Mary Boone has ridden an elephant, skydived, and eaten dozens of cricket cookies – all in the interest of research for her books and articles. She has written 60-plus nonfiction books for young readers. Mary grew up in Iowa and spent the early part of her career writing and editing for newspapers in the Midwest. She now lives in Tacoma, WA, where she shares an office with an Airedale Terrier named Ruthie Bader.
Jeffrey Russell |