Michael Perry, a New York Times best-selling author and a long-time Chippewa Valley resident, will highlight the May 7 celebration of the first season of Craft Talks presented by the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild (CVWG).
The keynote program, presented in partnership with the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Eau Claire Room on the Library’s lower level. It will be preceded at 1 p.m. by a CVWG meet-and-greet program on the library’s front lawn, where writers and literature lovers can learn more about the organization.
Perry’s presentation, “A Conversation with Michael Perry,” will deal with the keyboard-level realities of balancing writing for a living with writing for meaning. The event is open to all writers, readers and lovers of literature in the Chippewa Valley and beyond. No registration is required.
Perry was a natural choice as the keynote speaker, according to B. J. Hollars, founder and director of the CVWG.
“As the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild continues to establish itself on this community, we knew it was important to reach out to a writer beloved by all,” Hollars said. “For the Chippewa Valley, that writer is Michael Perry. He inspires all of us, and we’re excited to share his inspiration with others.”
Perry is also a humorist and a radio show host, as well as a singer/songwriter and an “intermittent pig farmer,” according to his website (www.SneezingCow.com). He is the author of The Jesus Cow, Population 485, Truck: A Love Story and Coop, among his many works.
The library is excited to partner with the CVWG for this program, according to Isa Small, the library’s programming and communications manager.
“One of our goals is to foster a culture of creativity and innovation,” Small said. “The Michael Perry Craft Talk is another step in that direction and we are eager to learn what future Craft Talks will bring to our community.”
The CVWG was created in February of this year to support writers and literary enthusiasts in the Chippewa Valley through writing groups, Craft Talks and Cirenaica, a writers’ residency in Fall Creek. The CVWG meet-and-greet ahead of the 2 p.m. program on May 7 will include free giveaways, collaborative typewriter poems, sponsor appreciations, refreshments and music provided by Visit Eau Claire.
Additional information about the Perry program or the CVWG is available from Hollars at chippewavalleywritersguild@gmail.com.