events

Twin Cities weekly literary round up

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Fellow Twin Cities book lovers!

There’s so many new things to write about now that my motivation is coming back (seriously, I was wondering if I could even consider myself a blogger anymore), so I think I’m going to try to compile the latest and greatest for you to peruse. Here’s just a few recently awesome local literary news on my radar:

loft_facebook1. Get reading recommendations and a writing prompt from Kao Kalia Yang: 

Even if you don’t live in the Twin Cities, this still applies to you! If you support the Loft Literary Center by becoming a member—with a contribution of any amount—by November 9, you will receive an exclusive writing prompt and reading recommendations from our very own local author Kao Kalia Yang! Contribute here at loft.org/support.

kao-kalia-yang(If you don’t know who she is, get on that! Kao Kalia Yang is the author of The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir (Coffee House Press, 2008) and more recently The Song Poet (Metropolitan Books, 2016) and a speaker and teacher.)

I can’t get over how incredible this opportunity is! the-latehomecomerReally a win-win for everyone! For more information, visit the Loft’s website or their Facebook page with this announcement for more information.

 

mn-state-arts-grants

 

2. The winners of the Minnesota State Arts Board Grants were announced yesterday!
No one is better at reporting local literary book news than Laurie Hertzel, so head on over to the Star Trib to learn about who won Minnesota State Arts Board Grants. Among the winners are 10 poets and 32 prose writers including familiar names such as Sun Yung Shin, Kao Kalia Yang, and Ed Bok Lee. Congratulations to everyone!

3. NaNoWriMo 2016 (National Novel Writing Month) has begun!
I’m sure most writers are going to busy typing furiously at their keyboards this month. I am honestly jealous of all of you! I participated in years past and “won” a few times, but those novels were always trash and I never ever wanted to see them again. This year I get to watch my husband participate while I sit back nanoand partake in NaNoREADMo, so I’m fairly pleased. There’s even a website over on Tumblr so like, it’s pretty official guys. Haven’t made any goals yet, but I’ll get back to you if I do. And heck, I may decide to just try writing personal essays or something this month anyway.
Happy writing!

get these October events on your calendar!

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hello-october

Here’s a rundown of things to get on your radar for October.We’re in FULL SWING busy season, so yes, you’re going to have to choose when there’s two events on the same night!

Again, I know I’m not super consistent with posting the same events every time (if they’re monthly or recurring) but just shoot me a line to include what I missed! I’ve tried to be more inclusive by focusing on each bookstore and linking to all their upcoming events after featuring just one on here.

As always, in the “Events” tab above you’ll find the Rain Taxi official literary calendar and other resources to help with finding book readings  and lit events in the Twin Cities area.

  • Rain Taxi’s Twin Cities Book Festival is on Saturday, October 15th!  You don’t want to miss one of the most important TC literary events of the year! 
    • Normally I write this post in chronological order, but this event is just TOO COOL to pass up. It’s 1) at the MN State Fairgrounds and 2) it’s ABSOLUTELY FREE. I hope to see you there!!
    • And there’s an Opening Night Party!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming 😉

