Books, Family, and Fun

Milwaukee Public Library Poet Laureate Shelly Conley was inspired to curate and host the first potentially annual Fall In Love With Books: MKE Literary Fest in partnership with the Milwaukee Public Library. The free family-friendly event will be held on August 23, 2025, at the Mitchell Street Branch Library located at 906 West Historic Mitchell Street in Milwaukee from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. CST.

The book fest will feature over 15 local authors from all genres, hands-on workshops on writing poetry, beginning the book process, and exploring publishing options, live readings (including poetry), author Q&As, and more. Milwaukee poet Brit Nicole is co-hosting with Conley.

Conley said she was inspired to create this event from her childhood memories of the bookmobile, a school bus that was gutted out and went neighborhood to neighborhood providing books to Milwaukee children. She sat on the idea of the fest for a while until she attended the 16th Annual Great Midwest Book Fest in 2024, created by Radiah Hubbert. Attending the festival with her mother gave Conley the push she needed to take her idea from paper to reality.

“That was my drive to say, ‘I want to do this for local authors,'” said Conley.

The festival is focused on supporting local authors, especially those in Milwaukee.

“We have so many authors in the city, and that’s why I wanted to keep it Milwaukee,” said Conley.

A Deep Love for Reading

At just five years old, Conley was reading at a second-grade reading level. Her mother instilled in her the importance of reading, which turned into a strong love of reading.

“At a young age, books were like a form of entertainment. I think it enhanced my creativity,” she said. “Books cultivated that ability to create stories.”

Now, in her adult years, Conley is inspiring and teaching about the power of books. She remembers hosting a workshop and, during a writing activity, a 30-something-year-old admitted she had trouble reading. Instead of embarrassing her, Conley asked her mother to write down the woman’s thoughts. It’s moments like these that make Conley fall back in love with the written word.

Along with being a well-known local poet, Conley spent five years writing her autobiography, Rewind. She admits that poetry is easier to write because it is less structured; writing a book was a whole other beast for Conley. Sometimes she went weeks to months without writing, but it was all a part of the journey.

Over the years, she has started writing around three to four books, with Rewind being the one she fully completed, published, and brought to market.

“It takes a lot of vulnerability and being honest with yourself,” said Conley. “It was a journey of going through journals, pictures, and diaries.”

As a lover of books, Conley hopes the Love With Books: MKE Literary Fest inspires current and future readers.