Odyssey Events

Join fellow booklovers and award-winning UW English professor Emily Auerbach for a lively discussion of two powerful novels focused on race, resilience, love, and community. Classes meet on Tuesdays in the South Madison Community Room at 2300 S. Park St. (free and accessible parking) from 10-11:30 AM, with coffee and snacks served starting at 9:30 AM. This program is offered free, but with hope that participants will donate to the life-changing UW Odyssey Project, a free jumpstart course in the humanities for adults facing barriers to higher education. Find details for the Fall 2025 session below:

Tuesday, September 16: Danzy Senna, Colored Television: A Novel

Called “funny, foxy, and fleet” by the New York Times and “a laugh-out-loud cultural comedy and New Great American Novel” by the LA Times, Colored Television: A Novel focuses on Jane Gibson, a biracial author struggling between artistic integrity and making enough money in Hollywood to support her family. Danzy Senna, wife of Go Big Read author Percival Everett, examines racial identity, stereotypes, and gender roles in contemporary America in ways that are poignant and thought-provoking.

Tuesday, October 28: James McBride, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

Called “a charming, smart, heart-blistering and heart-healing novel” by the New York Times and honored with the National Book Award, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store explores the intertwined lives of African Americans and immigrant Jews in a run-down Philadelphia neighborhood. NPR notes of this novel, “As he’s done throughout his spectacular writing career, James McBride looks squarely at savage truths about race and prejudice, but he also insists on humor and hope.”

REGISTRATION LINK: If you plan to attend Tuesday Morning Booktalks this spring, please register below (even though free) so we know how much food to order and how many handouts to make.

Register here

Donate to Odyssey

Questions about Tuesday Morning Booktalks? Contact Professor Emily Auerbach at emily.auerbach@wisc.edu.