Jane the Phoole Gives a Terribly Impressive Talk: American Association of University Women, Milwaukee, Nov. 6, 2010!

Come hear Jane the Phoole discourse on her most favorite subject in the world besides bad monkeys - Jane the Phoole - at the November meeting of the American Association of University Women's Milwaukee Branch!

When?  Saturday, November 6, 2010.  My talk begins at 1:00 p.m., and it will be followed by Questions and Answers!

• If you like the really inspiring things the AAUW does and are considering joining the organization (visit their website here for more information), contact the branch's Secretary, Kathe Bogdan (click here to email her, or call 414-276-6820) to inquire about attending the pre-talk social from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
• If you'd like to join Jane the Phoole and the Milwaukee branch of the AAUW for a luncheon before the talk, contact Kathe (see the previous paragraph) to make a luncheon reservation.  Luncheon is from 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., and the cost is $15.00 per person, which will be collected at the door.

Where?  The Astor Hotel, 924 East Juneau Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.  The luncheon and the talk will be held in one of the two large banquet rooms on the main floor; on the day of the event, signs will guide you to the room.

How Much?  The luncheon is $15 - reservations are required (see above).  There is no admission charge for the talk!

Wherever Shall I Park? Use the parking for the Astor Hotel.  It's gated; you push the button and say, "I'm with AAUW, Apt. 202," and they let you in.  There's no fee for parking.

I owe many thanks to Phoole Friend Julie Ferris for arranging this magnificent display of effusion -- she's the chapter's Foundations Chair VP of Programming and President Elect, among the many amazing things she does.  Cheers, Julie!

I'm looking forward to this immensely - it'll be a treat to talk about Jane the Phoole in a slightly-less-distracting environment, and I'll be discussing facets of being a female Elizabethan royal fool that are extremely interesting to me and, I hope, highly amusing to you!

Frequently-Asked Question: How'd You Become Milwaukee's Official Jester?

I thought I'd share the Resolution passed by Milwaukee's Common Council on September 24, 2004. It says loads of nice things about my work, and it lists some of my accomplishments and my background. I'm indebted to Jim Owczarski, Sandy Wood, Stephen Geis and my husband Tom Charney for their invaluable assistance on making this happen, Jim most of all -- it was a surprise for me, and the "cred" it established helped me in the International Jester Tournament at Cumbria's beautiful Muncaster Castle in 2007. Thanks also to John Neitz, Official Herald of Minneapolis-St. Paul, for blazing the trail in our community in getting official credentials for valuable-but-no-longer-necessarily-understood skillz!

Jane the Phoole at Best of Milwaukee Awards Tonight!

Many and heartfelt thanks to the zillions of you who voted! Your furious clickings landed me in the Top 3 Nominees for Best Local Character. I'm looking forward to meeting the other toppers, Phyllis from Discovery World and the v. famous John McGivern, who's a very dear friend of my dear friend, cabaret sizzler Carolynne Warren (SHUT UP, MARY HOUGH!). I'm thrilled to be able to show more of Milwaukee their Civic Fool! An extra heaping helping of happy thanks goes to Charles Sommers for telling me about the whole thing in the first place. Cheers!

The Best of Milwaukee Awards are intended as a special private event, just for the nominees and their entourages (Tom is my entourage tonight), but in case you'd like to behave like savage paparazzi and in case there's some kind of red-carpetty thing, the event's at the Turner Ballroom at 6:30 p.m., and I'll be arriving around 6:10, to allow everyone quasi-sufficient time to acclimate to my attire's ponderous bulk and alarming appearance.

Tonight's gown (the one I debuted this past summer) features fabric selected by T. Stacy Hicks, sleeves conceived by Stacy and designed by Tom, and an overall design by me, based on an Elizabethan silhouette and modern audience's ideas about what a jester is. Tonight's goblet is by Faire Maiden Glass, received as a wedding gift from the impeccably-tasteful Denise Prohaska. See you in the society pages! XO

Top 3 Nom: Milwaukee's Best!

Thanks, everybody! I made the Top 3 for Fascinating Character in Milwaukee's Best & got an invite to the ceremony! You're all fabulous!

Hi, Milwaukee! You have a Jester!

And it's me, Jane the Phoole! Milwaukeeans, Phoole Fans, friends, Romans, and countrymen, won't you help me get a mention in Milwaukee's Shepherd Express Best of Milwaukee poll? Just click the link below to vote for "Jane the Phoole" for "Local Character":

http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/best-of-7-vote-now-for-the-best-of-2008-city-confidential.html

Thanks for getting behind yer Phoole once again!

Resolution, Wordled

In September of 2004, the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee passed a resolution declaring me the City's Official Jester. Deputy City Clerk Jim Owczarski was instrumental in procuring this honor and impressive credential on my behalf. Here is a Wordle of the resolution, also created by Jim:

Fling-It Friday! Juggling at Red Arrow Park Today, 1-2pm

Come throw stuff around! Juggle with me today at Red Arrow Park from
1-2pm! It's good for you!