Books have the power to take readers to fantasy worlds, back into the past, across the globe and into the minds of other people. But it’s all done by oneself. Reading is a quiet, solitary escape — whether that’s curling up in a cozy corner and cracking open a new book, laying out on the beach with a well-worn paperback, or pulling out an e-reader on a lunch break.
But for five days this September, Central Wisconsin is turning the solitary act of reading into one of the region’s biggest community conversations. Returning for its 10th anniversary from Sept. 23-27, the Central Wisconsin Book Festival invites locals to join a weeklong literary celebration of completely free events spanning Wausau, Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids.
This year’s festival starts with a launch party at the swanky Wausau Club downtown on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
“We don’t always do it the way we’re doing it this year, with a big kickoff event,” said Julie Bunczak, event organizer. “But I absolutely love the moment where we get a lot of people together in one space — 10 years is a big deal, we want to celebrate it.”
The launch party, designed to be enjoyed by readers and writers alike, will feature vintage typewriters available for use and free food. As attendees socialize and eat, they’ll be given a look back at 10 years of festival history. There will also be a special poetry showcase featuring original works by local poets.
“It’s a chance for people to make connections with each other over their shared love of reading, to get them out of their cozy reading nook at home and to come out and actually see these people and to meet other people, and see people they know,” said Chad Dally, a Portage County librarian who launched the festival in 2017.
The festival started back when Dally was a librarian at Marathon County Public Library. He’d considered how other Wisconsin cities and regions — like Madison, the Fox Valley and Chippewa Valley — all have popular literary festivals.
“I just thought, ‘Why shouldn’t Wausau have one?” It’s a good-sized city, and the Wausau area has historically had a lot of support for the arts,” Dally said. “There are other kinds of art festivals in the area, so we thought literary arts should get some attention, too.”
In 2021, the festival expanded to host events in Stevens Point and Wisconsin Rapids in an effor to better involve other Central Wisconsin communities.
“Adding these two libraries helped us live up to our name, basically, and make it the Central Wisconsin Book Festival,” Dally said.
“It’s something that has grown in terms of the number of offerings we have, the diversity of offerings we have, but also the number of venues that host the events,” Bunczak said. “That just gives it more visibility, I think, within the community.”
This year’s festival consists of 13 author events, where locals can hear authors talk about their work, read passages and answer audience questions.
“I really enjoy hearing the authors answer questions and hearing what kinds of questions the audience comes up with,” Dally said. “It’s great to hear the authors read their own work — that can be really engaging and moving. But oftentimes you get to learn more about the author and how they approach writing and how they came up with their book when people start to ask questions.”
This year’s author events are:
The festival recognizes dozens of local writers at the Local Author Fair on Sept. 26 at the library in Stevens Point. Whether it’s a spotlight event for one author, or the big fair where guests can have interactions with multiple writers, the book festival remains big on promoting homegrown talent.
“One thing that actually hasn’t changed much over the years is the fact that we’re able to host events with local authors — in some cases, authors from Stevens Point, authors from Wausau,” Dally said. “This festival is for them, too, because we want to share the spotlight on them.”
There will also be a writing workshop with book coach and author Rebecca M. Zornow, a poetry open mic featuring Rebekah Denison Hewitt and an author open mic.
As the Central Wisconsin Book Festival enters its second decade, it is these interactive, hands-on events that keep the lineup feeling fresh and collaborative. While the festival has grown from a handful of library events into a regional celebration, the core mission has never wavered.
“My intention from the beginning was that we make this a community festival,” Dally said. “It’s a festival for the community, and a chance for the community to come out and interact not just with these authors, but with each other.”
For a full schedule of events, visit mcpl.us/cwbf.
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