UntitledTown Book and Author Festival

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Speakers

  • Danez Smith

    Danez Smith is the author of four collections including Don’t Call Us Dead, Homie, and most recently Bluff, a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. They are also the curator of Blues In Stereo: The Early Works of Langston Hughes. For their work, Danez won the Forward Prize for Best Collection, the…

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  • Peter and Carrie Sherrill

    Carrie and Peter Sherrill have always loved playing with words. Peter is a retired physician, woodworker, stained glass artist, guitarist, father and grandfather. His undergraduate degree is in English. Carrie is a retired nurse, caterer, master gardener, mother and grandmother. She has a degree with an emphasis in Creative Writing. Ellen Kort, Wisconsin’s first…

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  • Amy Casey

    Amy’s debut novel The Sturgeon’s Heart (2022) earned honorable mentions at the Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year Awards and the Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards. The novel also received a starred review from Booklist magazine. Amy’s work explores the force of the natural world and the internal landscapes of human possibility. Her writing…

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  • Ted Prokash

    Ted Prokash has published three novels with Expat Press, NYC: “Napawaupee County Blues (2018)”, “Nikolai Andreyevich (2021)” and “A Club for Gentlemen (2024)”. He is a founding member of avant grade rhythm & blues combo Hue Blanc’s Joyless Ones.

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  • Kathie Giorgio

    KATHIE GIORGIO is the author of eight novels, two story collections, an essay collection, and six poetry collections. Her latest poetry collection, The Birth Of A Widow, was released in March 2026. Her eighteenth book, ninth novel, Unique In All The World, will be released in February 2027. She’s been awarded the Outstanding Achievement…

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  • Brandon Thomas

    Brandon Thomas

    Brandon lives in Appleton, WI with his wife and 2 daughters. He holds a BFA from UW Milwaukee. He is also an artist (under the same name, Brandon Thomas) and musician (Strategic). He loves incorporating text & poems into his art and he continues to write more music and poetry. He may even be…

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  • Lindsey Bussie

    Lindsey is an author, writer, marketer, and small business owner with nine years of experience in social media, content strategy, and copywriting. As a freelance writer, she helps startups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses create clear, effective messaging and build a strong brand presence. A published writer and author of two novellas and a book,…

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  • Jessica Marie Baumgartner

    Jessica is the author of Reclaiming Femininity, The Magic of Trees, Homeschooling on a Budget, and more. She is a journalist who currently works for the Right Side Broadcasting Network and Mid Rivers Newsmagazine. Her work has been featured by Missouri Conservationist, Chicken Soup for the Soul, the Foundation for Economic Education, and many more. She is a member of…

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  • Debra Hall

    “Debra Hall is a Racine poet whose work explores the intersection of love, loss, and the sacred ordinary. She just published her debut chapbook, What the Current Cannot Swallow by Write Where We Belong Press, Canada. She serves as the current president of the Kenosha/Racine Poet Laureate program and she was Racine Poet Laureate…

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  • Gail Buntin Blohowiak

    Gail Buntin Blohowiak (aka Betts Arney and Anne Buntin) was born and raised in Green Bay Wisconsin. Her writing always points a way through those ‘messy middles’ we all face. Her middle grade realistic fiction has won critical acclaim and several awards. Her plays deal with the perils of widowhood and her upcoming women’s…

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