Ekphrasis (EK-fruh-sis) is the Greek term for a creative outlet that allows artists to comment on other works of art. In a new literary anthology edited by Wisconsin writers Christi Craig and Lisa Rivero, a global community of (mostly) female writers has compiled a timeless collection of touching personal tales based on family photographs, diaries, love letters and other artifacts.
Featuring a mix of emerging and established authors, the new collection, Family Stories from the Attic, brings dated archives back to life through vivid works of non-fiction. Many of these reminiscences celebrate the eternal themes of migration, family and love, and among the nearly two dozen works of prose and poetry, a number of Milwaukee voices and stories are on display. Local contributors include Pam Parker and Joanne Nelson, who have both had pieces featured on WUWM 89.7 Milwaukee Public Radio, as well as Milwaukee-area college professors, social workers and literary moms.
This wide-ranging compilation features inspirational stories of new immigrants arriving in the American Midwest in the early decades of the 20th century, separated families surviving the long years of World War II, as well as a lovely reimagining of the abbreviated life of an ancestor who succumbed to the 1918 Spanish flu.
Family Stories from the Attic is published by Milwaukee’s Hidden Timber Books and will celebrate its publication with a book launch at Boswell Book Co. (2559 N. Downer Ave.) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 13. Guests will be able to purchase a copy of the anthology and hear from editors Christi Craig and Lisa Rivero as well as many of the contributors.
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