Edgar Ulloa Lujan, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Spanish and Interdisciplinary Studies at Lakeland University. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies from Georgetown University and an MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish from New York University.

He is a bilingual poet, composer, and multimedia artist whose work brings together music, writing, and performance. His creative project Mi Juaritos explores memory, identity, and border experience through poetry, sound, and digital media.

As an educator, he focuses on language, culture, and community, and is especially interested in creating inclusive spaces where people can learn Spanish through conversation, cultural exploration, and shared creative experience.

Vai Sharpe is a trans woman based in Madison, Wisconsin. Though lacking collegiate education, her literary skills have been honed from far too much time on the internet; humble beginnings in character writing and role-playing chatrooms with like-minded freaks have gifted her the passion for compelling narratives, juicy settings, satisfying climaxes and just a touch of bittersweet tragedy.

Her cycle of ADHD-powered hyperfixations is well suited for crafting novellas and short stories, but one day she intends to see a full novel all the way through. Pray for her.

She is a proud dyke and writes what she wants to see exist.

Writers Circle at WordHaven BookHouse offers local writers a comfortable place to share and develop their work, receive feedback and guidance, encourage and support other writers, and discuss all aspects of the writing process. Open to all forms of writing and all experience levels. Free to attend.

Writers Circle will meet at WordHaven the first Tuesday of each month, from 6-8pm. The circle will be led by published author and award-winning book designer, Erika Block, owner of Gray House Publishing.

PRISM AWARDS FINALIST 2021
GREAT GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR TEENS - YOUNG ADULT LIBRARY SERVICES ASSOCIATION (YALSA) 2022

"When I was in school, everyone got to a certain age where they became interested in talking about only one thing: boys, girls and sex. Me though? I was only interested in comics."

Growing up, Rebecca assumes sex is just a scary new thing they will 'grow into' as they get older, but when they leave school, start working and do grow up, they start to wonder why they don't want to have sex with other people.

In this brave, hilarious and empowering graphic memoir, we follow Rebecca as they navigate a culture obsessed with sex - from being bullied at school and trying to fit in with friends, to forcing themselves into relationships and experiencing anxiety and OCD - before coming to understand and embrace their asexual identity.

Giving unparalleled insight into asexuality and asexual relationships, How To Be Ace shows the importance of learning to be happy and proud of who you are.

This is a facilitated community book club that invites open, thoughtful conversation around death, dying, grief, and the many ways these experiences shape our lives. Through shared reading and guided discussion, we create space to explore topics that are often avoided, yet deeply human.

Books are selected in advance and shared ahead of time, allowing participants to join when a particular title or theme resonates with them. You are welcome to attend regularly or drop in based on interest in the current reading.

This group is open to all and welcomes a wide range of perspectives and lived experiences. Mortal Matters is not a grief support or counseling group, but rather a reflective, discussion-based gathering centered on curiosity, connection, and learning together.

Held on the last Saturday of the month from 11am - 1pm

From the author of The Bright Years, the story of April and Leo, a couple on the brink of collapse. When their house goes up in flames, family secrets and thorny histories emerge as they are forced to decide what is worth salvaging.

When April and Leo's house burns in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family. They retreat to April's childhood home in Dallas, where her spirited parents and siblings provide both comfort and complication.

As the family reckons with the aftermath--grief, guilt, logistics, and memories scorched and intact--the fire exposes the cracks already forming in April and Leo's marriage. The novel unfolds in alternating perspectives: from April, who feels the crushing weight of motherhood, marriage, and self-blame; from Leo, a high school history teacher shaped by a lonely, fractured childhood; from Deb, April's generous and no-nonsense mother who has to contend with her husband's recent Alzheimer's diagnosis; and from flashbacks that trace April and Leo's relationship from its earliest days of connection to the devastating decisions that led them here.

A family saga suffused with humor, longing, and heartbreak, The Burning Side is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known. It is, above all, about the meaning of home and the costs of long love.

Practice reading and using tarot spreads! You may bring your own decks and books. If you don’t have a deck to use, one can be provided.

Hosted by Amanda Bergemann from COLORFLOW Healing

Ruin me softly follows Eden as she tries to find true love. Going from bad relationship to bad relationship, making excuses for the abuse she endures. Until enough is enough and she needs to choose to love herself and put herself first. 