  • Friday, October 7th: Dave Eggers will be chatting with guests and signing books at new Milkweed Books! Don’t miss checking out the new bookstore, if you haven’t already!
    • There’s also an event also on Tuesday, October 4th:Poets in Conversation with Milkweed Editions featuring Michael Bazzett, Patricia Kirkpatrick, Chris Santiago, and Jennifer Willoughby and that will be a conversation about the formation of poets and the supporting ecosystem here in Minnesota, with Milkweed Editions’ publisher, Daniel Slager.
    • Though they’re a powerhouse press, they’re still a baby bookstore, so a lot of events are hosted or run by Milkweed Editions! For a list of all events at Milkweed Books/Editions, check out their Facebook events here, or visit their website!
  • Thursday, October 6th: Poetry Happy Hour hosted by MN Book Awards and Friends of the St. Paul Library featuring Todd Boss, Heid Erdrich, Dobby Gibson, Ed Bok Lee, and Katrina Vandenberg.
  • Also Wednesday, October 12th: Nathan Hill reads from The Nix at Magers & Quinn Booksellers!
    • Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost presents The Secret History of Twin Peaks on Saturday, October 22!
    • There’s more great ones this month including authors Charlie Quimby, Karen Brennan presenting her new book Monsters (get in the Halloween spirit!), James P. Lenfestey, and many others! For a list of all events at Magers & Quinn Booksellers, check out their Facebook events here, or visit their website!
  • Monday, October 17th: Gary Dop and Amy Munson at Common Good Books! In undergrad, Amy Munson was my poetry professor and Gary Dob was my sister’s (though she turned out to be a better poet than me, I don’t think that has anything to do with our professors), so I’m a little biased but I think you should check them out. Amy Munson’s debut poetry volume Yes Thorn is now out from Tupelo Press!

And because this is literally only the first half of the month, but I’m already all our room, see below for other bookstores and their events pages, featuring authors such as Ben Percy, Caroline Burau, Cheri Register, Nick Flynn, and many others!

If you can, I encourage you to check one or two of these great events out and perhaps discover some new awesome reads along the way! Let me know in the comments if there are any others you’re excited about this month! 

help make Milkweed Books happen!

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open-book-inthenews
(photo from http://www.openbookmn.org)

I haven’t yet written about Milkweed Editions‘ new bookstore opening in the Open Book building in downtown Minneapolis called Milkweed Books! This store is particularly exciting because 1) any new independent bookstore is worth celebrating, and 2) it will be rather unique even among indie bookstores.

Originally the store planned to open in late June but now the grand opening will be on September 20th. The store will be located in the Open Book building in Minneapolis, shared by The Loft Literary Center: one of the biggest nonprofit literary centers in the United States, which also houses the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Imagine all of these businesses in one building! There’s a small coffee shop/cafe inside as well as the MN Center for Book Arts’ retail store, meaning that if you like books or writing at ALL, you’ll be pretty happy hanging out there for hours on end. The Milkweed Books store will be open before that but the grand opening is scheduled for the 20th.

You can read more about the bookstore here, where there’s a Kickstarter raising money (their goal is $25,000) to help make the bookstore happen. You can pledge as little as $5, just the price of one fancy Starbucks coffee, to help make a difference. As of my writing this, they’re almost to $15,000 in just a few days since its launch.

“Milkweed Books will showcase and sell titles primarily published by independent presses, nonprofit presses, and other publishers working to bring the most exciting literary art to the marketplace. If you want to find the best new poetry, or creative nonfiction, or short stories, or translations, this bookstore is for you.”

The manager is Hans Weyandt, who edited a book with Coffee House Press called Read This! Handpicked Favorites From America’s Indie Bookstores. I loved this book when I picked it up before National Indie Bookstore Day this year, and I especially love knowing the book recommendations come from experienced booksellers who have waded the vast pool of literature before me. I’ve said this before: the hardest part about being a bookseller myself is the ever-growing, endless TBR (to-be-read) list I create by talking with coworkers and customers!

Consider pledging to this fantastic new bookstore and supporting one of the coolest centers for books in the States. For more information, check this article by the American Booksellers Association. Hope to see you at the grand opening!

get these September events on your calendar!

/ Wallsah / 2 Comments

I know I’ve skipped… well, way too many months. Summer IS much slower for literary events compared to the spring and fall. Are you ready for fall things like leaves changing and cider? I know, too soon, too soon.

Ever read Jonathan Safran Soer, Emily St. John Mandel, or Liane Moriarty? They, among many other great writers, are coming to MN!

Here’s a rundown of things to get on your radar for September. Again, I know I’m not super consistent with posting the same events every time (if they’re monthly or recurring) but just shoot me a line to include what I missed! I’ve tried to be more inclusive by focusing on each bookstore and linking to all their upcoming events after featuring just one on here.

