So Ole Says to Lena… This is the title of James Leary’s book about folk humor in Wisconsin, and the angle of his storytelling talk presented by Belleville Public Library on Wednesday, September 20, 2017, at 6:30 p.m., at the Belleville High School Auditorium, 625 W. Church Street.

Leary, Professor of Scandinavian Studies and Director of the Folklore Program at UW-Madison, was born and raised in northern Wisconsin. His research has focused on the folklore of the Upper Midwest’s diverse peoples, with particular emphases on musical and narrative performance. He has provided research for numerous festivals, museum exhibits, radio programs, documentary sound recordings, and films.

“We’re grateful to Beyond the Page for funding this event. They’re a fantastic organization that exists solely to provide public libraries in Dane County with opportunities to offer humanities-based programming to their patrons. We look forward to learning and laughing along with our community,” says Library Director Bronna Lehmann.

Leary draws on his fieldwork with diverse joke tellers from around the state, together with insights into Wisconsin’s unique cultural history. He will be sharing jokes and anecdotes that thrive in Wisconsin about the misadventures of Native peoples, immigrant and ethnic groups, workers, hunters and fishers, Packer fans, and more.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit http://www.bellevillelibrary-wi.org or call the library at (608) 424-1812.