UPPAA

Bards of Northern Michigan: Live Poetry Reading
2026-04-21 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit) | Charlevoix Public Library, 220 West Clinton St, Charlevoix, MI, 49720, United States
Charlevoix Public Library
For more information, please feel free to contact the Charlevoix Public Library at 231-237-7340 or email us at reference@charlevoixlibrary.org and visit our website at www.charlevoixlibrary.org.
Celebrate National Poetry Month April 1 – 30, 2026

Join us for one of our programs to celebrate National Poetry Month. Our afternoon workshop instructor and emcee for our evening event is author John Mauk. His stories have appeared in a range of publications. He has two full story collections, Field Notes for the Earthbound and Where All Things Flatten. He has also published several textbooks and essays. He hosts Prose from the Underground, a free YouTube video series for working writers.
Poetry Across Genres: Why Writers of All Stripes Should Keep Poets Close
Tuesday, April 21 • 2:00 pm • Registration Required
Community Room
In this workshop, author John Mauk will focus on a crucial poetic element: the unstated or what is sometimes called subtext. We’ll explore the power of ideas that lurk just below the linguistic surface and try some strategies for intensifying that delicate dimension of both prose and poetry. The first twenty people to register will receive a free copy of his latest book, Where All Things Flatten.
Bards of Northern Michigan: Live Poetry Reading
Tuesday, April 21 • 6:00 pm
Community Room (No Registration Required)
Join us for our third annual event celebrating the spoken word. Our emcee and keynote, author John Mauk, will be speaking on “The Poetry of Fiction, Memoir, Essay, and Everything Else.” He will share a few of his favorite poems and explain why all writers should make poems part of their daily study. Some of our talented regional poets will read from their published works. We will have light refreshments to enjoy. All poets will be available to chat, sell, and sign books.

U.P. Notable Book Club - Deborah K. Frontiera and Living in Sisu
2026-05-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
UP Notable Book Club: The Crystal Falls Community District Library in partnership with the U.P. Publishers & Authors Association (UPPAA) has scheduled author events with winners of the UP Notable Book List. The 58th event is with Deborah K. O. Frontiera (Calumet, MI), a prodigious poet and author of fiction and non-fiction for Middle Grade readers (grades 4 to 6+). Living on Sisu: The 1913 Union Copper Strike Tragedy was honored with the 2013 Purple Dragonfly Award from StoryMonsters. In 2026, it was honored as a U.P. Notable Classic owing to the power of this perennially relevant storytelling. In today’s world, where our country is riven into opposing factions, many valuable lessons can be learned from Frontiera’s fair and balanced treatment of history. Not just for middle graders, the novel contains life lessons that everyone in the family can grasp.
When: Thursday, May 14, 2026 at 7 pm Eastern / 6 pm Central
Where: on the Zoom platform — please contact Evelyn Gathu in advance at egathu@crystalfallslibrary.org, or by phone at (906) 875-3344. We recommend you borrow a copy of these books from your local library or purchase from your local bookseller in advance to get the most out of these events.
DEBORAH K.O. FRONTIERA grew up in Lake Linden along with some friends whose fathers worked in the Calumet & Hecla stamp mill, others whose Finnish parents and grandparents farmed the Traprock Valley, and a father and grandfather who were in business and mining engineering. She, like her character Emma, found it difficult to sort out the multiple sides of the 1913 union strike.
She taught in Houston public schools from 1985 until 2008 and then taught creative writing part-time for Houston’s WITS (Writers In The Schools) program. Upon retirement from teaching, she and her husband moved back to her beloved U.P., but they head south during part of the winter to be with their daughters and grandchildren.
She has written for children, young adults and adults, fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Visit her website for more information: www.authorsden.com/deborahkfrontiera

“Deborah K. Frontiera’s Living on Sisu: The 1913 Union Copper Strike Tragedy offers a candid view of a violent strike against the mining companies in Houghton and Keweenaw counties. Twelve-year-old Emma Niemi narrated the story about her family’s participation in the strike and what else happened during that fateful year of 1913 in Calumet. Other characters in the book include MacNaughton, general manager of the mines, and Big Annie, one of the leaders of the strike.
The story takes place predominantly in Calumet, a community in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The term in the title “sisu” is a Finnish term meaning stoic determination, bravery, and persistence of purpose. It also means inner strength, action-oriented, and cultural identity for the Finnish people. When Emma’s family was going to face a loss of income as a result of the strike, everyone in her family worked together to take care of their needs. The year 1913 was a tumultuous time in Calumet; many lives were lost, and many people’s lives were in danger. Some of the main themes in this book were determination and violence. Emma’s parents, along with others such as Big Annie, marched daily to support the strike. Emma was determined to help her family financially.”
Read the rest of Sharon Brunner’s review at U.P. Book Review
More information about the U.P. Notable Book list, U.P. Book Review, and UPPAA can be found on www.UPNotable.com

Spring Pre-Conference Events
2026-05-15 13:00 - 21:00
There are several Pre-Conference Events that members can participate in on May 15, 2026
Each of these is an optional “add-on” to your basic free membership for the Spring Conference on May 16, 2026

Pre-Conference Workshops (attendance is limited!)

Developing Your Poetic Voice, with Kathleen Carlton Johnson (2:00 pm to 5:00 pm)
Create Your Writing Mini-Trail Guide, with Julie Covert (1:00 pm to 4:00 pm)
Know Your Writing-Style Color and Make It Help You Write Better with Julie Covert (4:15 pm to 5:15 pm)

Friday Night Live – Pre-Conference Networking & Social Mixer, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Spring Conference 2026
2026-05-16 09:00 - 16:00 | Peter White Public Library, 217 N Front St, Marquette, MI, 49855, United States
UPPAA members can attend Spring Conference 2026 for free!

James McCommons at Escanaba Public Library
2026-05-20 17:30 - 19:30 | Escanaba Public Library, 400 Ludington St,, Escanaba, Michigan, 49829
James McCommons will be at Escanaba Public Library
Talking about his latest book, “The Feather Wars: And the Great Crusade to Save America’s Birds”
Wednesday May 20, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Author talk, book sales, and signing
400 Ludington St, Escanaba, MI 49829
