Raccoon River Reading Series
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join us as Robin Hemley reads from his forthcoming book Oblivion, An After-Autobiography (Gold Wake, 2022). We'll also have a moderated Q&A session. Space is limited for this free Zoom session; registration is required. Tuesday, March 22, 2022, 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central time, 7:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Memoir Monday: Maloney, Gomez, Sawchyn, Keane
Cost: Free

Memoir Monday is a collaboration between Narratively, Catapult, Tin House, The Rumpus, Granta, Guernica, and Longreads to bring the very best first-person writing together in a weekly newsletter and a quarterly reading series. Usually based in Brooklyn, the March 2022 Memoir Monday reading will take place in Philadelphia, during the conference. Featuring Emily Maloney, Edgar Gomez, Alysia Li Ying Sawchyn, and Kristin Keane, and hosted by Lilly Dancyger.

Proof of vaccination and masks required.

MoCo Underground & Readings on the Pike Offsite Reading!
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

MoCo Underground Writers Showcase is joining forces with Readings on the Pike on Wednesday, March 23, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, to bring you a fantastic lineup of writers live during the week of conference in Philly! We've got Chris Gonzalez, Melissa Scholes Young, Sofia Fey, K.B. Carle, Jose Hernandez Diaz, Taylor Byas, Zach Powers, Hananah Zaheer, and more bringing their awesomeness to you for one night only at Asian Arts Initiative! You do not want to miss this!

ADA accessible space; ASL Interpreters present. Event may be recorded/broadcast live. Please wear a mask during the reading; no refreshments provided.

Tupelo Press: A Celebration of Innovative Feminist Poetry
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Featuring Laurel Nakanishi, Jennifer Militello, Tyler Mills, & Elizabeth Metzger.

Wednesday Night Poetry at The Fire
Cost: $10.00 at door
Event URL: website

Wednesday Night Poetry at The Fire! Open event. Poets who've been a part of the "WNP Virtual Open Mic: Poetry Through the Pandemic" community over the last two years are invited to sign up to read one poem. Use the google form. Open mic style. Casual, fun reading. Confirmed poets include: JP Howard, Jessica Cuello, Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Sarah Browning, Chloe Martinez, Nicole Callihan, Jen Karetnick, Sarah M. Sala, Meghan Sterling, Julia K. Dasbach, Julie Bloemeke, and more! WNP is the longest running consecutive weekly open mic series in the country & The Fire is Philly's oldest open mic.

ID and proof of vaccination required for entry. Masks recommended.

Welcome to Philadelphia Marathon
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

A marathon poetry reading for people attending the conference, sponsored by Moonstone Arts Center, held at Fergie's Pub, a welcoming, TV-Free, Philly-inspired Irish Pub in the heart of Center City, close to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Ninety-five poets have registered to read, but not everyone will show up. See our website, https://moonstoneartscenter.org/, for a list of registered poets. Moonstone presented 130 poetry readings, both live and virtual, in 2021 and published over thirty books. Visit us at the Bookfair at the conference.

Fintan O’Toole: We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland
Cost: Free to AWP Members
Event URL: website

A Dublin native and a 34-year columnist and drama critic for The Irish Times, Fintan O’Toole is the author of nearly two dozen books, including A History of Ireland in 100 Objects and Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics of Pain. Named to The Observer’s list of “Britain’s top 300 intellectuals," O’Toole is the recipient of the 2017 Orwell Prize for Journalism, the 2017 European Press Prize, and three Irish Book Awards. Combining memoir and national history, We Don’t Know Ourselves documents the turbulence that has transformed Ireland over the past half century. Book signing to follow talk.

Masks are optional at this event.

Voicemail Poems at the Pen & Pencil Club
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

A night of poetry at the Pen & Pencil Club featuring Voicemail Poems contributors! Come hear readings by Jason B. Crawford, Warren C. Longmire, Sarah Matthes, Sadie Dupuis, KB, Loisa Fenichell, Raena Shirali, and Daniel Nester. This event is 21+.

ID and proof of vaccination required for entry.

UL Lafayette Creative Writing Offsite Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

This reading showcases the work of graduate students attending the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Following the reading, the Fabric Museum will host a screen printing workshop in the 6th floor screen printing studio.

Masks are required. In addition to this, the Fabric Museum requires proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test within 24 hours for entry.

Offsite Translator Meetup, Sponsored by ALTA
Cost: Food and drinks available for purchase.

Join ALTA and your fellow translators for a beverage and conversation at Roy-Pitz Barrel House, about a 10-minute walk from the Pennsylvania Convention Center. They have a spacious interior and require proof of vaccination and ID to enter. See you there to talk translation!

The Roy-Pitz Barrel House has a spacious interior and requires proof of vaccination and ID to enter.

