Cedarburg Reads & Writes 2025
Cedarburg Reads is a community-wide program co-organized with the Friends and the library with the singular goal of helping Cedarburg residents in meeting their neighbors, one conversation at a time. This month-long program happens once a year in the fall.
Designed to bring people together through the reading and discussion of a common book, programs like this one have been implemented throughout the country to create a shared experience of civic unity through the reading of literature. Cedarburg Reads and Writes is sponsored by the Cedarburg Friends of the Library.
Related events about the book topic happen in the library and the community throughout the month.
This Year's Featured Author and Book
Nick Petrie and his book "The Drifter"
About the Author:
Nick Petrie received his MFA in fiction from the University of Washington and won a Hopwood Award for short fiction while an undergraduate at the University of Michigan. His story “At the Laundromat” won the 2006 Short Story Contest in The Seattle Review, a national literary journal.
His first novel, The Drifter, won the ITW Thriller and Barry Awards, and was nominated for Edgar, Anthony, and Hammett Awards. He won the 2016 Literary Award from the Wisconsin Library Association and was named one of Apple’s 10 Writers to Read in 2017. Light It Up was named the Best Thriller of 2018 by Apple Books. Both Light it Up and The Wild One were shortlisted for the Barry Award.
His books in the Peter Ash series are The Drifter, Burning Bright, Light It Up, Tear It Down, The Wild One, The Breaker, and The Runaway. A husband and father, he has worked as a carpenter, remodeling contractor, and building inspector. He lives in Milwaukee, where he is hard at work on the next Peter Ash novel.
Upcoming Events
Join us for these events leading up to and during Cedarburg Reads & Writes:
- Thursday, September 11 – 6:30-7:30 PM
Book Discussion in the Community Room
- Thursday, September 25 – 2:00-3:00 PM
Book Discussion in the Community Room
- Thursday, September 25 – 6:30-7:45 PM
Wisconsin's Gangster Past with Chad Lewis
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Thursday, October 9 – 6:30-8:00 PM
Cedarburg Writes Awards Ceremony & Author Talk with Nick Petrie at the Cedarburg Cultural Center:6:30-6:45 PM: Awards Presentation
6:45-7:50 PM: Author Talk with Nick Petrie
7:50 PM: Book Signing. Bring your own copy or purchase one at the event. Both paperback and hardcover editions of various titles will be available.
All events are FREE and open to the public. The Author Talk on October 9th will take place at the Cedarburg Cultural Center located at W62N546 Washington Ave, Cedarburg, WI 53012.
Cedarburg Writes Contest 2025
The Cedarburg Writes Contest is an integral part of our program, encouraging creativity and participation from residents of all ages. Winners will be recognized at the Author Event on October 9th at the Cedarburg Cultural Center. When submitting your entry, please include your name, phone number, email, and the age category you are entering (Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, High School, Adult). See submission details below.
Theme: Animal Companions
Eligibility: Open to all Ozaukee County residents
Submission Guidelines:
- Original fiction or nonfiction relating to the theme
- 1000 words or less
- One entry per person
- Must include name, contact info, and age category
Age Groups: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, High School, and Adult
Winners will receive:
- Certificate and recognition at Cedarburg Reads Author Event
- Cash prizes: $25 for Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8, $50 for High School and Adult categories
Submission Deadline: Sunday, September 21 at 11:59 PM
Submit your stories by uploading here or email them to Librarian Sarah Kelly at skelly@cedarburglibrary.org.
UPLOAD HERE
Alternatively, you can drop off a typed copy at the library. Please include your name, phone number, email, and the age category you are entering (Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, High School, Adult). Thank you, and best of luck!
2024 Winners
Adult
"Time Watchers" by Carrie Falck
High School
"Whispers from Beneath" by Samantha Janney
Grades 6-8
"The Clock" by Addy Metzig
Grades 3-5
"A Vampire's Nightmare" by Everly Silvia
Author Annelise Ryan with Cedarburg Writes Contest Winners, L-R: Carrie Falck, Everly Silvia, Annelise Ryan, Addy Metzig. Not pictured: Samantha Janney.