As always, in the “Events” tab above you’ll find the Rain Taxi official literary calendar and other resources to help with finding book readings  and lit events in the Twin Cities area.

  • Thursday, September 8th: Graywolf Literary Salon: A World of Voices
    • Featuring authors Anuradha Roy, Solmaz Sharif, and Monica Youn in conversation with Graywolf publisher Fiona McCrae and executive editor Jeff Shotts about fiction, poetry, and twenty-first century ideas. With musical performances by cellists Jacqueline Ultan and Michelle Kinney, and percussionist Gary Waryan.
    • This event does require tickets, and they’re on the higher end, but consider it a donation to a FANTASTIC independent press.
    • It’s going to be so great.
  • Wednesday, September 14th: Sky Blue Water Book Launch hosted by Wild Rumpus Books for Young Readers, the release of short story collection that celebrates Minnesota’s vibrant storytelling tradition, edited by Jay D. Peterson and Collette A. Morgan.
    • This event is offsite, but only a block from Wild Rumpus and they will be selling books for signing.
    • For a list of all events at Wild Rumpus, check out their Facebook events here!
  • Thursday, September 15th: Eric Dregni presents Let’s Go Fishing
    • Looking for the perfect Minnesotan coffee table book for dad for Christmas? This is your best bet! But shhhh (my dad doesn’t read this blog… I don’t think.)
    • For a list of all events at Subtext: A Bookstore, check out their Facebook events here, or visit their website! They have a monthly book club, too!

If you can, I encourage you to check one or two of these great events out and perhaps discover some new awesome reads along the way! Let me know in the comments if there are any others you’re excited about this month! 

 

#24in48 readathon wrap up

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Yes, oh yes, I know it has been like weeks since the #24in48 Readathon wrapped up, but IT WAS SO FUN SO I GOTTA POST ABOUT IT.

First, I did not make it to 24 hours of reading. But I got to 19 hours and 51 minutes logged, which is DANG INCREDIBLE if you ask me.

I only really updated Litsy, after the crash was fixed, because trying to keep up with multiple social media sites was actually exhausting. I mean, it’s actually always exhausted (confession time, ahh!) but that weekend was particularly bad. Also, there were distractions EVERYWHERE. Half of the time my tired brain was actually seeking them out in order to have a break from reading, but half the time my husband and cats were just being annoying ;). Then my brother and sister-in-law randomly decided to come to town and it was quite the full weekend. Here’s a rundown of what happened:

Friday, Day 0.5:

I read until about 1:30am the night the 48 hours started. This was spent finishing up He’s a Slut, She’s a Stud, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know by Jessica Valenti (which, BTW, is a fantastic quick look at sexism everywhere and will probably make you a little mad. If it doesn’t, it should. But I digress). I also almost finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman that night, but I got soooooo sleeppyyyyyyy.

Saturday, Day 1: 

I slept in (THIS WAS MY DOWNFALL GUYS) until basically 10am and then began reading the Gaiman book and also Spiritual Sobriety by Elizabeth Esther. I was all positive like “hell yeah I got this, so excited omg,” but after a few hours realized it doesn’t matter how fast I read, that will never give me more hours in this day. That was scary, I got sleepy, and then panicked because I didn’t have time for napping.

And then I realized: I didn’t have any audiobooks on hand!! One quick Google search for legal, free audiobooks and I found ThoughtAudio, which is a lot of classics badly narrated. But hey, some were short stories and thus only an hour, so I “rested my eyes” while listening to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Later, I worked on reading Asking for It by Kate Harding (wonderful, WONDERFUL BOOK on rape culture and what we can do about it) and A Good Time for the Truth edited by Sun Yung Shin. OH, and my goal for the weekend was to reach page 300 in Stephen King’s IT (having started at page 212… out of 1,000+ pages. Yep. I needed to make progress).