VCCA Fellows & Friends Gathering
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Members of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellows Council will host a casual gathering on Thursday, March 24, 2022, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Fergie's Pub, a short walk from the Convention Center. With hundreds of VCCA writer-Fellows in Philadelphia, we hope to see a great turnout. All Fellows are welcome to come by anytime during the two-hour window and are encouraged to bring friends new to VCCA. Drinks and snacks will be provided!

Per City of Philadelphia guidelines, all bars and restaurants require proof of COVID-19 vaccination and valid ID to enter.

co.im.press, Eulalia Books, & Veliz Books Reading at the Galleries at Moore
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Writers, poets, and translators from co.im.press, Eulalia Books, and Veliz Books will be sharing their work at the Galleries at Moore. We hope you can join us!

Attendees will follow local guidelines.

7.13 Books & Northwestern University Prose & Poetry Reading
Cost: Free

Please join 7.13 Books' authors and Northwestern University alumni and faculty for an evening of poetry and prose. Featured readers include Ignatius Aloysius, Sara Connell, Bill Lessard, Kim Magowan, Aatif Rashid, Joann Smith, and Christine Sneed. Emceed by novelist, critic, and 7.13 Books' editor Kurt Baumeister.

All participants and attendees will be required to follow the Free Library of Philadelphia and city mask and social distancing guidelines.

University of Iowa Alumni and Friends Social
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join Iowa alumni and friends from Philadelphia and the university writing community, including Iowa Writers’ Workshop director Lan Samantha Chang (93MFA), for this social gathering. Chang recently released The Family Chao, a critically acclaimed novel. Hors d'oeuvres and nonalcoholic beverages will be provided.

The University of Iowa will follow local public health guidelines for social distancing and other health and safety measures. The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is dedicated to providing an inclusive, respectful, and safe environment for everyone. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events.

Regal House Publishing Authors Reading & Book Signing
Cost: Free

RHP authors David R. Roth, Jan Alexander, Charles Lamar Phillips, Zack Rogow, Alice Kaltman, Maureen Pilkington, and Lisa DeAngelis will be discussing and reading from their recent books. Authors will be available to meet readers and sign books. Attendees who purchase a RHP title during the event will be entered in a drawing for a $50.00 Barnes & Noble gift card to be awarded at the end of the evening.

See Barnes & Noble store information for Covid-19 health and safety guidelines.

New American Press Celebrates New Writing
Cost: Free entry and refreshments
Event URL: website

Join New American Press and MAYDAY Magazine for an evening of new poetry and fiction. Entry and refreshments are free. We will celebrate the launch of Erica Plouffe Lazure’s debut story collection, Proof of Me. Also reading will be New York Times bestselling novelist Kristen Arnett, award-winning writer and translator Maija Mäkinen, poet and essayist Sara Fetherolf, Lauria/Frasca Poetry prize winner Janine Certo, New American Fiction Prize winners Amy Neswald and Rachel Swearingen, MAYDAY Poetry Prize winner A. Shaikh, New Stories from the Midwest contributor Michael Czyzniejewski, and more.

Attendees will be required to present proof of fully vaccinated status along with matching photo ID in accordance with City of Philadelphia regulations.

Mizna's Offsite Reading: the Experimental Issue
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join Mizna for our 2022 offsite event, celebrating writing from our most recent literary journal, the Experimental Issue. Featuring readings from George Abraham, Tamara Al-Qaisi-Coleman, Tracy Fuad, Glenn Shaheen, Yasmine Rukia, and Issam Zineh, and a special preview of a new film from Nadia Shihab. This event has limited seating and will also be livestreamed. Co-presented with Radius of Arab American Writers (RAWI), and Al Bustan Seeds of Culture.

Attendance is limited to twenty-eight people in person. Attendees are required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 at the door, proof of a booster shot is not required. Attendees are required to wear a mask at all times. A limited number of masks will be available at the door for those who need one.

Platypus Press
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join Platypus Press—an independent publisher of poetry, fiction, and narrative nonfiction—for a virtual reading on Instagram. We'll be featuring the work of Meredith Clark, Hilary Dobel, Ae Hee Lee, and Ayesha Raees, whose brand-new book Coining a Wishing Tower is out now. IG: @platypuspress

Women's Voices, Women's Stories: An Evening of Memoir
Cost: Free, register as space is limited.
Event URL: website

Featuring readings by Jeannine Ouellette (The Part That Burns), Athena Dixon (The Incredible Shrinking Woman), Jayne Martin (The Daddy Chronicles), Gina Frangello (Blow Your House Down), and Lilly Dancyger (Negative Space).

Proof of vaccination and masks required.

