The Vietnam War is over. But is it? After experiencing Bruce Weigl’s collection of poems titled Song of Napalm, I realized that the war is still very much alive in the minds of some folks who participated. Weigl, an Army veteran and recipient of the Bronze Star, uses vivid language and imagery to share his feelings of pain, loss and personal hell. This is potent…
Read moreStart investigating your family history at the Milwaukee Public Library. Once a month a Humanities librarian offers a brief introduction to library resources available for beginning genealogists. Upcoming dates will be Thursdays June 19th, July 17th, and August 21st from 12::00-1:00 p.m. at the Central Library in Conference Room 2A (Paul Gottfried Krikelas). This free presentation is open to the public. Reservations are not required.
Read moreIn his last book, Griftopia, Matt Taibbi detailed the multiple ways the financial sector has manipulated the economy for its own profit. This resulted in the fleecing of ordinary Americans in ways they might never have realized. Such unregulated behavior has only served to widen the gap between the rich and poor. In his new book, The Divide, Taibbi explores what this widening means. He discusses…
Read moreDid you know that the Humanities Room at Central Library is home to thousands of historic photographs of Milwaukee in the Historic Photo Collection? The image above is just one example. It captures a moment from the 4th of July celebrations at Lake Park in 1918. Members of the Ladies Home Defense group can be seen marching in the center of the field. A selection of…
Read moreGood weird. Funny weird. Captivating weird. It’s like the literary equivalent of an Adam Sandler movie penned by Mark Twain. Sort of a concoction between Twain’s Letters From the Earth and Sandler’s Little Nicky. Billy Ridgeway wakes up after a bender to find great smelling coffee brewing in the kitchen and Lucifer Morningstar (Satan) sitting in his living room. Hangover central. The Weirdness just gets weirder…
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