DEREK ANDERSON is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of 21 books for children, five of which he wrote. He illustrated the Little Quack series, written by Lauren Thompson, and the Hot Rod Hamster series, written by Cynthia Lord. Both of these series have won multiple awards, including the ALA/CBC Children’s Choice Award and the Parents’ Choice Award. His latest book is Hot Rod Hampster: Monster Truck Mania. Anderson lives in Minneapolis. Find him at derekanderson.net
BILL BERRY grew up in Green Bay and earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. After more than 20 years as a reporter, columnist and editor for several daily newspapers, he redirected his energy to communicate about conservation and agriculture. This work has taken him across the United States to learn and teach about private lands conservation. His book Banning DDT: How Citizen Activists Led the Way tells the story of how a dedicated group of Wisconsinites uncovered the dangers of DDT. A columnist for The Capital Times newspaper in Madison, Berry lives in Stevens Point.
Berry is participating in the Wisconsin Authors panel.
JUDY BRIDGES is the author of the award-winning writers’ guide, Shut Up & Write! and the founder of Redbird Studio writing center in Milwaukee. Prior to founding the studio, she earned her living writing articles, short stories, plays. and corporate communications. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in creative writing and adult education. Her next book will be a collection of life stories titled You Drive, You’re too Drunk to Sing. She can be found at www.redbirdstudio.com.
Bridges is running a Writers’ Workshop on Thursday evening, April 16, from 6-7:30 pm at the Waupaca Library. Register on the Waupaca Library website.
NICKOLAS BUTLER was born in Pennsylvania, raised in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and educated at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop. He is the author of the bestselling novel Shotgun Lovesongs, which continues to garner rave reviews. His collection of short stories entitled Beneath the Bonfire will be released in May 2015. His short stories, poetry, and nonfiction have appeared in many publications, including Ploughshares, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Kenyan Review Online. He lives in rural Wisconsin with his family. Find him at nickolasbutler.com
CHRISTINE DeSMET is a novelist, screenwriter, short story writer, and playwright. She teaches writing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she earned degrees in journalism. She’s the director of the annual Write-by-the-Lake Writer’s Workshop & Retreat and the Weekend with Your Novel. DeSmet is a member of the Writers Guild of America, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Romance Writers of America, and Jewels of the Quill. Her romantic suspense novel, Spirit Lake, won RWA’s Golden Pen contest. Her Fudge Shop mystery series takes place in Door County; her Mischief in Moonstone mysteries take place in northern Wisconsin. Find her at christinedesmet.wordpress.com.
DeSmet is participating in the Wisconsin Authors panel on Saturday, April 18. She will also run an advanced Writers’ Workshop on Friday, April 17, from 1-2:30 pm at the Waupaca Library. The workshop is $20, and limited to 30 writers. Register on the Waupaca Library website.
DYLAN GARITY is a College National Poetry Slam Champion, whose work has been featured on Upworthy and The Huffington Post. He is a 2012 graduate with honors from Macalester College. He was a member of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Macalester Slam teams, which placed 3rd, 1st and 2nd in the nation, respectively. He was named Best Poet at the 2012 tournament. He was also a member of the 2011 and 2013 Minneapolis national slam teams, which ranked 5th and 9th at the National Poetry Slam. He currently resides in Minneapolis. Find out more about Dylan at buttonpoetry.com/2013/06/03/dylangarity.
Poetry workshop 5:00 pm, open mic 6:00 pm, Garity reading 7:00 pm
The Woods Restaurant, 815 West Fulton St.
VICTORIA HOUSTON is the author of the Loon Lake mystery series, set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin against a background of fishing. Her nonfiction books include Restore Yourself: A Woman’s Guide to Reviving her Libido and Passion for Life, which she wrote with Dr. James Simon. Houston was born and raised in Rhinelander, WI, where she grew up fishing. When she turned 50, she learned to fly fish. After careers in magazine and newspaper writing, publicity, and public relations, she returned to Rhinelander where she now hunts, fishes, and writes mysteries. Find her at victoriahouston.com.
Houston is participating in the Wisconsin Authors panel.
DEAN JENSEN wrote for Sheboygan and Manitowoc newspapers before joining the Milwaukee Journal. Jensen wrote about anything, but preferred being an art critic. He eventually was assigned to cover the Great Circus Parade, and became fascinated by the backstage stories of the performers. The art and circus worlds came together at a visit with Alfred Pelikan, the former director of the Milwaukee Art Institute. Pelikan’s sister, Lillian Leitzel, was one of the world’s most famous circus performers. Jensen told her story in Queen of the Air: A True Story of Love and Tragedy at the Circus. Jensen has also written The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hinton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins, and The Biggest, The Smallest, The Longest, The Shortest: A Chronicle of the American Circus from Its Heartland. Jensen owns the Dean Jensen Gallery in Milwaukee and continues to write. Find him at deanjensengallery.com.
