Poetry marathon supports Woodland Pattern's flow of words and art

Woodland Pattern Book Center's annual Poetry Marathon & Benefit will raise funds Jan. 27 to support its literary arts and other programming.

The marathon will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and roll past midnight, ending circa 1 a.m. Participants have raised at least $35 in pledges for five minutes of reading or performing time. Woodland Pattern is expecting about 150 readers to participate.

Milwaukee poet laureate Roberto Harrison, former Wisconsin poet laureate Kimberly Blaeser and former Milwaukee poet laureates Brenda Cárdenas, Susan Firer and John Koethe have signed up to read.

Other familiar writers on the schedule include Nick Demske, Freddy LaForce, Karl Gartung, Harvey Taylor and Mark Zimmerman. To sign up as a reader, call (414) 263-5001. 

Woodland Pattern is at 720 E. Locust St. For listeners, admission is $10. That admission includes a wristband, which allows listeners to come and go throughout the event.

Community members who sponsor a reader for $35 or more will receive free admission to the event.

For information, call (414) 263-5001 or visit woodlandpattern.org, where you'll also find an hourly schedule of readers.