A Workshop with Courtney Joy Stevens

Fee: $30/$25 members - includes an autographed copy of Beauty in the Broken Places, refreshments from MKE Localicious, and admission to the sculpture garden. Registration for this event is closed.

Margy Stratton, founder and executive producer of Milwaukee Reads produces this series of events featuring writers of particular interest to women.

Lynden Sculpture Garden's Women's Speaker Series and Boswell Books welcome Allison Pataki, author of Beauty in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Love, Faith, and Resilience, back to the Lynden Sculpture Garden, Monday, May 14, 7 pm.

About Beauty in the Broken Places

A deeply moving memoir about a young couple whose lives were changed in the blink of an eye, and the love that helped them rewrite their future

Five months pregnant, on a flight to their “babymoon,” Allison Pataki turned to her husband when he asked if his eye looked strange and watched him suddenly lose consciousness. After an emergency landing, she discovered that Dave—a healthy thirty-year-old athlete and surgical resident—had suffered a rare and life-threatening stroke. Next thing Allison knew, she was sitting alone in the ER in Fargo, North Dakota, waiting to hear if her husband would survive the night.

When Dave woke up, he could not carry memories from hour to hour, much less from one day to the next. Allison had lost the Dave she knew and loved when he lost consciousness on the plane. Within a few months, she found herself caring for both a newborn and a sick husband, struggling with the fear of what was to come.

As a way to make sense of the pain and chaos of their new reality, Allison started to write daily letters to Dave. Not only would she work to make sense of the unfathomable experiences unfolding around her, but her letters would provide Dave with the memories he could not make on his own. She was writing to preserve their past, protect their present, and fight for their future. Those letters became the foundation of this beautiful, intimate memoir. And in the process, she fell in love with her husband all over again.

This is a manifesto for living, an ultimately uplifting story about the transformative power of faith and resilience. It’s a tale of a man’s turbulent road to recovery, the shifting nature of marriage, and the struggle of loving through pain and finding joy in the broken places.

About the Author

Allison Pataki is the author of the bestselling novels Sisi, The Traitor’s Wife, and The Accidental Empress, as well as the co-author of Where the Light Falls, with her brother Owen Pataki, and two children’s books. Her novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Pataki and her husband, Dave Levy, are passionate about raising awareness of the difficulties of life after a stroke or traumatic brain injury. The daughter of former New York State governor George E. Pataki, Allison Pataki graduated cum laude from Yale University and lives in New York City with her family.

Sessions: Saturday, June 2 & Saturday, July 14, 2018. Sessions are standalone; sign up for any one. If you'd like to develop more skills/projects, sign up for multiple sessions.
Fee: $85/$75 members (all materials included)
Registration: Space is limited, advance registration required. The July 14 session is full.

In the past, Native Americans probably made clay vessels on what are now the grounds of Lynden. In these pre-glaze days, pots were sealed by rubbing river mud into the surfaces, keeping the goodness in the container. We will spend a day at Lynden with artist-in-residence Katheryn Corbin forming vessels using traditional techniques: pinching, coiling, and smoothing. Instead of river mud, we will use sigillata, a form of deflocculated clay to seal our pots. The pieces will sun dry and will be sawdust fired, replicating early wood firing.The blackened surfaces result from the smoke and the clay absorbing carbon. This 'reduction' atmosphere is popular today in raku reduction firing.

Bring a bag lunch and beverages and dress for studio work as well as the outdoors. We’ll be making use of Lynden’s 40 beautiful acres during our breaks, weather permitting.

Attendance at sawdust firing voluntary, but you will need to return at a later date to pick up your pots.

About Katheryn Corbin

Katheryn Corbin is a painter, potter, and figure sculptor. She offers a series of workshops based on Native American ceramic practices. Pots and figures have both been a part of Corbin's studio practice and teaching. Drawing and painting are important elements in each discipline, and her clay pieces are informed by the complementary processes of working with clay as vessel and as figure. Corbin is interested in historical developments in clay and variations across cultures, and she often explores different firing techniques and glaze surfaces. She has taught at all levels from elementary school through adult at the Evanston Arts Center in Evanston, IL; the Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI; the Milwaukee Art Museum; the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design; and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her exhibition, Migrant, is on view at the Lynden Scupture Garden, February 25-May 27, 2018.

Fee: $22/$18 members - includes an autographed copy of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, refreshments from MKE Localicious, and admission to the sculpture garden. Come early to stroll the grounds. This event is now sold out. You may be interested in our next event with Jenna Blum, author of The Lost Family, August 9.

Margy Stratton, founder and executive producer of Milwaukee Reads produces this series of events featuring writers of particular interest to women.

Lynden Sculpture Garden's Women's Speaker Series and Boswell Books welcome Gail Honeyman, author of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, to the Lynden Sculpture Garden, Wednesday, June 6, 7 pm.

About Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

Soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the smart, warm, and uplifting story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .

The only way to survive is to open your heart.

About the Author

Gail Honeyman is a graduate of the universities of Glasgow and Oxford. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine was short-listed for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize as a work in progress and is Honeyman’s debut novel. She lives in Glasgow, Scotland.

A Workshop with Leslie Perrino

Fee: $90/ $80 members (all materials included)
Registration: Advance registration required. Register by phone at 414-446-8794.

