Welcome to the Central Library...

10am: Tour: Walking Through History @ Central Library

Milwaukee Public Library’s Central Library has been a part of Milwaukee's historic downtown for over 125 years. Please join us for a walking tour around the building highlighting the building history, additions, remodels and other changes since its construction in 1898. Tour led by Special Collections Librarian and Archivist Cassandra Lapworth, meets in the front entrance Rotunda by the QWERTYFEST table. 

Presentations: Rotary Club of Milwaukee Community Room, 1st Floor (hallway off Rotunda)

10am: Greg Giles, “What QWERTY Vanquished” The QWERTY keyboard is what we all know and love, but in the first 50 years of the typewriter, its dominance wasn’t guaranteed. Greg takes a look at and demonstrates some of the unique, quirky, and earnest competitors to our beloved QWERTY. 

Greg Giles is a history buff, writer, and typewriter collector from St. Paul. In life, history, and typewriters, he loves the oddballs and the underdogs.

11am: Tiffany Thornton and Amy Waldman, “King Me!: A Virtual Tour of the Milwaukee Public Library’s Newest Branch”

Librarian and author Amy Waldman will show you what’s happening at the new, recently opened Martin Luther King Jr. branch of Milwaukee Public Library and some of the resources available there.

12pm: Kristina Gómez, “Start Here! Free Library Tools for Your Creative Business”

Looking to start or grow your creative business? Milwaukee Public Library is here to support you. This workshop will introduce you to free tools to help build your business plan, protect your intellectual property, analyze competitors and find your customers. Discover how to save money and time by leveraging library resources and the expertise of our Business Librarians.  Following the workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to schedule a one-on-one appointment for personalized guidance.

Kristina Gómez is MPL’s Library Services Manager, Business, Science & Technology and Periodicals

1pm:  Jessica Kaminski, “Ghosts in the Glass: Exploring Dry Plate Photography in a World of Illusion”

In a time when images can be endlessly manipulated, photographer Jessica Kaminski is turning back to one of photography’s most hands-on and historic processes: the dry plate. In this talk, she shares her journey through a week-long intensive workshop learning to coat and expose glass negatives—while also exploring photography’s early entanglement with illusion, scandal, and the occult. From spirit photographers to fairy hoaxes, she traces a legacy of deception that contrasts sharply with her own pursuit of slowness, presence, and truth in image-making today.

Jessica Kaminski holds a B.A. in Fine Art Photography and began her career in the darkroom, developing a deep love for traditional film processes early on. Today, she runs a successful headshot and branding studio in Milwaukee, but she’s returning to her analog roots—blending that foundation with a modern perspective to tell new stories of the city through historical photographic methods.

2pm: “Whodunnit and How: A Conversation on Writing Mysteries”

This panel is moderated by Tim Hennessy (editor of Milwaukee Noir), and features authors Kate Beutner (Killingly), and Pushcart Prize nominee Mary Thorson.

3pm: Richard Polt, “Off the Beaten Track: Hunting for Unusual Portables”

A lot of us get hooked on typewriters thanks to classic, common midcentury portables. They’re great, but are you curious about what else might be out there in the portable world? Learn about some more exotic options and where to track them down.

Richard Polt is the webmaster of The Classic Typewriter Page and author of The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist’s Companion for the 21st Century and the novel Evertype.

Workshops: Art, Music & Recreation Room, 2nd Floor 

11am:  “Creative (Type)writing” with Kro (The Traveling Typist)

A generative poetry and prose workshop (bring your own typewriter or use one of ours). Experience textual healing with the power of typewriters. Break free of your writer's block and find your unique voice at this unique workshop designed to help you unplug and tune in. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just getting started, this workshop is the perfect chance to hone your skills, find your style, and connect with a community of like-minded individuals.

Kay Kro is the bird bard and The Traveling Typist, a nonbinary Druid and Buddhist and lifelong Chicago local. Kro is a full-time on-demand typewriter poet, host of the Traveling Typewriter Lounge, and author of Prayer Wheel. They possess an MA in linguistics specializing in the analysis of spoken-word poetry in indigenous languages.

Noon: “Typewritten Novel Writing, The Long Game,” led by Bob Marshall (Typewriter Muse)

A talk and demonstration by published author Bob Marshall of Typewriter Muse and his acclaimed work American Road Runner.  Bob will discuss his writing process with mechanical typewriters and the building of a relationship, the long way.

1pm: “Night Shift! Using Typewriters for Halloween Horror,” Dr. Adam Henze

Kick off the spooky season properly with Frankenstein scholar Dr Adam Henze in an interactive workshop open to all ages. Adam will share skills and strategies for incorporating typewriters into Halloween-themed educational and entertainment programming.

Dr Adam Henze (he/him) is an internationally touring educator and spoken word artist. He earned a PhD in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, and is the director of a prison literacy program in Indianapolis. Adam and his wife own Indy Type Shop, a hybrid antique store, rare bookstore, and event space in the Garfield Park neighborhood.

2pm: Panel: “Whodunnit and How: A Conversation on Writing Mysteries”

Curious about mystery? This panel is moderated by Tim Hennessy (editor of Milwaukee Noir), and features writers Kate Beutner (Killingly), Erica Ruth Neaubauer (Jane Wunderly Mysteries series), and Pushcart Prize nominee Mary Thorson.

Rare Books Room, 2nd Floor

2pm: Cassandra Lapworth, “Discovering Archives @ MPL”

Interested in archival research at MPL but don’t know where to start?  Curious about what type of special collections MPL has beyond regular library resources?  What happens in an archives appointment and how do you even get one? If you have ever wondered about Milwaukee Public Library’s Archives and Special Collections and their unique contents, please come for an overview of the collections and their history.  We will present general information, finding aids, appointments and highlights of the collections.  There will be a small selection of archival materials to browse in person and plenty of time for questions!  Presented by Cassandra Lapworth, Special Collections Librarian and Archivist.