Located in Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood, Woodland Pattern is a poet- and artist-run nonprofit book center, gallery, and performance space. Each year, we present over 350 programs and events that encourage collaboration and exchange across the visual, performing, and literary arts.
Our book center holds a carefully curated and nationally recognized collection of approximately 25,000 titles of poetry, small-press literature, and ephemera, including limited-run broadsides, chapbooks, zines, and other hand-made items, many produced in conjunction with our programs. We are also home to the largest collection of haiku in North America, the largest Native American section in Wisconsin, and our collection of contemporary poetry is the most comprehensive of its kind available for purchase in the U.S.
For forty years, we have acted as a bridge between local and national communities of writers, artists, and musicians while offering a space for people in our immediate community to gather, learn, perform, share ideas, and build relationships that make us stronger.
In addition to hosting poetry readings, concerts, film screenings, and exhibitions, Woodland Pattern offers year-round educational opportunities in creative writing and related arts for people of all ages—from after-school programs and summer camps for children and youth to book discussions, writing groups, and workshops for adults and seniors.