The Current's Mary Lucia will be moderating a panel on "The Art of Rock" as part of the annual Twin Cities Book Festival on Oct. 15. The panel features Mitch Putnam — author of OMG Posters: A Decade of Rock Art — along with local printers and artists Wes Winship, Mike Davis, and Dan Black.

Mitch Putnam, a recent transplant to Minneapolis, launched OMGposters.com in 2007. It's a blog that showcases thousands of handmade prints made by independent artists and printmakers from around the world. Putnam's new book OMG Posters includes 400 concert posters by 40 artists.

The panel aims to show audience members what's going on in the rock music poster design scene and will appeal to art and music lovers alike. Black is a member of the art/design duo Landland, while Davis and Winship hail from Burlesque of North America.

"I've been into poster art for a long time," says Lucia, who's hosted several Twin Cities Book Festival panels in the past. "There's a long history of great posters from the psychedelic art of the '60s to artists like Frank Kozik in the '90s — and poster art has really had a renaissance lately. I'm looking forward to this discussion."

The Twin Cities Book Festival takes place at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free to the public. You can find The Art of Rock panel at the Taxi Stage located in the Fine Arts Building starting at 3:30. For more information and complete event schedules see raintaxi.com.

Simone Cazares is a sophomore at the University of St. Thomas, majoring in communication and journalism. Originally from Miami, Fla., she survives Minnesota's cruel winters by immersing herself in the Twin Cities music scene.