Wisconsin doesn’t always come up in conversations about great writers, but there are many acclaimed authors with connections to the Badger State. Here you will find well-known and up-and-coming writers who have made important contributions to their respective genres. Check out this list to find your next read!
Ayad Akhtar
Ayad Akhtar is a novelist and playwright who has won numerous prestigious awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Though Akhtar was born in New York, he was raised in Milwaukee. His first novel, “American Dervish,” tells his story of growing up Pakistani American in Milwaukee. Akhtar was recognized by the Milwaukee Public Library in 2023 when he was added to the Wisconsin Writers Hall of Fame.
Books to try:
“Homeland Elegies”
“American Dervish”
“Junk”
bell hooks
Author Gloria Jean Watkins, who wrote under the pen name bell hooks, was an influential thinker who published an array of books on the topics of feminism, race and class. She won numerous awards for her works, including the American Book Award in 1991. Though hooks was originally from Kentucky, she attended UW–Madison for her master’s degree in English literature, which she earned in 1976.
Books to try:
“All About Love: New Visions”
“Ain’t I a Woman?”
“The Will to Change”
Cynthia Marie Hoffman
Cynthia Marie Hoffman is a poet with four published collections. Her most recent, “Exploding Head: Poems,” is a memoir exploring her own experiences with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Wisconsin Book Festival has featured Hoffman’s work.
Books to try:
“Call Me When You Want to Talk About the Tombstones”
“Paper Doll Fetus”
“Sightseer”
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a professor, scientist and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in addition to being a widely praised writer. Kimmerer addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2015 to discuss the relationship between humans and nature. Kimmerer earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in botany from UW–Madison. In her writing, Kimmerer discusses Indigenous science and the relationship between humans and land.
Books to try:
“Gathering Moss”
“Braiding Sweetgrass”
“The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World”
Kevin Henkes
Madison-based Kevin Henkes has written and illustrated many award-winning books for young readers throughout his career. His picture books, many of which feature stories about mice, teach children important life lessons. His work received a Caldecott Award in 2005 and a Newberry Honor in 2014, and in 2020, Henkes received the Children’s Literature Legacy Award. He attended UW–Madison and currently lives in Madison with his family.
Books to try:
“Chrysanthemum”
“Sheila Rae, The Brave”
“Olive’s Ocean”
Alison Thumel
Alison Thumel is an award-winning poet. She completed her master’s of fine arts degree at UW–Madison. Her 2024 poetry collection, “Architect,” won the 2024 Miller Williams Poetry Prize. The collection explores her experience of mourning the loss of her brother, combined with the language of architecture. The Wisconsin Book Festival has featured Thumel and her work.
Books to try:
“Architect”
“life of”
Nghi Vo
Nghi Vo is an acclaimed novelist who has written several award-winning books, including an adaptive retelling of “The Great Gatsby” called “The Chosen and the Beautiful.” Vo is originally from Illinois but has since settled in Milwaukee. In 2023, she was inducted into the Milwaukee Public Library’s Wisconsin Writers Wall of Fame.
Books to try:
“The Empress of Salt and Fortune”
“On the Fox Roads”
“Siren Queen”
Dasha Kelly Hamilton
Dasha Kelly Hamilton is a writer, performance artist and social justice advocate. Kelly Hamilton was the Milwaukee Poet Laureate from 2021 to 2022 and Wisconsin Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2022. She is also a community leader and runs the Milwaukee-based nonprofit Still Waters Collective, which facilitates literary programming for young people.
Books to try:
“Almost Crimson”
“Call It Forth: Poems, Stories & Columns”
Baptiste Paul
Baptiste Paul is a celebrated children’s author whose books are filled with vibrant colors and illustrations, some of which reflect Paul’s memories of his childhood in Saint Lucia. Paul is Caribbean-born but now lives in Wisconsin with his family.
Books to try:
“The Field”
“Dear You, DREAM BIG!”
“Adventures To School: Real-Life Journeys of Students from Around the World”
Brandon Taylor
Originally from Alabama, Brandon Taylor is an award-winning writer with a master’s degree from UW–Madison. His novel “Real Life” is based on his experiences in Madison while pursuing a doctorate in biochemistry. Taylor’s short story collection, “Filthy Animals,” won the 2021-2022 Story Prize.
Books to try:
“The Late Americans”
“Real Life”
“Filthy Animals”