Chaya Gritton
There’s nothing I love more than curling up with a good book and a fuzzy blanket. To me, reading is a breath of fresh air away from the real world. There are so many genres of books that it’s hard for me to choose one favorite, but I tend to gravitate toward fantasy, historical fiction, and adventure.
Every year the Chippewa Valley Book Festival hosts an inspiring week jam-packed with literary events., which cover a wide array of genres. This festival is a great chance for writers and book lovers alike to learn the behind-the-scenes stories of these books by the authors who wrote them. Keep reading for my three top picks for this year’s festival!
When Memory Becomes History: Mourning and Remembrance in Writing with Nghi Vo
This event will take place in the Riverview room at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library from 6 to 7 p.m. on October 13th. Vo will dive into the concepts of history and personal narrative, and explore how these concepts influence each other.
This event instantly piqued my interest, the title alone pulls you in straight away. Vo is a writer that I personally look up to. Her writing just takes you to another dimension. One thing that stands out in this event is that she touches on the concept of power and how one uses this to choose what stories to write.
Vo has won the Crawford Award and the Hugo Award. She focuses on writing fantasy, science fiction, and horror.
The Craft of Writing Lives- Our Own and Others with Melissa Faliveno
Excitingly this is Melissa Faliveno’s debut essay collection Tomboy Land. It will take place on October 14th from 1 to 2 p.m., at the Riverview Room in the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library. If you’re interested in learning about the process of how to write about personal experiences, you should check it out. She’ll plunge into her own process.
Her work has been highlighted in many major publications such as Oprah magazine and NPR. It has gained a lot of attention for her queer narrative. She’s an editor, writer, and a teacher. Through the essays, she explores her childhood in Wisconsin and what it’s like to grow up in the Midwest.
I’m always interested in learning about regional authors and am curious to learn more about her life and writing process.
Brotherless Night: Political Fiction of the Recent Past with V.V Ganeshananthan
Ganeshananthan explores the importance of research for a book even if it’s not non-fiction. This event is a great opportunity to learn about historical fiction writing. She draws examples from her book Brotherless Night. You can find this event at the University of Wisconsin Stout in Harvey Hall Theatre, October 16th from 4:30 to 5:30pm.
Ganeshananthan has works that can be found in established locations such as The New York Times and The Best Nonrequired American Reading. She currently teaches at the MFA program at the University of Minnesota.
I am a huge fan of historical fiction, and this event is a great opportunity for future writers to get a lot out of this event. Historical fiction especially surrounding research can be challenging, but Ganeshananthan’s introduction will be a great first step.
All three of these events will take place in person and virtually.
For more information, visit the Chippewa Valley Book Festival website.