Fusing is an ancient technique used to permanently connect precious metals, in this case, fine (pure) silver wire. Cleaner, faster, and less toxic than soldering, fusing involves the use of a hand torch. Leslie Perrino will show you how to fuse fine silver wire into loops that can then be made into earrings complete with earwires. Once you master the techniques, you will have time to make more earrings. No experience required, this workshop is suitable for complete beginners or those looking to expand their jewelry-making skills. All materials and tools supplied. You are welcome to bring beads to add to your earrings.

About Leslie Perrino

Leslie Perrino is an artist and "art evangelist" who loves to share the power of art and creativity with people, particularly in her beloved areas of metals and enameling. Her artwork is a quirky mix of traditional and found objects, most recently combining computer/electrical components with enamels. She is a charismatic and effective teacher who encourages skill building and exploration of the medium.

A Workshop with Claire Hitchcock Tilton

Fee: $15/ $10 members (all materials included)
Registration: Advance registration required. Register by phone at 414-446-8794.

This series of workshops takes a broad view of what it means to garden. Whether you consider yourself a backyard gardener, a forager, a farmer, or a steward of the land, the Garden Series will have something for you. From formal garden design to identifying and learning to use wild growing plants, we span a range of techniques and philosophies. Because of the range of subjects covered, these classes can be enjoyed by new and experienced gardeners alike.

Now, in the depths of winter, is the time to start thinking about your vegetable garden. Claire Hitchcock Tilton will teach you how to choose plants for continuous harvest from spring to late fall. Topics include choosing plants for your specific site, care requirements for different plants, companion planting (pairing plants that work together for mutual benefit), plant rotation, and seed collection. You will develop a master plan for your garden that includes a list of what to plant and when, and you will be ready to place your seed orders with confidence. Bring your seed catalogues, questions, and ideas.

Once you make your garden plan, you might want to make a garden journal to track your progress. Join Cary Suneja for a special bookmaking workshop on March 3.

About Claire Hitchcock Tilton
Claire Hitchcock Tilton has worked on organic vegetable farms large and small and in urban gardens in Milwaukee and New Orleans. She ran her own production business for grocery stores and restaurants, and eats the eggs, vegetables, and herbs from her backyard garden year-round. She is currently the land manager at the Lynden Sculpture Garden, where she oversees the grounds and the planning and maintenance of vegetable and annual and perennial flower beds.

Chuck Stebelton, left, with fellow poet and birdwatcher Nathaniel Tarn

April 29 with Chuck Stebelton, Katheryn Corbin & Kiki Anderson, 8:30 am-10 am
May 20 with Chuck Stebelton & Renato Umali, 8:30 am-10 am

You may also be interested in Writing the Walk: A Workshop with Oxeye Press Poets, May 20, 10:30 am-12:30 pm.

Free to members or with admission to the sculpture garden.

Poet/birder Chuck Stebelton returns to Lynden for spring bird walks, and he's brought friends! Please wear appropriate footwear and bring your binoculars if you have them; no previous birding experience required.

Chuck Stebelton is author of two full-length collections of poetry, most recently The Platformist (Cultural Society, 2012). His first book, Circulation Flowers (Tougher Disguises, 2005), was winner of the inaugural Jack Spicer Award. As a birder and Wisconsin Master Naturalist volunteer he has offered interpretive hikes for organizations including Lynden Sculpture Garden, Friends of Lorine Niedecker, and Woodland Pattern Book Center. He was Literary Program Director at Woodland Pattern from 2005 to 2017. He currently serves as Program Coordinator for Interfaith Older Adult Programs in Milwaukee and is a participant in Lynden's residency program.

On April 29, Stebelton's guests are artist Katheryn Corbin, whose exhibition Migrant will be on view at Lynden from February 25 through May 27, and Kiki Anderson. Kiki translates from French to English for various publishing houses and Dr. Yann Rougier, a noted health and wellness expert. She also teaches English as a foreign language to Catholic priests and seminarians. She enjoys the great outdoors and is excited to discover the birds at Lynden with Chuck.

On May 20, Stebelton's guest is Renato Umali, an artist, musician and educator. Umali composed the score for artist Cecilia Condit's two-channel video installation, Tales of a Future Past, part of a recent exhibition at Lynden.

A Workshop with Amanda Reavey

Mt. Pinatubo, Tarlac, Philippines

Fee: $32/$26 members (all materials included)
Registration: Space is limited, advance registration required. Register by phone at 414-446-8794.

Come explore and share our origin stories. 

Who are you? Why are you here? What do you want? We, as humans, are more than our birth certificates and where we work. We, as writers, are more than our rationalizations. As both humans and writers, we are all at once artists, dreamers, mythmakers, and visionaries.  In this workshop, we will explore the cultural history and importance of origin stories, as well as ideas for approaching and discovering your own.

About the Facilitator

The facilitator, Amanda Ngoho Reavey, is an adoptee born in the Philippines and raised in Milwaukee. She is the author of the award-winning poetry book, Marilyn, and earned an MFA in Writing & Poetics from Naropa University in 2014. She is the founder of Tattered Press and Restorynation, and has taught creative writing workshops in the community since 2006.