Poems & Stories by the Cheburashka Collective in Solidarity with Ukraine
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

A reading of original works by a growing collective of women and nonbinary writers who are émigrés/refugees/first-generation from countries that were once a part of the Eastern Bloc. The poets, translators, and writers featured in this event—including Katya Bratt-Pfotenhauer, Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach, Anna Fridlis, Anna Halberstadt, Hilah Kohen, Olga Livshin, Neon Mashurov, Gala Mukomolova, Luisa Muradyan, Alina Pleskova, Bela Shayevich, Larissa Shmailo, and Lana Spendl—will each share a piece of their work, followed by a moderated conversation with the audience.

Please note that masks and proof of vaccination are required to attend this event.

Audible Browsing Experience
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

During the pandemic, many of us came to miss browsing in bookstores and libraries. The experience of scanning and flipping through books that we wouldn't ordinarily order for ourselves, but which catch our eye and we find ourselves fingering, flipping, reading, and then checking out and buying. This reading creates an "audible browsing" experience by presenting readers who are published authors in a variety of genres. This includes mystery, medical science, romance, poetry, memoir, drama, literary and international fiction.

Please wear your masks and bring proof of vaccination! The store requires that as well as AWP.

The Claw: A Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Reading and reception featuring members of The Claw, a group of female and nonbinary professional writers based in Philadelphia, PA. Featuring Piyali Bhattacharya, Ariel Delgado Dixon, Stephanie Feldman, Carmen Maria Machado, Sara Nović, and Asali Solomon. Cosponsored by The Lucid Fiction Program and The Creative Writing Program.

In-person attendance is full, but we'll be livestreaming on YouTube.

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg3dXfcWbx4

Attendees must be fully vaccinated. All attendees must pre-register in order to attend in person. The registration process will also guide them to filling out a same-day COVID pass they must show on the day of the event.

BSL, The OS, 11:11, & CMP at Lot 49 Books
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join Black Sun Lit, The Operating System, 11:11 Press, and Contra Mundum Press for an offsite reading. Featuring: Vidhu Aggarwal, Steven Alvarez, Jared Daniel Fagen, Rainer J. Hanshe, Ginger Ko, Danika Stegeman Lemay, Elæ Moss, Vincent James Perrone, and David Leo Rice. Books by the readers and light refreshments will be for sale.

Masks required.

Alien Buddha Press Reading
Cost: Free, food & drink available for purchase

Join us for a casual evening featuring readings from some of Alien Buddha Press' authors, including Carl Fuerst, Shannon Frost Greenstein, Carl Kaucher, g emil reutter, and others.

Attendees will be required to present proof of fully vaccinated status along with matching photo ID in accordance with City of Philadelphia regulations.

The Iowa Review & Michigan Quarterly Review Reading
Cost: Free

Join us for a joint reading at MilkBoy Philadelphia sponsored by Michigan Quarterly Review & The Iowa Review, featuring contributors Evan Anders, S. Erin Batiste, Jerri Bell, Katie Berta, Ru Freeman, Camille Guthrie, Bret Shepard, and Stella Wong.

We will follow local public health guidelines for social distancing and other health and safety measures.

The Deja Vu Diner is Open: A Reading with Leonard Gontarek & The Osage Poets
Cost: Free

Together, we will celebrate Leonard Gontarek's new book, The Long Way Home (BlazeVox Books), as well as Leonard’s longtime mentorship and inspiration to so many poets here in Philadelphia. As part of this celebration, many of his friends will be reading as well. The event takes place in the Main Floor Auditorium of the Philadelphia Ethical Society. Our event is accessible to everyone, but I ask that you contact me at my email in advance to plan ahead.

Proof of vaccination. Masks are required except when you are eating or drinking. Our goal is to keep everyone safe.

The Arkansas International & Massachusetts Review Present: An Evening of Poetry & Prose
Cost: Free, cash bar
Event URL: website

Come join the Arkansas International and The Massachusetts Review for an evening of contributor readings, specialty cocktails, and conversation! Featured readers: Krys Malcolm Belc, Leila Chatti, Joseph Earl, Mag Gabbert, Mark Mayer, Raena Shirali, and Marcela Sulak. Accessibility information: ramp onsite for wheelchair accessibility, and printouts of the readers' pieces will be available.

Proof of vaccination required for entry.

Book Release Party for Daisy Fried's The Year the City Emptied, with Glorious Piner
Cost: Free

At one of Philly's best-curated used bookstores, come listen to Philly poets Glorious Piner and Daisy Fried read new work. Fried’s fourth book runs 28 Baudelaire poems through her 21st century American woman's idiom and nervous system. ("Fried beautifully captures the ennui, self-loathing, and helpless futility that arose during the “unspooling nightmare” of her partner’s slow death and the arrival of pandemic isolation....Fried’s voice is brass-tacks, demotic American, with an unsentimental erotic nostalgia"—David Woo, Poetry Foundation). Emerging poet Piner works the language for its multitude of possibilities, attentive to the life of the mind and heart as well as to trouble, danger, the life of the street. She's journalistic, lyric, experimental all at once. Also: wine and cheese!

