Nothing is better than sitting with a good book, warm hot chocolate, a sweet treat and great company. At this year’s annual UWM Geek Week, UWM students had the opportunity to do just that.
Geek Week came back around for the 2025 season even stronger than last year with events from DND Resin Dice Making to a Minecraft Party. This year’s Geek Week was an entire week filled with nerdy events for UWM students to enjoy.
Scary S’mories was featured in the lineup of events, a scary rendition of the successful BookTok Party from the year prior. Students could enjoy s’mores and hot chocolate as well as a blind date with a book from Boswell Books.
Walking in, attendees were treated with a detailed event catered to a book lovers dream. Attendees were given a map of the genre tables to choose from; fantasy, romance, or mystery.
Students would pick their favorite genre and sit at the table in front of a paper wrapped book, waiting until the moment they’re allowed to open it. While they waited, each table had an electric s’mores maker as well as bookmarks and markers for attendees to design their own bookmark.
Alexis Parr, Junior, attended the event last year and was excited to return to the event when announced. She reminisced on how last year’s event went compared to this time around.
“It was done later at night, and I found out through a friend actually because she was helping host some events for Geek Week,” Parr said. “And she’s like we get a free book, and I love books so we’re going to go!”
Last year, the event provided teacups that attendees could take home as well as fresh tea at the table to talk over their books. The event had not anticipated the high turnout; so they ran out of books and space and some people had to be turned away.
“It was so packed we didn’t get to pick out a table” Parr said. “We ended up getting this fantasy book and I still haven’t read it, wasn’t really my type.”
Overall Parr enjoyed the event and was excited about attending this year again when the Geek Week 2025 event list had come out.
“It was very nice,” Parr said. “It was very fun and relaxing and we got to talk to different people at our table who were very engaging.”
Em Carlson, Geek Week Planning Assembly member, compares this year to last year when the event also had to turn away people due to a lack of books and space.
“We didn’t have enough books because we didn’t know that people were going to be so interested in it, so we got more books this year,” Carlson said. “I wish more people would have come out, but I don’t blame them with the turnout of last year.”
Carlson was one of the founders of the event which first came to Geek Week last year. Carlson took the reins of running the event this year after the other founder left UWM.
“Last year my boss really wanted to do a BookTok event, so she and I made it our baby,” Carlson said. “Our new boss is here and he kind of let me run with it.”
Carlson regrets not joining the Geek Week Planning Assembly sooner. Carlson has had a memorable experience being part of the Geek Week Planning Assembly and getting to know all of the members these past two years.
“I have met truly lifelong friends doing this and it’s the highlight of my week getting to plan this every week,” Carlson said.
Most of the Geek Week Planning Assembly members are graduating this semester, and Carlson inspires students who are interested in joining the group for the upcoming year.
“Most of us are graduating this year which is unfortunate,” Carlson said. “I would say to people who are interested in joining, the first meeting can be a little scary but take the leap. You can be yourself and no idea is too out there, we just figure out how to make it work on campus.”