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June – October 2024 Jun – Oct 2024
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Jun
21
Fri
QWERTYFEST MKE 2024! @ Various Locations around Milwaukee
Tickets
Jun 21 @ 5:00 pm – Jun 23 @ 5:00 pm
For the second year in a row, QWERTYFEST MKE celebrates Milwaukee innovation from the past, present and future. The guest of honor is the typewriter, invented in Milwaukee 151 years ago by a guy named Christopher Latham Sholes. The invention remains relevant because the same keyboard – called “The QWERTY” keyboard –  is still in use today on our phones and computers.

QWERTYFEST MKE takes place June 21-23, 2024. (June 23 is National Typewriter Day!) It’s for any and all folks who wanna join in quirky, nerdy, fun while recognizing a previously under-celebrated piece of Milwaukee history that is used by billions of people worldwide today.

The QWERTYFEST MKE weekend agenda features parties, live music, workshops, cemetery tours, a marketplace, presentations, brunch and more in all parts of the city. Guests can attend one, some or all of the events – some of which are free and some of which are ticketed.

Let’s break it down.

Friday, June 21

Typewriter Ball – Opening Night Party
Turner Hall (1040 Vel R. Phillips Ave.)
Doors at 5 p.m.
$15

Featuring:

  • Boston Typewriter Orchestra
  • The Clackathon
  • DJ Swing Shift
  • Vendor market
  • DarkFusion Systems Gaming Lounge featuring Oregon Trail
  • OnMilwaukee Typing Stations
  • Splendid Mailbox mailing station
  • The Quick Brown Fox Typing Contest
  • The QWERTYFEST Typewriter Silent Auction
  • Free Usinger hotdogs, on-site popped popcorn and cupcakes from Bakehouse 103
  • Cash bar

Get tickets to the QWERTYFEST MKE Typewriter Ball here.

Saturday, June 22

Presentations, workshops, panels and live music
Mitchell Street Arts (710 W. Mitchell St.) 
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
FREE-$10

Presentations (FREE):

  • 10 a.m.: Welcoming remarks from Tea Krulos and Molly Snyder
  • 10:30 a.m.: Spray Paint Poems documentary
  • 11-12 p.m.: Amy Waldman, “Hacks for the Stacks: A Brief Guide to MPL Resources for QWERTYpes”
  • 12-1p.m.: Tea Krulos, “Wisconsin’s Dragon Horde of Fantasy Writing” w/ guest Ben Riggs, author of “Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons”
  • 1-2 p.m.: Music and poetry performance by Bryon Cherry
  • 2 p.m.: Kristina Gómez, “Business Plans for Creatives”
  • 3 p.m.: “Women and Typewriters: Real-life stories from secretaries and office assistants from the 1950s to the present,” panel discussion moderated by Molly Snyder
  • 4 p.m.: Keynote presentation: Richard Polt, author of “The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist’s Companion for the 21st Century”

Register for presentations here.

Workshops (Free-$10)

  • 11 a.m. : “Clack-a-lackin’ Kids,” Molly Snyder and the QWERTY Crew (FREE)
  • 12 p.m.: “Typewriter 101,” Lisa Floading – ($10)
  • 1 p.m.: “Creative Writing,” Kro, the Traveling Typist ($10)
  • 2 p.m.: “Poetry Workshop,” Kavon Cortez Jones ($10)

Register for workshops here.

The Whiskey Type Party
Great Lakes Distillery (616 W. Virginia Ave.)
7 p.m.
FREE

Join us for a casual get together in Great Lakes Distillery’s distillery room. Food and drink available for purchase. Special guest Carolyn Wynnack will tell us about her creation, The Whisky Type website, which explores her love of whisk(e)y and typewriters. Plus, a musical performance by all-female, queer-friendly band Vox Starling. BYOT (bring your own typewriter) if you want as we’ll have some fun writing prompts.

Sunday, June 23

QWERTY Cemetery Tour
Forest Home Cemetery (2405 W. Forest Home Ave.)
11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
$15

Come on a special QWERTYFEST cemetery tour to visit the resting place of typewriter inventor Christopher Latham Sholes and learn about the enduring legacy of numerous Milwaukee inventors and purveyors of the written word. Tour starts at the Halls of History building.