On Saturday night, we went to see Star Trek: Beyond with my husband’s brother and his wife, so that was fun but it took so many hours getting there early, finding bad seats (it was packed!), and we didn’t get home until late. I clocked right around 8 hours total for Saturday.

Sunday, Day 2: 

Slept in, again. By the time I woke up I realized there was no way I could read 16 hours before 12am. It just wasn’t actually possible. Never have I wished for more hours in a day, though, because I realized then how much fun I was having. I COULD ACTUALLY READ ALL DAY LONG, WHO KNEW!? Haha.

Books I worked on reading or finished: same as above, then adding Persepolis, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Fall of the House of Usher, Gold Fame Citrus, and The Bookshop.

I ended up getting very jealous of all my friends who went to a beach not too far away, so I ended up joining them for 2 hours and simply floating on the lake for a while. It was fantastic because it was SO hot out that weekend and our AC leaks and was a pain. I also meal prepped while listening to audiobooks and playing with my cats.

I finished the challenge exactly at midnight by completing The Bookshop, a short novel by Penelope Fitzgerald, clocking in at 19 hours and 51 minutes.

In conclusion…

Books I finished: 9 

  • He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know – Jessica Valenti
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman
  • A Good Time for the Truth  – edited by Sun Yung Shin
  • Spiritual Sobriety: Stumbling Back to Faith When Good Religion Goes Bad – Elizabeth Esther
  • The Complete Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi
  • The Bookshop – Penelope Fitzgerald
  • 3 stories/short novels: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Fall of the House of Usher – Edgar Allen Poe, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – Washington Irving

And I made progress in It (page 300!), Gold Fame Citrus, Asking for It, Alice in Wonderland.

Would I do this again? Absolutely. Would I try to make it to 24 hours? You bet! 

Mark your calendars! The next #24in48 readathon is on January 21-22, 2017! Click on that link to sign up!

the Harry Potter midnight excitement is contagious

/ Wallsah / 3 Comments

Are you a Harry Potter fan? Are you excited for the new book? What are you doing this evening?

911Xmhn9+rLThe context: As you probably know, the most anticipated book (er, play) of the summer, the screenplay Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, will be released into the hands of fans at bookstores tonight at midnight or (like in my store’s case, at 10 am Sunday). This book is the only sequel to the beloved series and comes out the same day the play is premiered in the UK.

The audience: Are you, like me, almost exactly the same age as Harry? Did you, unlike me, grow up reading each one, attending book release parties and midnight screenings of the movies?

I unfortunately grew up in a conservative community who sort of shunned Harry Potter (I say unfortunate because I wish we hadn’t and that I had been allowed to read it, since I’ll always feel like I missed out) but when I was 19 I happily started reading the books and watching the movies with my friends. That was the summer the last movie was released, which I also didn’t watch until I had read all the books. (It’s already been 5 years!)

The happenings: So naturally I had to post about this because it’s exciting and fun. I’m not sure I’ll be attending any parties due to having to work 3-10 today, but if you live here or I’m sure anywhere as lots of B&Ns are having parties, you should join in the fun if you want. I love how a beloved storyline and characters can reveal a community of people who simply love fun, magic, and the values of love shown in the series. They truly are amazing books.

Will I be reading the screenplay? Well seeing as I don’t have more money for books right now, I checked the library, and there are OVER NINE HUNDRED HOLDS FOR OVER 100 COPIES OF THE PLAY.

So I’ll think it’ll be a while for me 😉 I’m also hesitant because it’s a play, but since I’m not a hardcore dedicated, grew-up-with-Harry fan, I’m not gonna write you a “this is why I’m not reading the Cursed Child” speech.

Here are some of the midnight release parties happening in the Twin Cities this weekend: (I started making this list but then found the rest over at the Pioneer Press)

 

Northgate Brewing: 783 Harding St. N.E., Minneapolis. Family-friendly activities beginning at 4 p.m. (This looks super fun. This is where I’d be if not working. Harry Potter and beer/cider!?!? Yes please!)

