OnMilwaukee is a media sponsor of QWERTYFEST MKE.

QWERTYFEST MKE is a three-day festival that celebrates the invention of the typewriter in Milwaukee 150+ years ago. This year, it takes place Friday, Oct. 3 through Sunday, Oct. 5, at about a dozen different spots in myriad Milwaukee neighborhoods. Folks can pick and choose the events they are interested in (or come to all of them!). Some are ticketed, many are free.

The QWERTY keyboard, still present on our phones and computers today, was invented by Christopher Latham Sholes in a machine shop in 1863 (patented in 1868) that once stood in the Turner Hall Ballroom parking lot/State Street Pizza Building. This historical fact is the jumping-off point for QWERTYFEST organizers – myself and Tea Krulos – to honor Milwaukee art, writing, history and innovation with a weekend-long party, workshops, live music, presentations, bowling, brunch, a literary cemetery tour featuring the resting place of Sholes, and more. 

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"We've grown a lot in just three years, and I'm really thrilled for people to check out this year's line-up," says Krulos. "I think it's a really fantastic mix of programming that's informative and interesting while still being a fun time. From presentations to talented vendors to just plain fun activities, we got a good mix of it all. " 

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Here is the QWERTYFEST 2025 schedule:

Friday, October 3

Kleinsteuber Pizza Party
State Street Pizza Pub, 322 W. State St. (right around the corner from Turner Hall) 
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Free

The Kleinsteuber Machine Shop, where Sholes invented the typewriter, is long gone, but the building in its place is occupied by State Street Pizza. Before the Main Event, stop in for free pizza and presentations:

• “German Engineering and the Making of the Modern Keyboard,” Dr. Jason Puskar (UWM).
• “A Look At Milwaukee’s Tied House Saloons,” Bobby Tanzilo (OnMilwaukee).

The Typewriter Ball
Turner Hall Ballroom, 1040 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave.
6 to 10 p.m.
Tickets are $10 and available here: 
The Typewriter Ball | QWERTYFEST MKE

QWERTYFEST returns to Turner Hall with stage performances by:

• DJ Swing Shift
• Nineteen Thirteen
• The QWERTY Quarterly Spoken Word Hour featuring comedy, storytelling and poetry
• Boston Typewriter Orchestra 

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Plus, the event will include DarkFusion Systems Gaming Lounge (featuring Oregon Trail survival game), vendors (including an Analog Alley of vinyl records, Polaroid and tintype photography, and tabletop games), typewriter stations, typewriter art silent auction, food, Splendid Mailbox mailing station, ViewMaster Lounge, typewriter poets, complimentary food, cash bar and the Quick Brown Fox Typing Contest! (email qwertyfestmke@gmail.com to find out more about/register for the typing contest.)

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Saturday, October 4 

Presentations, tours, workshops at Central Library
814 W. Wisconsin Ave.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free – seating is first come, first serve.

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10 a.m.: Walking Through History Tour

Milwaukee Public Library’s Central Library has been a part of Milwaukee's historic downtown for over 125 years. Please join us for a walking tour around the building highlighting its history, additions, remodels and other changes since its construction in 1898. Tour led by Special Collections Librarian/Archivist Cassandra Lapworth, meets in the front entrance rotunda by the QWERTYFEST table.

Rotary Club of Milwaukee Community Room (1st Floor) events:

10 a.m.: “What QWERTY Vanquished” with Greg Giles (history buff, writer, typewriter collector).
11 a.m.: “King Me!: A Virtual Tour of the Milwaukee Public Library's Newest Branch” (Martin Luther King Drive Branch set to open soon!) with Amy Waldman (author, librarian).
12 p.m. “Start Here! Free Library Tools for Your Creative Business” with Kristina Gomez (Library Services Manager).
1 p.m.:  “Ghosts in the Glass: Exploring Dry Plate Photography in a World of Illusion” with Jessica Kaminski (photographer, The Refinery Photo Studio).
2 p.m.: "Shift Freedom: How to Elevate Your Type-Ins (and Maybe Get Paid Too)” featuring Siren Hand (co-owner, Indy Type Shop in Indianapolis).
3 p.m.: “Off the Beaten Track: Hunting for Unusual Portables” with Richard Polt (author, The Typewriter Revolution).