Cedarburg Reads and Writes 2023
Watch the Cedarburg Reads Author Talk with Nickolas Butler
Watch "The Jack Henke Show" Interview with Nickolas Butler
Author Nickolas Butler with Cedarburg Writes Contest Winners, L-R: Eliana Lisiecki, Nickolas Butler, Heather Hilgendorf, Deb Krygiel, Emerson Grunwald.
2023 Cedarburg Writes Winning Stories
Adult
1st Prize
The Power of Showing Up by Deb Krygiel
A short story of a grouchy widower grieving over the anniversary of his wife's death until his friends show up and plan a graveside ceremony for her.
Honorable Mentions
Salinger: A Friendship to Last a Lifetime by Christopher Schulz
An Unexpected Friendship by Mary Cieszynski
High School
1st Prize
Post Office Collection Box by Eliana Lisiecki
A series of heartfelt letters, written by the narrator, by three different friends at three different stages of her life.
Honorable Mentions
A Proper Goodbye by Kaelyn Sohre
A Loaf of Friendship by Sara Yesufu
Middle Grade
1st Prize
Luna Lei by Heather Hilgendorf
A story about a young girl named Kass who stumbles upon a hidden world when she discovers a mysterious intruder in her family's shed.
Honorable Mentions
Waves of Friendship by Hayley Keller
A Birthday Surprise by Sophia Herr
Grade School
1st Prize
Jordan's Story by Emerson Grunwald
A short story about a girl who's being teased about her name until she befriends the new girl in school, who becomes her closest friend.
Honorable Mentions
Untitled (Esther and Imogen) by Susannah Orcholski
2022 Cedarburg Reads Writing Contest
A judges panel reviewed original short stories and creative nonfiction/memoir based on the theme of “Hometown Memories.” 1000 words or less submissions by Ozaukee County residents were accepted in four age groups: grades 3-5, 6-8, high school, and adult.
The winners were recognized at an author event at the library on Oct. 25. Local author Lesley Kagen gave a presentation about her recent novel “Every Now and Then,” which is set in a small town similar to Cedarburg.
Cedarburg Writes Winners at Author Event, L-R: Jean O'Keefe, Cedarburg Reads Committee & Friends of the Library; Clare Birmingham; Erin S.; Lesley Kagen, author of Every Now and Then; Emmett Barry (front); Emmalynn Griffin. Not pictured: Chris LaRose.
2022 Winners
Adult: A Eulogy of Home by Clare Birmingham
In this heart-felt story, the author writes about having to say good-bye to her childhood home and the memories created within those walls. The writer relays the ups and downs of growing up in an old house with humor and emotion.
High School: After the Light by Chris LaRose
Not all hometown memories are good ones as told in this haunting story about a 60-year-old man who has just died. As he is being transported to be laid to rest in his childhood cemetery, his spirit offers a grumpy perspective about his final journey, the town he’ll be buried in and the miserable life he led. Suddenly a boy, apparently a ghost of his younger self, is seen running alongside the hearse and meets them at the gravesite with a message for the deceased.
Grades 6-8: Dear Small Town by Erin S.
The first sentence reads: “I know you and you know me.” In this story, the author exchanges letters with her hometown and reminisces about the good times and not so good times growing up there. The writer asks the hometown if it remembers those times. “Of course” is the response which adds: "I know someday you’ll leave ... but your impact will forever remain here.”
Grades 3-5 (tied for first place): How Do You Speak Human? by Emmalynn Griffin
This story is about living in Cedarburg from a pet’s point of view. The writer tells the tale of two dogs who escape from their “humans” and get disoriented. But alas, “Ranger,” the police canine comes to their rescue. When the dogs are reunited with their owners, they can finally understand the words spoken from their “humans.”
Read "How Do You Speak Human?"
Grades 3-5 (tied for first place): Hometown Memories by Emmett Barry
In this story, a youngster recalls how it felt when his family picked up and left Chicago to move to Cedarburg to open a retail business. He came home from school that last day of second grade and found the house empty except for a single roll of toilet paper. It made him feel sad, but by the time they arrived in Cedarburg and settled into their new home, he realized that he had a whole other life ahead of him to make memories.
Join a lively bunch of folks who love to be part of the library and the Cedarburg community! Experience the results of your time and effort by seeing programs happening and folks checking out new materials.
Find out more!