Platteville Public Library to Host Book & Writers’ Festival

On Saturday, April 28 from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m., the Platteville Public Library will host a mini literary festival for area writers. The Book & Writers’ Festival will feature six local authors, including several professors from UW-Platteville’s English Department. This event is free and open to anyone interested in improving their craft and meeting fellow writers.

Outreach librarian Emma Radosevich has been planning this event with the help of UW-P professors Bill Yazbec and Karen Pluemer. In addition to teaching composition and creative writing, both professors have screenwriting, editing, and publishing experience. Along with local authors David Krugler, Kathy Jacobson, and Joe Potosi, Yazbec will speak at the opening panel discussion. Yazbec’s novel, Charlie’s Bequest, was published in 2016. These authors will share their personal experiences with traditional, small, and self-publishing.

Attendees are also invited to participate in a variety of short workshops. History professor David Krugler will speak about using historical details to add depth to his novels. Krugler’s sequel to his 2016 spy thriller The Dead Don’t Bleed will be released by Pegasus Books this July. 

Although most of the featured authors write fiction, writers of all disciplines can benefit. Creative writing professor Thomas Pitcher will lead a session on worldbuilding, applying his experience with roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons. Pluemer will teach participants how to strengthen their story’s narrative in her workshop “Story Structure Using the Hero’s Journey.”

Radosevich says, “I think everyone should take a class like this. A writer who can write a three-act story arc can write anything—novels, screenplays, even news articles.”

The event will conclude with a casual open-mic hour, during which presenters will read selections of their work. Attendees are invited to bring any of their own writing to read aloud. The festival’s featured authors will also sell and sign copies of their books.

A schedule of this event is available at the library’s website plattevillepubliclibrary.org/bookfestival. 

For more information, contact Emma Radosevich at outreach@plattevillepubliclibrary.org.