Mockingbird and Okay Donkey!
Cost: Free

A collaborative reading from Alternating Current's And If That Mockingbird Don't Sing and Okay Donkey! Featuring: Aubrey Hirsch, Jennifer Fliss, DW McKinney, K.C. Mead-Brewer, Naz Knudsen, Tara Campbell, Veronica Montes, Madeline Anthes, Dani Putney, Ellen Rhudy, and Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez! This will be a hybrid in-person/virtual event, and there will be sign language interpretation.

Masks are required!

University of the Arts Offsite Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join The Hopkins Review, Mercy Street Readings, and the University of the Arts BFA in Creative Writing for a lively evening of short performances by brilliant writers. Good friends, great lit, large auditorium and atrium space ideal for social distancing and socializing, cash bar, and ASL interpretation.

Mask and proof of vaccination required.

A Reading by Birds LLC, Fence, Fonograf Editions, & the CSU Poetry Center
Cost: Free & open to the public

A reading hosted by Birds LLC, Fence, Fonograf Editions, & the CSU Poetry Center. Featuring Sommer Browning, Lauren Hunter, Vanessa Jimenez Gabb, Jennifer Kronovet, Krystal Languell, Jessica Q. Stark, Anne Lesley Selcer, Rodrigo Toscano, Charles Valle, Jan Verberkmoes, Sean Williamson, and Tobias Wray. BYOB. Accessibility (from PhilaMOCA website): There are two six-inch steps leading into the building. A wheelchair ramp is readily available by request. Advance requests can be made to admin@philamoca.org.

PhilaMOCA requires masks and proof of vaccination for all events.

House Poet: A Spoken Word and Music Showcase
Cost: $15.00 RSVP, $20.00 at the door
Event URL: website

House Poet is a showcase and dance party for multi-literary work. Our goal is to celebrate and elevate writers, artists, and musicians that push the boundaries of literary performance. Featured performers include: Tamara Muhammad (aka Lady Sarkazym), Alex Smith, Elliott Levin, TheUnity.

Sera Phi is in compliance with all locally set COVID-19 protocols.

Hannah Tinti, Mira Jacob, Jai Chakrabarti, & Marie-Helene Bertino—Small Odysseys: 35 Stories
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Edited by Hannah Tinti and published in partnership with the Selected Shorts literary radio program and live show, Small Odysseys presents never-before-published short stories by some of contemporary fiction’s most acclaimed authors.

Masks are optional.

Glassworks 10th Anniversary Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join Glassworks for a reading in celebration of our 10th anniversary as a literary magazine! Featured readers include: Jennifer Companik, Jim Daniels, Rebecca Dimyan, and Dani Putney. Other past contributors are welcome to sign up onsite to read open-mic style following the featured readers. Five minute limit. All are welcome to listen and enjoy! Hosted by Katie Budris, Editor in Chief.

Attendees must follow current City of Philadelphia guidelines for bars/restaurants in terms of vaccine requirements and mask mandates. Masks can be removed for eating/drinking and masks will be optional for readers.

TriQuarterly and Southeast Review Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join us for a night of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction readings presented by TriQuarterly and Southeast Review! Recent contributors will share their work, and copies of the journals where their work was published will be available for purchase. Food and drinks will be for sale courtesy of Tattooed Mom. Please bring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter. Must be 21+ with valid ID.

Attendees must provide proof of vaccination.

Overpass Books Reading at Chapterhouse
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Please join Overpass Books at Chapterhouse Cafe & Gallery for a reading featuring our most recent author, Melody Wright, along with friends of Overpass William Hazard and Cinco Placensia. We look forward to seeing you there!

Writers Walk through Philly
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

To celebrate its forthcoming anthology, Ways of Walking, New Door Books invites participants to step outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center and explore Philadelphia in the company of local writers such as Nathaniel Popkin, Rahul Mehta, Mickey Herr, David Hallock Sanders, and Ann de Forest. Experience parts of the city that inspire those of us who habitually walk and write here. Not a traditional guided tour, these accessible half-hour, one-hour, or two-hour walks will give small groups an opportunity for conversation and discovery. Walks will leave the Pennsylvania Convention Center every half hour starting at 2:00 p.m. ET. If you have questions, please visit the Blue Stoop table in the Bookfair.

These walks will take place outdoors. If any single participant requests masks and/or social distancing, those will be required for all.