Jensen is participating in the Wisconsin Authors panel.
S.J. KINCAID was born in Alabama, grew up in California, and attended high school in New Hampshire. She also interned for a politician in Washington, D.C., and received degrees from universities in Illinois and Ohio, but it was while living beside a haunted graveyard in Edinburgh, Scotland, that she realized she wanted to be a writer. Several years, several manuscripts, and several jobs later, Ms. Kincaid now lives outside of Chicago, and Insignia is her debut novel. Vortex and Catalyst conclude this exciting series. Find her at sjkincaid.com.
K.J. KLEMME spends her days as a computer geek, and her evenings and weekends murdering and maiming. She inflicts torture and myriad miseries … on paper. Karlie chose a career in computers, but the writer in her wouldn’t be quiet. Finally, she capitulated and started writing. Her suspense novel, Tourist Trapped, debuted in September 2014. She is currently working on the second book in the Trapped trilogy. While publishing Tourist Trapped, Karlie dove into the e-book creation process. She enjoyed it so much she began offering her services to her fellow authors. Thus far, her enterprise, Travels and Travails Publishing, has created three additional e-books. Karlie remains in the Midwest, living with a Westie and a Scottie-mix who allow Karlie to cohabit with them … as long as the treats cupboard remains well stocked. Find her at www.kjklemme.com.
Klemme is running a free Writers’ Workshop on Friday, April 17 from 10-11:30 am at the Waupaca Library. Register at the Waupaca Library website.
JUNE MELBY is a writer and performer with an MFA in nonfiction writing from the University of Iowa. Her work has appeared in several publications including The Utne Reader, National Lampoon Magazine, and LA Weekly. My Family and Other Hazards, her humorous, award-winning memoir about working summers at her family’s mini-golf course in Waupaca, WI, was released in 2014. She lives in a cabin in the woods with her husband and their 20-lb. cat, Ferdinand Magellan. She can be found at junemelby.com.
– June Melby will be speaking at Lunch and Learn at the Waupaca Library on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at noon.
MIKE MULLIN holds a degree in political science, an MBA, and is a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He has been a Congressional page and spent a year in Brazil as a Rotary exchange student. He paid his way through college by working at Children’s Ink Bookstore, and has worked for them in one way or another ever since, while also working as a brand manager and a remodeler, among other things. His award-winning Ashfall novels, a Young Adult series, begins with the actual supervolcano under Yellowstone and imagines what might happen if it erupted. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and her three cats. He can be found at mikemullinauthor.com.
JOE NIESE is a librarian and member of the Society for American Baseball Research. He retains a near-to-lifetime fascination with the sport of baseball. His articles on baseball have appeared in The National Pastime and Nine: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture. His first book, Burleigh Grimes: Baseball’s Last Legal Spitballer, was published in 2013. Handy Andy: The Andy Pafko Story will be published in early 2015. Niese lives in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and can be found at joeniese.com.
– Joe Niese will be speaking at Winchester Academy on Monday, March 16, 2015 at 6:30 pm.
STAN TEKIELA is a naturalist, wildlife photographer and writer. He has authored more than 130 field guides, nature appreciation books and wildlife audio CDs for nearly every state in the nation, presenting many species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, trees, wildflowers and cacti. Tekiela earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural History from the University of Minnesota. As an active professional naturalist for more than 25 years, Stan studies and photographs wildlife throughout the United States. He can be found at naturesmart.com.
JIM TRAINOR grew up in Los Angeles, where he earned a PhD in experimental physics. He wrote over 60 professional articles in his 20 years as a physicist. He became an Episcopalian priest, and wrote a book about the intersection of science and faith called Grasp: Making Sense of Science and Spirituality. His work as a physicist and later as a priest has taken him across the country. He has written three novels: Waverly’s Universe, The Sand People, and his latest, Up North, which was published in the fall of 2014. Trainor lives on a lake in central Wisconsin with his wife and their dog. Find him at jimtrainorauthor.com.
Trainor is the moderator of the Wisconsin Authors panel.
LARRY WATSON was born and raised in North Dakota. He earned his BA and Master’s degrees at the University of North Dakota, and PhD in creative writing at the University of Utah. He is a poet, short story writer, and novelist. His books include Montana 1948, American Boy, Orchard, In a Dark Time, White Crosses, Laura, and his latest, Let Him Go. He has taught writing and literature at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Marquette University. He lives in Milwaukee with his wife. Find him at larry-watson.com.