Leonardo da Vinci was a true polymath of the Renaissance era. Even 500 years after his death, he remains universally renowned for his emblematic paintings (Mona Lisa, The Last Supper), technological inventions (flying machines, armored war vehicles, parachutes), scientific advances (metallurgy and engineering, among others), and highly detailed drawings (the Vitruvian Man, most notably). In Mike Lankford’s biography Becoming Leonardo: An Exploded View of the Life of Leonardo Da Vinci, origin stories of Leonardo’s timeless achievements as well as the peculiarities of his private life underscore both the brilliance and the humanity of this timeless person. Despite his worldwide acclaim, there is still much about Leonardo’s life that remains shrouded in mystery. Drawing on a trove of research as well as well-founded speculation, Lankford has created a dynamic portrait of one of history’s preeminent enlightened men, while also providing a passionate biographical account of Leonardo’s lasting contributions to society.
Lankford is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and author of the book Life in Double Time: Confessions of an American Drummer, a debut that was recognized as the best music book of the year by numerous publications. His latest book, Becoming Leonardo: An Exploded View of the Life of Leonardo Da Vinci, was honored as a Wall Street Journal best nonfiction book of 2017 and is a finalist for the Oregon Book Awards. Lankford will appear at the Charles Allis Art Museum at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 7 in co-sponsorship with Boswell Book Company.
Book Happening:
Poetry in the Park
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6:30 p.m., Tuesday Sept. 11
Juneau Park, 900 N. Prospect Ave.
For his latest collection of poems, UW-Milwaukee Honors College instructor David Southward chose as his topic one of history’s—and mythology’s—most significant figures, Jesus. His Apocrypha is (perhaps after William Carlos Williams?) a seamless convergence of the dignified and the vernacular, rhythmic in its quick storytelling. And those stories are familiar, yet the perspectives are sometimes unusual. Mary Magdalene complains about the words men put into her mouth and Judas argues that “without the likes of me, his tortured faith would have no poetry.” Also reading-performing are the trio of Steve Pump, Chris Austin, and Paul Enea plus Lilo Allen and Nina Szarka.