The Banyan Review Poetry Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join The Banyan Review for a poetry reading featuring Lori Desrosiers, Michael Simms, and Artress Bethany White with Darren C. Demaree, Max Heinegg, Melanie Huston, Shannon Pulusan, Richie Smith, Dorinda Wegener, Walter Weinschenk, and Karolina Zapal.

The Banyan Review will follow all city guidelines related to COVID safety.

UCF MFA Program Reading and Reunion
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join us to hear current students in the University of Central Florida's MFA Program share their creative work and to reconnect with UCF MFA alumni.

Adverse Abstraction
Cost: Free

Adverse Abstraction is an artist series that works to create a safe and nurturing space for all types of creators. Our goal is to encourage the expression of experimentation, a testing ground for new pieces, and housing an all-inclusive collaborative community. This reading will feature Robert Balon, Natasha Herring, and Laura Salvatore.

Friday Poetry @ Brickbat Books
Cost: Free

Join us for a reading featuring poets Dorothy Chan, Benjamin Gucciardi, I.S. Jones, and Amanda Moore, who all published new books in 2021.

Masked and vaxxed, please!

Trio House Press: 10 Year Celebration!
Cost: Free

Come celebrate our tenth year of shaping the literary landscape! Hear Trio House poets David Groff, Iris Jamahl Dunkle, Matt Mauch, Megan Neville, Andres Rojas, and Issam Zineh read from their respective Trio titles, and celebrate Trio's mission to promote poetry as a literary art enhancing human connections.

Masks are required as per the city of Philadelphia.

Rowan University Alumni & Friends Happy Hour
Cost: Food and drinks available for purchase.
Event URL: website

Calling all members of the Rowan University community—current and former faculty, students, alumni, prospective students, and friends! Join us for an informal social happy hour at Circ Bar on the lobby level of the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. Editors of Glassworks and Singularity Press, both housed in the Rowan University Writing Arts department, will also be present and eager to greet former and hopeful contributors.

Attendees will follow City of Philadelphia guidelines for indoor dining establishments.

The Door's Always Open: A Reading & Celebration of Community Writing Centers
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join the Writers House, Murphy Writing of Stockton University, and the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College for a reading in celebration of the work of university-based community writing centers. Featured readers include J. C. Todd, Shawn R. Jones, and others. This event takes place in person at the Writers House, 305 Cooper Street, Camden, NJ 08102.

All guests are expected to comply with university COVID safety protocols, including masking when not eating and drinking.

Regal House Publishing Authors Reading & Book Signing
Cost: Free

RHP authors David R. Roth, Cliff Garstang, Michele Herman, Dan Kopcow, Leah Angstman, Stephanie Vanderslice, John Wenke, and co-authors Amy Banks & Isaac Knapper will be discussing and reading from their recent books. Authors will be available following readings to meet with attendees and sign books. Attendees who purchase a RHP title during the event will be entered in a drawing for a $50.00 Barnes & Noble gift card to be awarded at the end of the evening.

See Barnes & Noble's site for Covid-19 health and safety requirements.

Omnibus House Party with WR, PBQ, & RHP
Cost: Free

Please join us for an Omnibus House Party featuring readers from Writers Room, Painted Bride Quarterly, & Red Hen Press. Refreshments will be served. Featured readers from Writers Room: Norman Cain, Keyssh Datts, and Lauren Lowe. Featured readers from PBQ: Sarah Browning, Kyle Brown-Watson, Sadie Shorr-Parks, and Paul Siegell. Featured readers from Red Hen Press: Kazim Ali, Carlos Allende, Jan Beatty, Melanie Conroy-Goldman, Lara Ehrlich, Carleton Eastlake, Beth Gilstrap, Sadie Hoagland, Jim Peterson, Diane Thiel, John Weir, Joan Nockels Wilson, and Yuvi Zalkow.

All non-Dragon card holders must complete the visitor health checker, found here: https://drexel.edu/coronavirus/visitors/health-checker-pass/. Visitors should comply with Drexel’s public health policies and procedures, including not coming to campus if they have any symptoms of COVID-19. The university's up-to-date guidelines can be found here: https://drexel.edu/coronavirus/health-safety/overview/.

A TriQuarterly Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join TriQuarterly Books and TriQuarterly magazine Friday, March 25 at 6:00 p.m. ET for an offsite reading at The Notary Hotel, Autograph Collection! Parneshia Jones, the director of Northwestern University Press, will emcee the event, which features Amina Gautier, Kien Lam, Colleen O’Brien, Cynthia Dewi Oka, and Talin Tahajian. This event is free and open to the public! Books will be available for purchase, and attendees are welcome to enjoy complimentary appetizers, soda, and bottled water. Registration is encouraged to provide an accurate headcount.

