April 12: Award-winning Latina author to present workshop and reading
Wisconsin fiction writer Jennifer Morales will read from her award-winning book, "Meet Me Halfway: Milwaukee Stories," April 12 at 7 p.m. in Room A013 at the College of Lake County Grayslake Campus, 19351 W. Washington St. Morales also will offer a same-day, free afternoon workshop on short story writing from 3-4:15 p.m. in Room T234.
"Meet Me Halfway: Milwaukee Stories" is a collection of nine linked short stories exploring complicated relationships among African-American and Puerto Rican teens and their white classmates and teachers, Vietnam vets, Latino landlords, former Black Panthers and all their families as they search for common ground.
A Chicago native, Morales lived for more than 20 years in Milwaukee, where she raised children and became the first Latina to be elected to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors. She holds an M.F.A. from Antioch University-Los Angeles. Now living in Viroqua, Wis., Morales is a board member of the Council for Wisconsin Writers and the Driftless Writing Center.
"Milwaukee is an amazing place, and I wanted to show how much diversity, brilliance, resilience and energy there are in its people," Morales said in an interview with www.seattle.GoPride.com. "On the other hand, I also felt like I needed to capture some of the ways racism infects daily life in the city."
Morales' short stories have been described as "lucid, compelling, deftly crafted, thoughtful and thought-provoking," by the "Midwest Book Review." Published in 2015, "Meet Me Halfway: Milwaukee Stories" was chosen by the Wisconsin Center for the Book as the 2016 Wisconsin Book of the Year.
Morales' writing workshop, part of CLC's Spring 2018 Reading Series, will explore how to use sensory detail and vivid, strategic language to get the reader to buy into characters' desires.
"I chose to bring in Jennifer Morales because I had read 'Meet Me Halfway: Milwaukee Stories,' and the stories stunned me," said Robin Kacel, CLC English professor and event organizer. "The way that she gets into the minds of her characters is very compelling. English teachers, writers or anyone interested in writing will find the workshop and reading beneficial."
No pre-registration is required. For information, contact Kacel at (847) 543-2561 or rkacel@clcillinois.edu.