Voices of the Middle West 2016

We are thrilled to announce our 3rd Annual Voices of the Middle West: A Celebration of Writers and Independent Presses, to be held on Saturday, March 12, 2016. Created in partnership with the University of Michigan’s Residential College, Voices of the Middle West is a festival celebrating writers from all walks of life as well as independent presses and journals that consider the Midwestern United States their home.

RSVP on our (open to the public) Facebook event.

The lineup of writers and panels this year is…well, we’re blown away, and we hope you’ll come participate with some of the best and most exciting voices our region has to offer.

The keynote (5 PM) will be delivered by none other than acclaimed poet, and 2015 National Book Award finalist, Ross Gay, author of three books: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. There will be a reception open to the public after the keynote, where Mr. Gay will be available to sign copies of his books, available to purchase by Literati Bookstore.

The day will also feature the following panels: Storytelling as Community, Personal Histories: Where Memoir and Fiction Meet, Publishing Panel: Unheard Voices, and Local Color: Is there a Midwestern Character?. The lineup is absolutely stacked, including the following authors, poets, publishers, and editors:

  • Fred Arroyo
  • Melissa Faliveno
  • Angela Flournoy (a 2015 National Book Award finalist)
  • Matthew Gavin Frank
  • Peter Geye
  • Naomi Huffman
  • Matthew Kirkpatrick
  • Airea D. Matthews
  • Phong Nguyen
  • Christina Olson
  • Anne-Marie Oomen
  • Emily Schultz
  • Jared Yates Sexton
  • Amber Sparks
  • Megan Stielstra
  • Ben Tanzer
  • Jim Warner

There will also be a Bookfair featuring nearly 40 publications and presses with Midwestern roots from 10 AM to 5 PM in the atrium (main level) of East Quad. And an Open Mic, where students and community writers are invited to share their work with an audience.

The goal of the festival is to bring together students and faculty of the university, as well as writers and presses from all over the Midwest, in order to provide a perspective of this region and to showcase the magnificent work being produced here, the stories that need to be told…the voices that need to be heard.

Held on the campus of the University of Michigan, Voices of the Middle West will take place on Saturday, March 21.

Check out the links below for more information, including directions and maps, a list of bookfair exhibitors and information on all of the panels. Additional information will be added in the coming weeks.

Also, please feel free to RSVP on our (open to the public) Facebook event.

There is no cost to attend the festival, and we invite you to stop by and see what we’re all about. Hope to see you there!

About / General Information

Event Schedule / Directions and Parking

Presenters

Bookfair Information / Exhibitor List

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