Office Hours & Bespoke Crossover Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Office Hours Poetry Workshop and The Bespoke Reading Series are teaming up to deliver a night of queer writers and allies at Tabu Bar. Confirmed poets include: Kazim Ali, CAConrad, Benjamin Garcia, Kai Coggin, N.K. Iguh, Meghan Pinto, Jerome Murphy, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, Wo Chan, Andrea Cárdenas, Irene Villaseñor, Sarah M. Sala, and C. Quintana. Lineup is subject to change.

ID and proof of vaccination required for entry. Masks recommended.

Tinderbox Editions Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Tinderbox Editions authors read from their new books: Laynie Browne, BK Fischer, Athena Kildegaard, Cindy King, Carley Moore, Kevin O'Rourke, Bo Schwabacher, Lesley Wheeler, and publisher Molly Sutton Kiefer.

Although mask mandates have been lifted, wearing a mask is advised.

SEMO Press & Laurel Review Offsite Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Please join Laurel Review and SEMO Press for a night of poetry and prose at Cartesian Brewing from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 25. Readers include: Mary Biddinger, Whitney Collins, Robert Long Foreman, Juan Morales, Jessica Reed, Caleb Tankersley, John Vanderslice, and Ursula Villarreal-Moura.

Cartesian Brewing requires proof of vaccination and face mask.

Adroit Journal, Deep Vellum, Gulf Coast, Noemi Press, & Pleiades Offsite Reading
Cost: Free

Enjoy a night of sensational in-person reading that will take place at the Loews Hotel Whiskey Room. Featuring: Aurielle Marie, Megan Fernandes, Ananda Lima, Ruben Quesada, Angela Voras Hills, Sophia Terazawa, Mike Soto, Derrick Austin, Karyna McGlynn, Cynthia Arrieu-King, Jackson Bliss, and Megan Kaminski.

Event will follow all of the Loews Hotel Safety & Well-Being Covid-19 protocols, viewable on the hotel website.

Women's Caucus Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

The Women's Caucus, Mind the Bird Media, and Greater Philadelphia Association of REALTORS® host this IRL and livestreamed reading with Rosebud Ben-Oni, Joan Naviyuk Kane, Erika Meitner, and Melissa Studdard. Join us for libations, small bites, poetry, and connection in this intimate reading at the historic Wells Fargo Building, just 0.6 miles from the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Livestreamed from the Women's Caucus Facebook page.

The Women's Caucus will follow conference COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Joint CNF Reading: Writers from Under the Gum Tree, Fourth Genre, River Teeth, and Hippocampus
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join Under the Gum Tree, Fourth Genre, Hippocampus, and River Teeth for a happy hour of telling true stories. Four magazines, all publishing exclusively nonfiction, are partnering on this event to bring you a line-up of previous contributors. Grab your happy hour drink of choice from the cash bar and toast some true stories in a short and sweet storytelling lineup of readers before heading out to make material for new true stories of your own. We will be in the Metro Lou.

Buffalo Billiards requires proof of vaccination for entry.

Selections from the National Poetry Series
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Selected by a changing panel of distinct judges, each year’s National Poetry Series offers collections by poets who represent a breadth of experience, background, regional and cultural influence, topic, style, and voice. This sampling of contemporary poetry has played an important part in shaping the literary landscape since 1978. Join a selection of recent winners for a reading of their work: Thrown in the Throat by Benjamin Garcia, Field Music by Alexandria Hall, Borderline Fortune by Teresa K. Miller, Requeening by Amanda Moore, and Philomath by Devon Walker-Figueroa.

Iterant Mag, Gigantic Sequins, Rose Metal Press, & Ruth Stone House at Young American Cidery
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Join Iterant Mag, Gigantic Sequins, Rose Metal Press, and the Ruth Stone House for a delicious evening poetry reading at Young American Cider in Germantown, a wonderful local cidery and restaurant run by a diverse cohort of artists. Excellent food and the best local drinks! Featuring readings by: Aaron Angello, Kristin Bock, Michael Chang, Loisa Fenichell, Mónica Gomery, Ben Grossberg, John James, Candace Jensen, Elizabeth Deanna Morris Lakes, Molly Ledbetter, Ben Pease, Leanne Ruell, Sasha Stiles, and Bianca Stone! Also: Ltd. edition chapbooks, riso and letterpress broadsides!

Young American Cidery is an indoor/outdoor space, public tasting room, and restaurant. Covid-19 protocols for the venue can be found at https://www.youngamericancider.com/about. Direct any Covid-19, dietary, or accessibility inquiries directly to Young American at (215) 406-5307 or https://www.youngamericancider.com/contact-us. Regular Hours of Operation: Thursday, 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET. Friday & Saturday, 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET.

