Poetry Event with Kathie Giorgio, Richard Hedderman, and B.J. Best

Join us for an evening featuring local writer Kathie Giorgio with Richard Hedderman and BJ Best. We will be celebrating the launch of Kathie’s new book of poetry, Let Me Tell You, Let Me Sing! , a special warm-up event for the Southeast Wisconsin Festival of Books!

Kathie will be joined by two poet friends, Richard Hedderman and BJ Best, who will also read from their work, and then join Kathie in a Q & A. Book signing to follow.

KATHIE GIORGIO is the critically acclaimed author of eight novels, as well as two story collections, a collection of essays, and four poetry books. Another new poetry book, The Birth Of A Widow, will be released by Kelsay Books in the fall of 2026. She’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in fiction and poetry and awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association, the Silver Pen Award for Literary Excellence, the Pencraft Award for Literary Excellence, and the Eric Hoffer Award In Fiction. Her poem “Light” won runner-up in the 2021 Rosebud Magazine Poetry Prize and her poem, “Again”, won first prize in the Wisconsin Writers Association’s Jade Ring contest. She is a two-time winner of the Zona Gale Short Fiction Award, for her stories, “Quiet” and “Recipe”. Her short story, “Snapdragon”, was performed on stage for the Stories On Stage series at Su Teatro theatre in Boulder, Colorado. Her poem, “Harvest Moon”, was included in the Poetry Leaves exhibition in Waterford, Michigan. In a recent column, Jim Higgins, the books editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, included Giorgio in a list of the top 21 Wisconsin writers of the 21st century.

Besides being a writer, Giorgio is also the director and founder of the international creative writing studio, AllWriters’ Workplace & Workshop LLC. AllWriters’ offers online and on-site courses and workshops in all genres and abilities of creative writing, as well as coaching and editing services. Thousands of writers worldwide have gotten their start at AllWriters’, and thousands have continued their career there. Giorgio has taught for 30 years. Kathie lives in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Visit her at https://www.kathiegiorgio.org

RICHARD HEDDERMAN is a Multi-Pushcart Prize nominated poet, writer, essayist, and educator and author of the books. His work is featured in numerous national and international publications. He is a former Writer-in-Residence at the Milwaukee Public Museum, lecturer in Creative Writing at Mount Mary University, and a traveler who has lived in many places. Richard is currently based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Visit him at https://richardheddermanpoetry.com/

B.J BEST is a poet, writer, interactive fiction creator, game designer, artist, and musician. He teaches at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and lives in the Wisconsin countryside with his wife, son, their cats, and the occasional salamander in their basement. Visit him at https://bjbest60.com

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