Description
The Milwaukee Anthology is a book on hope and hurt in one of America’s toughest ZIP codes. In these pages are the stories of a Grecian basketball superstar in the making against an unlikely backdrop; of Sikh temple services that carry on after one of America’s most notorious mass shootings; of an astronaut’s wish for kids in the same school halls where he formed a dream of space. You won’t find Summerfest or Laverne and Shirley herein, but you will find Riverwest, Sherman Park, and the South Side; Hmong New Year’s shows, 7 Mile Fair, and the Rolling Mill commemoration. Edited by Justin Kern, with personal essays, narratives, poems, Q&As, and art from more than 50 contributors including Dasha Kelly, Pardeep Kaleka, and Michael Perry, it’s a book about a place on the lake that can make you say “yes” and wonder “why” in the same thought.
Justin Kern is a nonprofit communications person and nonfiction writer who lives in Milwaukee with his wife and cats. His words have been published in three Belt anthologies as well as Utne Reader, Great Lakes Review, Buffalo Spree, Forth, Milwaukee Record, Longshot Island and daily newspapers in Wisconsin and western New York. He’s a proud uncle, lifelong amateur musician, and decent horseshoe pitcher.
Table of Contents
Introduction (a.k.a. That’s Their Hard Time) by Justin Kern
Every Day
About Leaving by Dasha Kelly
Gunshots and Carrots by Laura Richard Marshall
My Own Private Mary Nohl House by Cris Siqueira
Our Home in Havenwoods by Toni Edwards
Holton Street from Both Sides by Jabril Faraj
Moving to Milwaukee by Mariella Godinez Munoz
A Brief History of Milwaukee in Four Long Meals by Todd Lazarski
Last Call for Milwaukee’s South Side Taverns by Edgar Mendez
Milwaukee Bus Ride by Jan Chronister
On the Redlining Bus Tour in Milwaukee by Lauren Sieben
Tarzan and the Great River by Cheryl Nenn
Where love is love is love by Alex Rose
“Together We Rise”: on Painting a Sherman Park Community Mural by Tia Richardson
One Man’s Treasure: The Milwaukee Museum Built from Scraps by Rachel Seis
The New Brews That Make Milwaukee Famous by Henry Schwartz
Opening Day and Back Again by Matt Wild
On These Acres by Sue Blaustein
Milwaukee Day by Brent Gohde
Ghosts of Bay View by Ken Germanson
The Art of Labor: A Tour of the Conflicted Grohmann Museum by Callen Harty
The Horseman in Lake Park by Carl A. Swanson
Novices by Bryan Johnston
“How Colorful My Life Has Become”: Four Essays from Students at St. Sava Orthodox School
The Clarke Street School Playground by Frances Assa
From Kanty by Jim Kogutkiewicz
In Person
We Got This by James E. Causey
A List of Sounds That Can Be Heard in Milwaukee by Paige Towers
Hard Time by Elizabeth Harmatys Park
From Athens, with Hops: Giannis Takes Milwaukee by John Gorman
Shorty by Vianca Iliana Fuster
The Heartbeat of a World by Harvey Taylor
“Art is Collaboration”: Xavier Leplae and Riverwest Radio by Zack Pieper
Milwaukee’s Pacific Heritage by Ching-In Chen
Don’t Lose Yourself by Fefe Jaber
Notes from the Seasons by Mark Borchardt
You’re Falling Down on the Job by Matt Cook
Chardi Kala: Reflections on Family, Terror, and Purpose after the Oak Creek Sikh Temple Shooting by Pardeep Kaleka
Alchemy by Jude Genereaux
State of the Arts
Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse by Luke Chappelle
Mixed Feelings at City Hall by Luke Chappelle
Milorganite by Luke Chappelle
Pryor Avenue Iron Well by Luke Chappelle
Sherman Park by Reginald Baylor
Northwestern Mutual HQ by Dug Belan
The Fortress by Dug Belan
Soldier’s Home by Dug Belan
The Street Car by Dug Belan
Out There
Living Like Kings by Catherine Lanser
Exchange Students: Rufus King and Kaukauna High Schoolers Present a Play by Joanne Williams
Every City with a Side by Freesia McKee
More in Store by Maa Vue
A Stand-Up Walks into a Bar by Sammy Arechar
Everything Bruce Lee at Seven Mile Fair in Orange by Robert Earl Thomas
Goldmine; or, The Will and Testament of Gerald Pinski by Diane Reynolds
Words from the Black Box by John J. Mutter, Jr.
