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Join authors Dean Robbins and Amy Waldman at the Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books for a discussion of "Stars of Wisconsin." The two writers talk about those heroes among us who have shaped Wisconsin’s past and present.
Dean Robbins is the author of the essay collection Wisconsin Idols: 100 Heroes Who Changed the State, the World, and Me, which offers a unique perspective on legendary figures with often surprising connections to the state, including Jackie Robinson, Oprah Winfrey, Harrison Ford, Elvis Presley, Orson Welles, Ann Landers and Joni Mitchell. Mixing persponal reflections on these icons with humorous anecdotes, the book establishes Wisconsin as a notably influential place: a crossroads for people who changed the world. Attendees will learn more about the Wisconsin heroes they know and discover new heroes to fall in love with. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar calls Wisconsin Idols “insightful and entertaining: a passionate and poetic homage.”
Amy Waldman is the author, with Peter Jest, of We Had Fun and Nobody Died: Adventures of a Milwaukee Music Promoter, chronicling Jest's decades-long career bringing live music to Wisconsin and promoting acts such as Violent Femmes, John Prine, Patti Smith, and many more. From a young age, Jest was determined to make a career in live music, and despite naysayers and obstacles, he did just that, bringing national acts to his college campus at UWM, booking thousands of concerts across Wisconsin and the Midwest, and opening Shank Hall, the legendary Milwaukee venue named after a club in the cult film This Is Spinal Tap. This funny, nostalgia-inducing book shines a light into the seldom-seen world of music promotion, as Jest negotiates with agents, deals with fires (both real and metaphorical), struggles through a pandemic, and takes pleasure in presenting music of all kinds, from world-famous acts to up-and-coming local bands.
For more information on the Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books, including a schedule of all the Fest events, visit https://sewibookfest.com/
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