Woodland Pattern Hosts Frank X Walker, Amelia Klem Osterud

Poet Frank X Walker is officially credited withcoining the term “Affrilachian,” an adjective that relates to African Americanswho reside in or come from Appalachia. In sodoing, this Kentucky native added new color tosociety’s perceptions of the multi-state region of Appalachiaand has gone on to celebrate a style of verse based on this unexpected, butappropriate, idiom. Walker’spieces are not always black-and-white, but rather cross barriers to connect theintellectual, political and cultural struggles of people. Walker will be talking up historical poetrywhen he hosts a writing workshop aptly titled “Making a Case for HistoricalPoetry” at Woodland Pattern Book Center on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 2to 4 p.m. The $25 fee covers the community seminar as well as admission to a 7p.m. public reading. Walker is the author offour poetry collections and currently serves as the writer-in-residence and alecturer of English at Northern Kentucky University.

Milwaukeean Amelia Klem Osterud is a tattooedacademic librarian, so no one should be surprised that her first manuscript iscalled The Tattooed Lady: A History.Yet while Osterud is indeed permanently inked, this publication is no autobiography.She writes of a time when it was entirely unseemly for a woman to show off atattoo. The Tattooed Lady is amomentous tale that chronicles the women behind the tattooed bodies, women whotraveled across Americaon circus trains during a time when even to reveal an ankle was outrageous.Osterud provides veritable accounts of these fearless females by bringing themfront and center out of the carnival tents and into real life. By combiningresearch with period photography, this local author explores women’s historyalongside the cultural movement of tattooing. Osterud will visit Woodland Pattern Book Center as part of a newprose series on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m.