welcome to callenharty.com
Callen Harty is a writer, public speaker, and activist based in Monona, Wisconsin.

Photo taken for an article in Our Lives Magazine--Photo by Melody Harrison Hanson. Used with permission.
Bio
Media
Other Published Work
Member, Wisconsin Writers Association
Member, Council for Wisconsin Writers
Member, Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets
Lifetime Member, Broom Street Theater
LATEST NEWS:
Callen will speak to Kenosha County's SART (Sexual Assault Response Team) via Zoom on Wednesday, April 19.
Callen recorded a guest spot on the podcast Unspoken: Conversations with Candace. Candace Sanchez hosts the podcast which features conversations with survivors of sex abuse. In 2023 she is dedicating the entire season to male survivors. The episode will air as a podcast first and then on YouTube, both during Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April.
Because of Covid and Callen's recovery from stage 3 colon cancer, there was no book release/reading when his first book of poems, Compendium, was released in 2022. For the one-year anniversary of the release Callen will host a Facebook Live poetry reading at 6:00 p.m. central time on Tuesday, May 23. Mark your calendars. Compendium Poetry Reading
On March 17, Callen was live on Survivor Stories, hosted by Michael Broussard, sharing his story of surviving child sex abuse. The interview can be viewed on my Facebook page.
On March 3, Callen and other founding members of the University of Wisconsin's first campus-wide LGBT group, the Ten Percent Society (now The Pride Society), appeared on a panel with current members of the group discussing the 40th anniversary of the organization.
In February, Callen was interviewed for an oral history as part of the University of Wisconsin's LGBTQ Archive.
Callen continues to work on two new books. The first one will be a departure from his previous ones and will be a fun one for Wisconsin fanatics and trivia buffs. The second is still in its infancy.
Callen's poem, "Neighborhood: St. Louis," was accepted in early January for inclusion in Wingless Dreamers' upcoming anthology, My Sanskriti in teal.
Callen's newest books are companion volumes of essays/writings 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.
Buy your copy of Bleeding Heart on Amazon or through your local bookstore.
Callen's newest books are companion volumes of essays/writings 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.
Buy your copy of A Full Heart on Amazon or through your local bookstore.
Callen's first book of poetry, Compendium, is a collection of about 80 poems covering a variety of subjects and emotions.
Buy your copy of Compendium for only $8.00 ($2.50 for e-book).
"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 book, Breathe Passion: Remembering the Wisconsin Uprising, is a collection of photographs and essays on the tenth anniversary of the Wisconsin Uprising protests against Governor Scott Walker.
Buy your copy of Breathe Passion: Remembering the Wisconsin Uprising, only available on blurb.com.
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.
Buy your copy of A Wake on Amazon or order through your local bookstore.
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.
Buy your copy of The Townsend Brothers of Shullsburg, Wisconsin on Amazon or order through your local bookstore.
Callen's book, The Stronger Pull, is a memoir on his coming out years in the late 1970s in small-town Wisconsin.
Buy your copy of The Stronger Pull on Amazon or order through your local bookstore.
Callen's play, Invisible Boy, is an autobiographical play on surviving child sex abuse, finding oneself, and finding forgiveness.
Buy your copy of Invisible Boy on Amazon or order through your local bookstore.
"Written simply and with shattering honesty, Empty Playground is a compelling read, and surprisingly uplifting."--Bill Lueders, The Isthmus, Jan. 21, 2016.
Callen's second book is Empty Playground: A Survivor's Story. It is a true story of surviving childhood sex abuse in a small town in southwestern Wisconsin. Foreword by Dr. David Lisak.
Buy your copy of Empty Playground: A Survivor's Story on Amazon or order through your local bookstore.
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.
Buy your copy of My Queer Life on Amazon or order through your local bookstore.
Follow:

Callen's blog, A Single Bluebird, averages more than 10,000 views a year. There are well over 350 posts on a variety of subjects, most recently one on the spate of anti-trans laws and proposals around the country and another on the election of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Go to Callen's Blog, A Single Bluebird
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.
If you are a Kindle Unlimited user you can read all of his books except Invisible Boy, A Wake, and Breathe Passion: Remembering the Wisconsin Uprising free of charge on Kindle.
You can also support local businesses by ordering all of his books except Breathe Passion: Remembering the Wisconsin Uprising (only available though blurb.com) through your favorite bookstore.

At a reading at Milwaukee PrideFest. Photo by Brian Wild. Click on the photo above to go to Callen's biography page.

Holding a copy of the play Invisible Boy. Click on the photo above to go to Callen's media page for articles and interviews.

At a reading at Second Chance Coffee in Shullsburg, Wisconsin. Click on the photo above to go to Callen's other work page for essays, articles, poems, photos, and other published work.
For book readings/signings, speaking engagements, or for any other reason, Callen may be contacted at the e-mail below.
To view/purchase some of Callen's photography, check out his page on FineArtAmerica. 
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 3/20/23