Midwest Writers Gather at Boswell for 'Micro & Memoir, Poetry & Prose'

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The most memorable and thought-provoking literary characters are often those whose narratives beautifully balance themes that are both intensely personal and strikingly universal. No matter the genre, when readers can extrapolate the experiences in stories to their own realities, a deep connection is forged between reader and an author’s creative creations. A quartet of uniquely talented authors, writing in the styles of prose, poetry and memoir, will visit Boswell Book Co. to share intimate human stories of both fact and fiction.  

Locally based Robert Vaughan, who leads writing workshops at Red Oak Writing in Milwaukee, The Clearing in Door County and at locations nationwide, is the author of five books, including his recently released collection, Funhouse. This eclectic assortment of flash fiction, short fiction and lyrical poetry includes imaginative tales filled with haunting characters and exploding emotional outbursts. 

For Chicago-based writer Ben Tanzer, his latest release takes an enlightening look at the seemingly light-hearted topic of being cool. In Be Cool, Tanzer transposes his own recollections of a lifetime spent trying to be cool against a foil of cultural complexities that influence each generation in their attempts at “coolness.”

UW-Milwaukee doctoral student Caitlin Scarano’s new poetry anthology, Do Not Bring Him Water, comes alive through well-crafted personal stories of growing up in Alaska and in undisputed depictions of the ubiquitous trials of womanhood. Each poem is striking in its descriptive beauty as well as its intense focus on themes such as loss, loneliness and resilience. Milwaukee native

Lee Krecklow’s short fiction has appeared in numerous publications and he has also dabbled in film and journalism during his career as a writer. In his full-length fictional debut, The Expanse Between, Krecklow profiles a reclusive writer whose obsessive observances of his neighbor takes a sinister turn when what he sees no longer matches his expectations of how things should be.

All four authors will speak about their latest writing projects at the “Micro & Memoir, Poetry & Prose” event at Boswell Book Co., 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 21.