More than 50 authors to participate in 2026 Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books

WAUKESHA, Wis. - EntSun -- Carroll University will be home to more than 50 authors on Saturday, November 7 when the Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books hosts the second day of the free annual two-day community event. Festival goers will be able to choose from sessions offered across five different program tracks.

Programs will include over 50 authors in 20 panel discussions and presentations across a range of genres. Headliners of this year's festival include national bestsellers James Cleary (Sanctuary, The Silenced and A Winsome Murder), City of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin Poet Laureate Emeritus Dasha Kelly Hamilton (Baker's Dozen and Almost Crimson), Liam Callanan (Paris by the Book, When in Rome and The Cloud Atlas), and Edward Underhill (The House of Now and Then and The In-Between Bookstore).

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For those with an interest in food, the festival has you covered. Founder of Third Lake Sausage Shop Jesse Brookstein (The Best of the Wurst) will be joined by Jeanette Hurt (Wisconsin Cocktails) for "Eat, Drink and Be Merry."

"This year, the festival is all about variety. No matter what you read, it's here. All genres for all ages of readers, and hitting every interest. You'll wish you could be in three different places at once!" says program chair Kathie Giorgio, Director of AllWriters' Workplace and Workshop and the award-winning author of eight novels, two short story collections, a memoir, and six poetry collections including The Birth of a Widow, If You Tame Me, Enlarged Hearts and The Home for Wayward Clocks. Giorgio will be moderating as well as presenting.

AllWriters' Workplace & Workshop is sponsoring a special track of programs for writers looking to hone their craft or get started on a writing project. Festival bookseller Books and Company of Oconomowoc will be on hand to facilitate book sales and author signings. In addition, Don Taylors Writers' Marketplace will provide a place for self-publishing authors and local organizations to exhibit.

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The doors will open at 9:00 a.m. The festival runs until 4:00 p.m.

Founded in 2010, the Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books was created to bring a free, large-scale celebration of writing and reading to the greater Waukesha community that also recognized writers who live in or write about Wisconsin. Previously held at the UW-Waukesha (later UWM-Waukesha) campus, the event has been held at Carroll University since 2025.

Major sponsors of this year's event are Century Companies, the Maas Foundation, and Tony and Andrea Bryant.

For the full program visit www.sewibookfest.com