A.L. Wilder is an independently published author born and raised in Wisconsin. She is a mother of three sons, a wife, and a full time teacher. A.L. Wilder writes stories featuring strong female main characters who stand against adversity and show the world their strength. 

Edgar Ulloa Lujan, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Spanish and Interdisciplinary Studies at Lakeland University. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies from Georgetown University and an MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish from New York University.

He is a bilingual poet, composer, and multimedia artist whose work brings together music, writing, and performance. His creative project Mi Juaritos explores memory, identity, and border experience through poetry, sound, and digital media.

As an educator, he focuses on language, culture, and community, and is especially interested in creating inclusive spaces where people can learn Spanish through conversation, cultural exploration, and shared creative experience.

Practice reading and using tarot spreads! You may bring your own decks and books. If you don’t have a deck to use, one can be provided.

Hosted by Amanda Bergemann from COLORFLOW Healing

Writers Circle at WordHaven BookHouse offers local writers a comfortable place to share and develop their work, receive feedback and guidance, encourage and support other writers, and discuss all aspects of the writing process. Open to all forms of writing and all experience levels. Free to attend.

Writers Circle will meet at WordHaven the first Tuesday of each month, from 6-8pm. The circle will be led by published author and award-winning book designer, Erika Block, owner of Gray House Publishing.

Margaret Simon, almost twelve, likes long hair, tuna fish, the smell of rain, and things that are pink. She’s just moved from New York City to Farbook, New Jersey, and is anxious to fit in with her new friends—Nancy, Gretchen, and Janie. When they form a secret club to talk about private subjects like boys, bras, and getting their first periods, Margaret is happy to belong.

But none of them can believe Margaret doesn’t have religion, and that she isn’t going to the Y or the Jewish Community Center. What they don’t know is Margaret has her own very special relationship with God. She can talk to God about everything—family, friends, even Moose Freed, her secret crush.

Margaret is funny and real. As you read her story, you’ll know why this book has been the favorite of millions of readers. It’s as if Margaret is talking right to you, sharing her secrets with a friend.

This is a facilitated community book club that invites open, thoughtful conversation around death, dying, grief, and the many ways these experiences shape our lives. Through shared reading and guided discussion, we create space to explore topics that are often avoided, yet deeply human.

Books are selected in advance and shared ahead of time, allowing participants to join when a particular title or theme resonates with them. You are welcome to attend regularly or drop in based on interest in the current reading.

This group is open to all and welcomes a wide range of perspectives and lived experiences. Mortal Matters is not a grief support or counseling group, but rather a reflective, discussion-based gathering centered on curiosity, connection, and learning together.

Held on the last Saturday of the month from 11am - 1pm

When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn't take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she's been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel.

Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters' ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she's coming to love―a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures, and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes―and attentions―of dueling princes, dukes, and villains, all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the way she knows their stories will end: in a cataclysmic war.

For fans of Samantha Shannon, Danielle L. Jensen, Sarah J. Maas, and isekai and portal fantasy, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse author duo Ilona Andrews.

Bicentennial Eve: A Wisconsin Novella is a gentle, slice-of-life tale of a family on the eve of the USA’s 200 th Birthday. As the cast of characters go about their day, each of them struggles with their own passing of time. From Grandma Kitty’s quest for some adventure to young Skylar’s search for a taste of first love, each family member is looking for a little independence of their own against the backdrop of a changing country.

Author Julie A. Jacob’s created a believable world in the fictional Wisconsin Lakeshore community of Middleport. Her writing is impeccable, drawing the reader into the story with great attention to the cultural details of the times. Bicentennial Eve is more than a nice story; it is a testament to the lasting values that make up family and a look into the rural communities that make up Midwestern America. Those who appreciate the charm of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town will love the character of the small-town view of America in 1976. Julie A. Jacob has found something special that endures through the decades.

Julie A. Jacob is a communications professional and freelance writer. She has an MFA in creative writing from Roosevelt University, and her creative nonfiction works and essays have been published in Midwest Prairie Review, On Wisconsin, Open, Under the Sun, and several editions of the TallGrass Writers Guild annual anthology. Some of her work is featured in a self-published collection of essays, Two States of Single: Essays on Love, Family, and Living Solo, available on Kindle. This is her first novel. She lives in southeastern Wisconsin with her poodle and enjoys spending time with family and friends.