Any ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s kids reading this article surely recall Scholastic Book Fairs. The pop-up book marketplaces—which, if memory serves, usually took place at elementary schools—were a great place to stock up on Goosebumps and The Boxcar Children titles, classic books from Matt Christopher and Shel Silverstein, the latest Where’s Waldo? installment, and a wealth of other book-related goodies. If you suddenly find yourself feeling nostalgic for that unforgettable shopping experience, the fine folks at Awkward Nerd Events have just the thing for you.

From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, September 18, the Awkward Nerd Book Fair will bring a winning mix of literature from local authors and retailers, booze, games, and “geekery” to The Cooperage. It’s like an old school Book Fair…but for grownups. The will be novels, comics, manga, zines, sci-fi works, and bilingual literature from a range of area creators and booksellers. Beyond the written and illustrated works available for purchase, there will be game sellers, Faklandia beer samples, drinks for purchase from The Cooperage’s fully-stocked bar, Lego displays, a story hour, a crafts area, and even “a special visit from a certain Red Dog who is big.”

Tickets to the Awkward Nerd Book Fair are $9 in advance and $15 at the door. There are also some “Sack O’Nostalgia” VIP gift bags (which includes an entry ticket) available for $50 apiece. You can check out the full Awkward Nerd Book Fair vendor/author/creator lineup below.

Authors

Rob Wieland
Ben Riggs
Andy Tyra
Lewis Charles Lea, Jr.
Tea Krulos
Ana Michelle
Hayden Harwood

Booksellers

Lion’s Tooth
La Revo
Quill and Queery
Feral House
The Intelligent Elephant

Game Retailers

Faklandia Gaming
Gamers Realm

Other

Faklandia Brewing (beer samples)
Something Peaceful (bookmarks, etc.)
WisLUG – Wisconsin Lego Users Group (will have displays set up)

Andy Tyra

About The Author

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Co-Founder and Editor

Before co-founding Milwaukee Record, Tyler Maas wrote for virtually every Milwaukee publication (except Wassup! Magazine). He lives in Bay View and enjoys both stuff and things.