Register for cemetery tours here.

Typewriter Brunch Open Jam
X-Ray Arcade (5036 S. Packard Ave., Cudahy)
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
FREE

Open to anyone who wants to bring a typewriter – or not bring a typewriter – to brunch. Food, coffee and cocktails will be available for purchase.

Mapping the Qwertyverse
Milwaukee Central Library, Rare Books Room (2nd Floor, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave.)
3 p.m.
Free

The Qwertyverse is a collaboration by UWM’s College of Letters and Science, UWM Libraries and QWERTYFEST MKE. The mapping and archive project, directed by Dr. Jason Puskar, includes a wide range of historical artifacts ranging from digitized documents from the original inventors to oral histories with modern typists. It also maps locations in Milwaukee where the inventors lived and worked, and one day we hope it will map the spread of QWERTY around the globe. At the event, project collaborators will show archived items, locations mapped so far and answer questions about the project.

Card and stationery making with AP3
Charles Allis Art Museum (1801 N. Prospect Ave.)
4 p.m.
Free

We’re closing out QWERTYFEST MKE with our friends from Anchor Press, Paper and Print at the historic Charles Allis Art Museum. We’ll have stamps, typewriters, paper and other items to make cards, prints and stationary. Free to attend; snacks and drinks available.

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Categories: WMSE Sponsored & Partner Events Tags: Milwaukee Qwerty Fest Typewriter
Oct
21
Mon
WMSE Presents The Lemon Twigs @ Shank Hall
Tickets
Oct 21 @ 7:00 pm – 11:45 pm

Following the release of Everything Harmony, which garnered acclaim from Questlove, Iggy Pop, Anthony Fantano, The Guardian, and countless others, The Lemon Twigs—the New York City rock band fronted by brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario—have once again captured the attention of the music listening public. They are in their premature “comeback” stage, and coming back this early has its benefits; the brothers have the energy of 24- and 26- year-olds, plus the experience and songwriting chops of seasoned musicians, having recorded their first album, Do Hollywood, nearly a decade ago at ages 15 and 17.

Set for release less than a year after their last album, A Dream Is All We Know is a joyous affair. As the title suggests, it’s less of a sober look at the darker side of life, and more a hopeful sojourn into the realm of dreams. The tone has shifted away from dreary melancholic ballads and moody power pop. Brian and Michael are revisiting their “1968” sound. This album feels closely related to Do Hollywood, but their songwriting and recording techniques have vastly improved over the course of five albums.

The brothers combine elements of the Merseybeat sound, the California Beach Boy harmony sound, and Bubblegum to create a unique collection of pop nuggets. (They say it’s part of a new “Merseybeach” movement, sure to catch on, though that fact remains to be seen.)

The sense of urgency imbued in lead single “My Golden Years” comes in part from the jangly 12-string guitars and driving drums, but also from the anxiety of a narrator who can feel their “golden years” slipping away from them. Michael’s line, “In time I hope that I can show all the world the love in my mind,” can serve as a statement of intent for the whole collection of songs, as the brothers race against time to create as much quality pop material as possible.

“They Don’t Know How To Fall In Place” propels the album forward into bubblegum paradise with its euphoric harmonies and biting clavinet, while the Roy Wood inspired “Church Bells” takes you on a journey in its two-minute and nine-second run time. At every turn you’re introduced to a new instrument, and as Michael sings “ring goes the bell,” the drummer switches to the bell of the ride cymbal and the song reveals itself as a pop tone poem, complete with cellos, mandolin and trumpets, all played by Brian. Not to mention the fun Mersey pun, using famous drummer Ringo’s name in a song that conflates images of the west side of Manhattan with the atmosphere of northern England. Next comes the titular “A Dream Is All I Know,” an existential space age epic, followed by the baroque pocket-prog of “Sweet Vibration.”   read more

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Tags: Shank Hall The Lemon Twigs
June – October 2024 Jun – Oct 2024