Switchback Books Offsite Reading
Cost: Free

For more than fifteen years, Switchback Books has published first and second poetry collections by women and nonbinary writers. Join us at Raven Lounge for a poetry reading featuring writers whose work spans our publishing history! Readers include Cynthia Arrieu-King, Jordan Franklin, Jessica Guzman, Alyse Knorr, and Caroline Whitbeck.

Tupelo Press: A Reading & Celebration
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Featuring Alan Williamson, Noah Falck, Adeeba Shahid Talukder, Dan Beachy-Quick, & G.C. Waldrep.

Alan Squire Presents!
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Featuring Alan Squire authors and friends: Dave Housley, Saida Agostini, Terri Ellen Cross Davis, Leslie Pietrzyk, Reuben Jackson, Elizabeth Hazen, and Richard Peabody and hosts Rose Solari and James Patterson!

Masks required.

Italian American Writers Association & Bordighera Press Open Mic Night
Cost: $5.00 suggested donation
Event URL: website

Please join IAWA and Bordighera Press for an open mic and meet-up at A Novel Idea on Passyunk. This event will be livestreamed on Instagram. Limited seating available. Preregistration is required. Contact kcurto@icloud.com for more information!

Proof of vaccination and masks are required.

Getting Off(site): A Sex and the Single Woman Event
Cost: Free

A fun and lively evening of sexy readings, disco balls, and drinks alcoholic and non, featuring contributors from the Sex and the Single Woman anthology: Melissa Febos, Seema Reza, Minda Honey, Natalie Lima, Melissa Faliveno, and Kate Crawford. Giveaways of galleys and Satisfyer toys. Followed by Broad Hall's Friday night dance party with Rich Medina (reduced $5.00 cover for reading attendees). Main entry via Foundation (corner of Broad Street & Ridge Avenue, down the stairs). Accessible entry via Divine Lorraine Hotel (Fairmount Street entrance).

Broad Hall is a vaccine-only establishment and does not require masks.

WOW & Wine Tasting: A Reading Round Table
Cost: $17.50
Event URL: website

Gather with the mavens of WOW for a round table reading, small plates, and a tasting of Vintage Wine Bar's best. Intimate setting will allow for deep connections among a small group of past and future retreat attendees and write-in writers. Please stop by our booth to ask questions and sign up for your spot at this special evening. $17.50 per participant includes food, drinks and invaluable advice from the Council of Elders. Reserve your place now; seating is limited.

Please show proof of vaccination once you arrive. Masks are not required.

Choice Words: Writers on Abortion Benefit for Abortion Liberation Fund
Cost: Free, donations to ALF requested

Join contributors and friends of Choice Words: Writers on Abortion, the landmark anthology of six centuries of great abortion literature, edited by Annie Finch. Readers include Kazim Ali, Cherise Pollard, Saida Agostini, Camonghne Felix, Daisy Fried, Teri Cross Davis, Caitlin McDonnell, Julie Kane, Kristen Ghodsee, Purvi Shah, Susan Rich, Josette Akresh-Gonzales, Ellen McGrath Smith, Elæ Moss, and Larissa Shmailo. Optional donations benefit the Abortion Liberation Fund. Celebrate reproductive autonomy! PAFA is a beautiful historic campus directly across the street from the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Health & Safety Information:

Masks may be worn if desired. There are no requirements.

Poets from Five Small Poetry Presses
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Poets from five poetry presses. From Chax: Eli Goldblatt, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Michael Gottlieb, David Weiss, Charles Alexander, and Bill Lavender. From Gold Line Press: Ursula Villarreal-Moura, Gabrielle Civil, Chaelee Dalton, and Alejandro Heredia. From Ricochet Editions: Daniel Biegelson and Abby Minor. From Pink Trees Press: Madeline Artenberg, Amy Barone, Linda Kleinbub, and Phillip Giambri. From Unlikely Stories: Stacey Balkun, Wendy Taylor Carlisle, Jiwon Choi, Caroline Hagood, and Michael Ruby.

A Literary D&D Event, Hosted by Plume: A Writer's Podcast
Cost: Free & open to all
Event URL: website

Something is amiss at this year's writing conference, and Plume adventurers are about to find out why. Plume: A Writer's Podcast hosts a virtual D&D actual-play experience using this year's conference as a setting. If you've never played D&D before, it's a collaborative storytelling experience: the Dungeon Master serves a bit like a narrator who has created a world and a mystery, and the players interact with that world as the cast of characters. Featuring Writers: Randi Beck, Lisa D. Chavez, Marlena Chertock, Tara King, and Melanie Unruh. With Host & Dungeon Master, Samantha Tetangco.

