Local DJ, fashion designer, former Badgers basketball player and now author Shawna Nicols has partnered with Graydient Creative on a new book in honor of Nicols’ late stepfather Joe Weirick, who passed away last year at the age of 58.
"The Adventures of Bob and Downtown Milwaukee: A Tale of Tails" follows Bob – the Weirick family dog – as she explores Downtown Milwaukee, sniffing around at the Intermodal Station, the Wisconsin Center, Hilton Milwaukee City Center, The Shops of Grand Avenue, Milwaukee RiverWalk, the Bronze Fonz, Pere Marquette Park, InterContinental Milwaukee, Cathedral Square Park, Milwaukee Public Market, The Pfister Hotel, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum and Milwaukee Art Museum.
"Joe Weirick’s enthusiasm for Downtown Milwaukee inspired me to write a book about the city my family and I love so much," said Nicols, whose mother Beth Weirick is CEO of Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21.
"I hope to honor his legacy by furthering the initiatives he was so passionate about."
Proceeds from sales of the book will benefit Key to Change, a Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 effort to battle chronic homelessness. Joe Weirick was passionate about Downtown and was a board member of the BID and of the Riverwalk District.
You can read more about Key to Change – which has already raised more than $16,000 – here.
You can purchase the book for $25 at select Downtown shops or online.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
