Writing News Roundup

November 9, 2021

We are thrilled to bring you the latest in literary events and writings that have caught our attention. These events encompass a range of free and ticketed registration and are not affiliated with AWP. All times are in ET.

  • Charis welcomes Victoria Chang in conversation with Anjali Enjeti for a discussion of Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief, a collection of literary letters and mementos on the art of remembering across generations, on Tuesday, November 9, at 7:30 p.m.
  • Four female authors—Ananda Lima, JoAnna Novak, Natania Rosenfeld, and Keli Stewart—share their new books each telling their perspective stories of womanhood through poetry and prose on Tuesday, November 9, at 7:30 p.m.
  • Third Place Books presents an evening with Chelsea Clinton, Deborah Heiligman, Ruby Shamir, and Christine Day, discussing and celebrating three new books in the She Persisted chapter book series for young readers: She Persisted: Maria Tallchief by Christine Day, She Persisted: Clara Lemlich by Deborah Heiligman, and She Persisted: Margaret Chase Smith by Ruby Shamir. Tuesday, November 9, at 8 p.m. Register to attend.
  • In "Composition by Juxtaposition," Caroline Goodwin will lead a hands-on, virtual class in which participants will consider how differences in tones of voice, and associative leaps, can work together in poem-building. Participants will free-write, arrange and rearrange, and ultimately share poem drafts with the group if desired. Wednesday, November 10, 6–8 p.m. Register to attend.
  • Join Haymarket and Lannan Readings & Conversations for an urgent discussion with Nick Estes and Rebecca Nagle about the ongoing attack on Indigenous children and Indigenous land on Wednesday, November 10, at 6 p.m. RSVP to attend.
  • Charis welcomes Barrett Holmes Pitner in conversation with Andrew Ifedapo Thompson for a discussion of The Crime Without a Name: Ethnocide and the Erasure of Culture in America on Wednesday, November 10, at 7:30 p.m. This event is cohosted by the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History.
  • The Chicago Poetry Center presents BLUE HOUR, a free monthly online reading series and generative writing workshop hosted and facilitated by Marty McConnell, featuring Viola Lee and Sun Yung Shin. The reading webinar begins at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10. Registration is free, and you can sign up for one or both portions of the event, but each registration must be completed separately.
  • The Chicago Humanities Festival is in full swing! Visit their website to see a comprehensive lineup of authors, writers, activists, artists, and more. Registration required.
  • Winning Writers has engaged Tracy Koretsky to provide expert private critiques of your poems, stories, and essays. Her work has been widely published in literary magazines and has earned more than 50 prizes, including nominations for four Pushcarts and three Best of the Net. She has two books available, Ropeless, a novel about possibilities, and Even Before My Own Name, a memoir in poems. Each critique is $45. Submit one poem up to 250 lines long or one work of prose up to 6,000 words long. You can expect your critique to be 750-1,250 words long. Please allow 2-4 weeks for Tracy to complete it.
  • Atmosphere Press is currently seeking great manuscripts. Submissions are free and open to everyone and in all genres. 
  • Greenlight Bookstore is partnering once again with NYC Service, a division of the Mayor's office, to provide new books to kids this holiday season! As part of the Secret Snowflake initiative, they have selected special books in different age ranges to be donated to the city's most vulnerable kids, and they are discounting them 30% for the book drive. You can purchase books on their website, and they will take care of processing and shipping. It's a great way to give back to your city this holiday! The book drive runs November 1­–29.
  • Charis and the Agnes Scott College Center for Sustainability welcome Devi Lockwood in conversation with Jenée Desmond Harris on Thursday, November 11, at 7:30 p.m. for a celebration of 1,001 Voices on Climate Change: Everyday Stories of Flood, Fire, Drought, and Displacement from Around the World. Join journalist Devi Lockwood as she bikes around the world collecting personal stories about how flood, fire, drought, and rising seas are changing communities.
  • Join Northwestern University’s MA & MFA Program online for a virtual reading on Thursday, November 11, at 8 p.m. featuring three alumni and two faculty members of our graduate creative writing program: Fei Sun, Erika Carey, Jennifer Companik, Laurie Lawlor, and Juan Martinez.
  • Books Are Magic will host a conversation with Saraciea Fennell, Natasha Diaz, Kahlil Haywood on Friday, November 12, at 7 p.m. in celebration of Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed, the anthology hailed as "a beautifully edited collection of reflections on the Latinx diaspora" by Elle. Register in advance.
  • Join Marco Wilkinson in conversation with Paul Lisicky to discuss Marco's new book, Madder: A Memoir in Weeds, on Friday, November 12, at 9 p.m. Hosted by Changing Hands. Register to attend.
  • Third Place Books welcomes widely acclaimed poets Jane Wong and Susan Nguyen for a joint virtual discussion of their new collections of poetry, How to Not Be Afraid of Everything and Dear Diaspora, on Friday, November 12, at 9 p.m. Register to attend.
  • Join the Lesbian Reading Group for a discussion of You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat on Thursday, November 18, at 8:15 a.m. Get You Exist Too Much for 20 percent off by phone and online during the months of October and November!
  • The Poetry Foundation will host a reading and celebration of the diverse voices, rich experiences, and powerful words of poets from around the country, and the world on Thursday, November 18, at 7 p.m. Poets working in the online poetry workshop and discussion Forms & Features will share work created in this online creative community.
  • Third Place Books will host journalist Patrick Laurie and Nick Offerman for a conversation about their new books, Galloway: Life In a Vanishing Landscape and Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside on Thursday, November 18, at 8 p.m. Registration is free and open to the public.
  • Powell's and Forest Avenue Press will jointly host "Dispatches from Anarres," embodying the anarchic spirit of Le Guin’s hometown of Portland, Oregon, while paying tribute to her enduring vision, on Thursday, November 18, at 8 p.m. Editor Susan DeFreitas (Hot Season) will be joined by contributors Lidia Yuknavitch (Verge), Michelle Ruiz Keil (Summer in the City of Roses), David D. Levine (Arabella of Mars trilogy), Leni Zumas (Red Clocks), and Curtis C. Chen (the Kangaroo series). RSVP to attend.
  • The LGBTQ+ Book Club, a group for LGBTQ+ folks and allies to read queer-themed books and books by queer authors, will meet on Saturday, November 20, at 10 a.m. This month's book is Black Boy Out of Time: A Memoir by Hari Ziyad. All are welcome to join. Register to attend.
 

 

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