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Art, Music & Recreation Room events (2nd Floor):

11 a.m.: “Creative (Type)writing” with Kro (The Traveling Typist). Typewriters provided or bring your own.
12 p.m.: “Typewritten Novel Writing, The Long Game,” led by Bob Marshall (Typewriter Muse) who is Tom Hanks' personal typewriter repair engineer from Riverside, Calif. 
1 p.m.: "Night Shift: Using Typewriters for Halloween Horror!" Dr. Adam Henze (Indy Type Shop)

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2 p.m: “Whodunnit and How: A Conversation on Writing Mysteries”
This panel is moderated by Tim Hennessy (editor of Milwaukee Noir), and features authors Kate Beutner (Killingly), Lina Chern (Play the Fool), Erica Ruth Neaubauer (Jane Wunderly Mysteries series), and Pushcart Prize nominee Mary Thorson.

Rare Books Room (2nd Floor) events:

2 p.m.: “Discovering Archives @ MPL,” presentation and display by Cassandra Lapworth (Special Collections Librarian/Archivist).

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Voices of the Animal Kingdom
Interchange Theater Co-op (628 N. 10th St.; across the street from Central Library.)
3 to 8 p.m. (Stop in anytime)
Admission is $10—ticket link coming soon!

"Voices From The Animal Kingdom" is an interactive typewriter performance piece with a rotating crew of comedians, writers and biologists — each representing an obscure animal they've thoroughly researched. Visitors choose one burning question (about anything) before instantly receiving an insightful array of bizarre animal prose clacked in live cacophony. Open to all ages. Hosted by Anja Notanja Sieger.

Extra! Extra! Newsroom Pub Party
Newsroom Pub
137 E. Wells St.
7 to 10 p.m.
Tickets: $35 and available here: Extra! Extra! Newsroom Pub Party | QWERTYFEST MKE

The Newsroom Pub is housed in a beautifully restored 19th-century dining room and serves as the Milwaukee Press Club's headquarters. It features an impressive collection of famous autographs and historical memorabilia, and provides a taste of Milwaukee's journalistic heritage. It is also adjoined to The Safe House, Milwaukee's iconic James Bond Bar. The party includes a food buffet, cash bar, and short talks from Bob Marshall (“Tales of Tom Hanks' Typers”) and Tea Krulos (“Anubis the Cat”). Plus, typewriters for public use and the presentation of QWERTYFEST's first QWERTY Word Award (AKA a "Wordy.")

Sunday, October 5

QWERTY Journey Tour at Forest Home Cemetery
2405 W. Forest Home Ave.
9 a.m.
Tickets are: $15 and available here QWERTY Journey Tour | QWERTYFEST MKE.
This special tour at Forest Home, led by Brian Fette, visits the graves of Christopher Latham Sholes and other Milwaukeeans who made significant contributions to writing and publishing. After the tour, there will be a thank-you letter typing session at Sholes’ grave. (This will take place at 10:30 a.m. and is free. Bring a typewriter and clack a note to the Father of the Typewriter! Directions to the gravesite will be available upon arrival to the cemetery.)

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Typewriter Brunch ‘n’ Bowl
Falcon Bowl
801 E. Clarke St.
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Free
The Falcon Bowl is a historic hall, tavern and bowling alley. Brunch and drinks will be available for purchase. Bring a typewriter (or other writing devices) or try one of QWERTYFEST's. Live music by Bitch Creek and Microplastique and free open bowling on vintage lanes. 

PLUS: Mechanical Keyboard Meetup
DarkFusion Systems will bring the clicks and clacks to Falcon Bowl Typewriter Bowling & Brunch with a laid-back meetup and plenty of hands-on time with some seriously rad keyboards. Whether you've been in the scene for years, or just want to learn more, this is the perfect spot to hang, talk shop, and geek out!

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Need information about hotels or anything else QWERTYFEST/Milwaukee related? Email molly@onmilwaukee.com or qwertyfestmke@gmail.com

Follow QWERTYFEST on Instagram and Facebook.

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