When in Milwaukee, visiting Riverwest neighborhood is highly suggested. And in the heart of Riverwest is an art/poetry center going into its 4th decade. Woodland Pattern Book Center is full of surprises. While the murals facing locust street hints at something magical, inside the unassuming building is an excellent bookstore filled with both trade books, small press books, zines, letter press poetry broadsides, a huge collection of poetry books and one of the largest collections of books by and about Native American/First Nation cultures. All of this attached to an intimate performance and exhibition space that hosts rotating visual art exhibitions, amazing experimental music performances, poetry and literature readings by internationally recognized writers, workshops to release the inner writer or reignite your passion for writing. It is a magical place to explore for an afternoon in Milwaukee. Almost all of their in-house performance offerings are under $10.00. Follow that Woodland Pattern visit with lunch at nearby Cafe Corazon, or a beer just down the street at Black Husky Brewing Co. or the Public House (one of the nations only cooperatively owned taverns).