This event will be held virtually. Participants are asked to keep their cameras off.

Profound Experience of Philadelphia
Cost: $10.00 to $20.00 sliding scale
Event URL: website

You're all invited to Profound Experience of Philadelphia, a day of workshops, readings, and other activities on Saturday, March 26 at Colorspace Labs in Philadelphia! This event is ideal for people who are going to the city to hang out and see friends and maybe even make some new ones.

Proof of vaccination is required.

Segue: Jena Osman, Ted Rees, & Samuel R. Delany
Cost: Free

The Segue Foundation is hosting a reading celebrating three amazing Philadelphian authors! Jena Osman, Ted Rees, and Samuel R. Delany. Hosted by Lonely Christopher. Join us midday at Vox Populi Gallery. This is a free event, brought to you by the Segue Foundation and Roof Books. seguefoundation.com. roofbooks.com.

Proof of vaccination, masking (KN95, K95, or doubled surgical), no food or drink.

A Reading to Celebrate The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood
Cost: Free

Contributors to The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood will read poems from this new anthology at The Head & the Hand Books. Readers will include Remica Bingham-Risher, Julie Carr, Teri Ellen Cross Davis, Camille Guthrie, Joan Naviyuk Kane, Eugenia Leigh, Erika Meitner, Sun Yung Shin, Sasha West, and others.

The Head & The Hand asks that you have proof of vaccination available and they encourage mask wearing.

?th Annual Rock & Roll Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

About a dozen writers from across the country will read work about or inspired by rock and roll (or any of its offshoots or precursors). Each writer reads for just the length of a song. Participants include Nicky Beer, Kira Bell, Chelsea Biondolillo, Jenny May Brown, Aaron Burch, Blake Chernin, Celeste Doaks, Charlie J. Eskew, Jaime Fountaine, Megan Culhane Galbraith, Dave Housley, Aubrey Hirsch, Caroline Kim, and Natalie Lima.

Proof of vaccination is required. 21+ with proper ID.

Trans-Genre Cabaret: Poetry Interventions in a Time of Crisis
Cost: Free. Advance registration required.
Event URL: website

Viz. Inter-Arts and Station Hill Press present trans-genre poetry performances and interventions by poets Sam Truitt, Rodrigo Toscano, Mark Scroggins, Michael Ruby, and Roxi Power. Poets will use different intermedia forms to investigate and embody the role of poetic performance as an interventionist strategy during times of crisis. From the war in Ukraine to the pandemic to the climate crisis, such art interventions are necessary. Advance registration required. Otherwise, first come first served: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trans-genre-poetry-cabaret-registration-293399575027

Please note, out of concern for everyone’s well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, we require proof of vaccination for entry to all in-person events. Attendees are asked to wear masks at all times.

Black History Tour with a Literary Spin
Cost: Free with registration.
Event URL: website

Follow the cobblestoned paths of Black Philadelphians who shaped a city and changed the world. Along the way, discuss the sites and settings in books like Never Caught, The Water Dancer, and The Price of a Child. This tour is approximately two miles over wheelchair accessible sidewalks.

We will abide by current city ordinances and guidelines.

Terry Tierney Reading
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Unsolicited Press author Terry Tierney will read from his recently published sixties road novel, Lucky Ride, and his poetry collection, The Poet's Garage. Find more about Terry at https://terrytierney.com

Growing From Our Roots: An Asian Debut Author Showcase
Cost: Free

Join us for a night of readings and community featuring Asian authors with recent or forthcoming debuts! Featured readers: Jean Chen Ho, Shelly Wong, Kyle Lucia Wu, Haolun Xu, Joan Kwon Glass, Jessamine Chen, Bo Schwabacher, Natasha Rao. Sponsored by Kundiman South. Hosted by Joshua Nguyen & Susan Nguyen.

Masks required.

Experimental Forms & the Poetics of Social Justice: A Celebration of Tupelo Press
Cost: Free
Event URL: website

Featuring Chloe Honum, Iliana Rocha, & Kelly Weber.

Gritty Surrealism: An Absurd Philly Party
Cost: $15.00
Event URL: website

Featuring life advice Philly-style from Marie-Helene Bertino, Carmen Maria Machado, Asali Solomon, R. Eric Thomas, and Gritty, played by Kristen Arnett, plus a dance party with DJ John "The Liberator" Morrison. $15.00 in advance, $25.00 at the door. Tickets include three complimentary drinks. Space is limited and tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Open to the public. ID and proof of vaccination required. 21+. Hosted by Blue Stoop, American Short Fiction, Electric Literature, and Lanternfish Press. Event schedule: 8:00 p.m: doors open. 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m: author advice panel hosted by Gritty.

ID and proof of vaccination required. Masks required from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.