Andy Erdman/Curb
Madison-based author Sherry Lucille’s novel “Love Changes” is displayed next to other publications as part of the book festival’s Wisconsin Publishers’ Showcase.

Garland, Maraniss and Hamilton capture the state’s individuality and personality for a more mature audience. But that’s not to say that Wisconsin’s impression is lost in those who write for younger audiences. Author of 28 children’s books, South Milwaukee resident Janet Halfmann said that growing up on a farm in Michigan and living in her country home in Wisconsin have influenced her numerous publications.

“Many of my books are about animals and nature, and there’s a lot of that in Wisconsin,” Halfmann said after describing the inspiration for her newest book, "Little Skink’s Tail," a story of a lizard who is intrigued by the notion of wearing other animals’ tails.

What’s more, a couple of the commended poets who read their work along with Kort also relayed how influential they felt living in Wisconsin had been in their writing.

John Lehman, who’s equally suited to write great poetry and crack jokes, lives in Rockdale, an unincorporated town with a population of only 214. Among numerous accolades, Lehman co-founded the national magazine Rosebud, a quarterly publication devoted to art, poetry and fiction. The effect of his time spent in Wisconsin became immediately evident to anyone listening to his readings at the Wisconsin Book Festival. One poem he performed focused solely on the southeastern city of Kenosha, and another was appropriately titled “In Love, In Wisconsin.”

Lehman spoke about how Wisconsin has affected his writing and offered a metaphor that he said likely spoke for the entire panel.

“Our poems will get in a pickup and drive you where you want to go,” he said with a smile.

Also on the panel with Kort and Lehman was Doug Flaherty, an internationally renowned poet who taught literature and poetry at UW-Oshkosh for 35 years. Flaherty was quite unambiguous in describing how Wisconsin’s rural and farming history have affected his writing.

“I have at least 100 poems that have nothing but soil and the lands,” he said.

This intangible perception of Wisconsin's distinct and authentic nature has influenced many Wisconsin writers—some more than others, consciously or not. It’s a sense of pride in where one lives; it’s a feeling that where one lives should and must be shared with others.

Experiencing Wisconsin and its unique characteristics is often as easy as reading a book, poem or play written by someone who has lived in the state. Its influence carries over in each author’s characters, language, imagery, tone and authenticity. After all, for writers like Halfmann, inspiration is everywhere.