Jan. 27, 2025
MILWAUKEE — Marquette University will host a panel with three standout members of Milwaukee’s culinary community in James Beard Award semifinalists Gregory León and Ryan Castelaz, and Caitlin Cullen as part of the Writing Innovation Symposium, Jan. 29-31, at Raynor Library, 1355 W. Wisconsin Ave.
León is the owner and operator of Amilinda in Milwaukee, Castelaz is the founder and creative director of Discourse Coffee and Agency Cocktail Lounge, and Cullen is food center director at Kinship Community Food Center. Their roundtable discussion, “Food as the First Ingredient : A Roundtable Conversation about Place, Food Memories and Community Activism,” will serve as a welcome event on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 1 p.m. It will be led by Dr. Ashley M. Beardsley, assistant professor of English at Western Illinois University.
León is a four-time James Beard Award nominee, honored as a finalist for Best Chef Midwest in 2022 and 2023, and as a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef in 2024 and 2025. Castelaz’s Agency is a first-time James Beard Award semifinalist in the Best New Bar category.
The theme for the 2025 Writing Innovation Symposium is “Mise en place,” a culinary term being used to discuss a readiness for writing. It kicks off Wednesday, Jan. 29, with the Amuse Bouche, an interactive presentation, “#SourdoughRhetoric: Multisensory Media Traces That Are Good Enough to Eat,” by Beardsley and presented by Marquette’s Department of English. The remainder of the schedule includes workshops, 5-minute “flashtalks,” and two multimedia installations that feature writing that helps sustain people and places. Thursday’s program also includes write-on-site and poster sessions; Friday will include an off-site tour of Concordia 27, one of Milwaukee’s latest mixed-use community spaces, and a closing debrief over lunch.
All symposium attendees will receive a cookbook featuring recipes from León and Castelaz, as well as participants in the 2025 and past symposia.
Registration is closed, but a full schedule of sessions and events is available online. Media interested in attending the roundtable discussion, or any other sessions, must contact Kevin Conway at kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu in advance.
The Writing Innovation Symposium is co-sponsored by Raynor Library, the Ott Memorial Writing Center at Marquette, the Marquette Department of English and Friends and Alumni/ae of Marquette English (FAME), and Macmillan Publisher.
The Writing Innovation Symposium was founded in 2018 in a collaboration led by Dr. Jenn Fishman, associate professor of English and co-director of the Ott Memorial Writing Center, and Kelsey Otero, senior director of community engagement. Fishman, as chief capacitator, leads a cross-institutional steering committee of graduate students, faculty and staff which organizes each year's programming. Since its inception, the Writing Innovation Symposium has gained international reach, bringing together over 100 writers and writing educators each year.
About Marquette University
Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university located near the heart of downtown Milwaukee that offers a comprehensive range of majors in 11 nationally and internationally recognized colleges and schools. Through the formation of hearts and minds, Marquette prepares our 11,100 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and professional students to lead, excel and serve as agents of positive change. And, we deliver results. Ranked in the top 20% of national universities, Marquette is recognized for its undergraduate teaching, innovation and career preparation as the sixth-best university in the country for job placement. Our focus on student success and immersive, personalized learning experiences encourages students to think critically and engage with the world around them. When students graduate with a Marquette degree, they are truly prepared and called to Be The Difference.
Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu.
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