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Member, Wisconsin Writers Association
Member, Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets
Lifetime Member, Broom Street Theater
Affiliate, Bookshop.org
LATEST NEWS:
While he has published a number of articles, poems, and essays, Callen's first published short story, The Owl Catcher, was posted on the online creative arts journal, The Bookends Review, in early August.
Callen's poem, Altar Boy, was published in Dragonfly arts magazine in June. The magazine is published by Hope Works, Howard County Maryland's Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Center. It's an annual journal of survivor writing and visual art.
Callen's newest book, Talking Spirits was released on June 9. It is a collection of monologues/pieces from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum's annual cemetery tour. Callen was contracted to write and direct the living history portrayals and wrote the first six years of the program.
The Monona Senior Center in his home of Monona, Wisconsin hosted Callen for a presentation on May 1. It was a good turnout with good questions and lively back and forth with the attendees.
Callen has signed on as an affiliate with Bookshop.org. This website gives a commission to the author on every book sold and also gives the profits to an independent bookstore selected by the buyer from a list of hundreds of independent bookstores around the country. Visit his Bookshop affiliate page to buy books, while supporting a writer and independent bookstores. Disclosure: Callen is an affiliate of Bookshop.org and will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Sponsored by the Monona Histoy Club, Callen gave a talk about his book, Signs of Pride: Wisconsin Towns and Their Claims to Fame at the Monona Public Library in Monona, Wisconsin on Sunday, February 25.
Callen spoke about his writing and queer activism at PFLAG Madison on Sunday, January 21.
Reader's Digest published an anecdote of Callen's in their "All in a Day's Work" section in the November issue.
On October 3, Callen was a guest on The Larry Meiller Show on Wisconsin Public Radio to talk about his book, Signs of Pride: Wisconsin Towns and Their Claims to Fame.
The Dubuque Telegraph Herald published an article on Callen's book, Signs of Pride: Wisconsin Towns and Their Claims to Fame on September 24. Wisconsin Towns' Claims to Fame Featured in New Book.
This is the first article about Callen's book, Monona Author's Book Explores Wisconsin Towns' Claims to Fame. The company that owns the paper owns a number of newspapers in Wisconsin and around the country, so the article has been reproduced several times in other newspapers.
Signs of Pride: Wisconsin Towns and Their Claims to Fame is available. Written with a love for the state, the book explores the many towns throughout the state that lay claim as the capital, birthplace, or home of something important and gives background on why Where Wisconsin Began is Mineral Point, why Bloomer is the Jump Rope Capital of the World, and why Lake Tomahawk is the Snowshoe Baseball Capital of the World, among others. It is available on Amazon, Kindle, or through your favorite local bookstore.
Callen's newest book, Talking Spirits, is work from an annual cemetery tour sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. It features actors portraying some of the people buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison. Callen wrote and directed the monologues for the first six years of the event.
Callen's 2023 book, Signs of Pride: Wisconsin Towns and Their Claims to Fame, is a look at the how and why of Wisconsin towns' claims to fame.
Callen's two books of essays are companion volumes on a variety of topics. Bleeding Heart is a collection of political pieces, including general observations and notes, queer issues, open letters, and race issues.
Callen's two books of essays are companion volumes on a variety of topics. A Full Heart, is a collection of pieces on topics ranging from nature to war and peace, from health and well-being to life and death, and more.
Callen's first book of poetry, Compendium, is a collection of about 80 poems covering a variety of subjects and emotions.
"Harty's intensely personal essays were published online at the time, and this collection--coinciding with the uprising's 10-year anniversary--captures the passion behind the history."--Michael Popke, The Isthmus, Dec. 4, 2021.
Callen's play, A Wake, is about an Irish Catholic family that decides to hold an old-fashioned Irish wake for a cousin who was killed when he ran into a cow and the insanity that ensues as a result. The play is an entertaining examination of family, religion, death, and life.
Callen's family history book, The Townsend Brothers of Shullsburg, Wisconsin, is a look at his great-great-grandfather and brothers who were among the earliest settlers in southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois.
Callen's book, The Stronger Pull, is a memoir on his coming out years in the late 1970s in small-town Wisconsin.
Callen's play, Invisible Boy, is an autobiographical play on surviving child sex abuse, finding oneself, and finding forgiveness.
"Written simply and with shattering honesty, Empty Playground is a compelling read, and surprisingly uplifting."--Bill Lueders, The Isthmus, Jan. 21, 2016.
Callen's first book is My Queer Life, a collection of essays, poems, scenes from plays, speeches, and other writings detailing more than thirty years as a queer community activist.
Over 830 others are following or have liked Callen's Facebook author page. Visit Callen Harty, Author
On Goodreads you can follow him at Callen's Goodreads author page
Callen is no longer on Twitter.
To view/purchase some of Callen's photography, check out his page on FineArtAmerica. 
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
All material on this and other web pages within this website are copyright 2006-23, Callen Harty. For further information, please contact charty@tds.net.
Site last updated 8/15/24