SubText Books: 6 W. Fifth St., St. Paul. 9 to 11 p.m. costume contest and drinks (for families) at Tin Whiskers Brewing Company, 125 E. Ninth St., St. Paul, followed by midnight-release party at the store with birthday cake and birthday party games.

Red Balloon Bookshop: 891 Grand Ave., St. Paul. Party begins at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by Wee Wizard Brunch at 12:30 p.m. Sunday with breakfast in the Great Hall and wizarding crafts.

Barnes & Noble: In Roseville, Edina, Maplewood, Minneapolis, Burnsville, Eden Prairie, Blaine, Minnetonka, Maple Grove and Mall of America.

Half Price Books: St. Louis Park and Coon Rapids

Valley Bookseller: 217 N. Main St., Stillwater. Opening at 8 a.m. Sunday to celebrate Harry Potter Day.

So to celebrate I may just be making butterbeer for my friends and I. Are you celebrating?

 

books & the literary community as healing

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Alright, friends. Here I am after QUITE the absence, and for that I am sorry. It’s totally not that there haven’t been July events to keep you aware of or awesome June events to talk about (because there have been! I have so much to catch up on), but that I think it’s not secret July has been a total shitstorm in our country.

The day after Philando Castile was shot and killed, I decided to take a break from speaking my own voice out into the social media depths and simply share those voices which haven’t been feeling heard. I received some backlash, I solidified some viewpoints, I worked up the courage to share controversial content for what I believe in, and I got to know myself a bit better.

My desire is not for this blog to cover that content. Not because I don’t believe in speaking up, but simply because I don’t want to alienate anyone who loves books or calls Minnesota home, and also because I don’t think my voice, as a white woman, is so very different. I’m learning that the best thing I can do right now is support, learn, and assist those who’s voices need to be heard right now.

I AM going to plug what I’ve been reading and plan to read, of course, and coincidentally that covers the turmoil the nation has been experiencing. I think readers have a big responsibility right now to read and, at least for those of us who don’t experience racism good timeday to day, educate themselves and open up their minds to the voices and experiences of their neighbors, friends, coworkers, and fellow citizens.

MPR last week published a GREAT piece about how books about racial studies or by people of color are flying off the shelves of our local Minneapolis/St. Paul bookstores. I can testify that I’ve sold at least one copy a day of Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and I watched A Good Time for the Truth (by local, Minnesotan authors, which is what I’m reading now!) sell out before the weekend of July 9-10. I believe strongly in the power of that book:

The impact of “A Good Time for the Truth” is different, though, Zumberge said, because it’s local.

The book “is the experiences of people of color who live in this state. You cannot say ‘Oh, it’s not us,'” Zumberge said.

“I’m glad that people are turning to bookstores,” [Martin of Common Good Books] said. “Because it’s what bookstores are really good at: Helping understand the world around us.” (Read the whole piece here).

I echo that statement, which is why I see the literary community as a place for healing.

I had the privilege of experiencing that directly last Monday evening at Subtext Books. I heard word that there’d be a discussion of A Good Time for the Truth with editor Sun Yung Shin, and so my partner and I went even though I had only read the first two chapters at that point. We were a big taken aback that it wasn’t a regular event but rather an intimate book club of around 25 people, but we stayed and listened to a wonderful discussion about the influence of the book and the courage of the writers who have shared pieces inside.

Sun Yung Shin spoke about how the anthology came about, how she wanted an anthology including many different viewpoints and representations of different races, and that it was important for it to be a creative piece. Those of us there agreed–the stories really are so well written you feel as if you are friends with the writer and listening face to face. In that way, the stories are that much more real and influential. They cannot be ignored. 

I have more notes from that discussion that I’d love to share some other time, but it’s important that I say we all agreed that reading matters. Our discussion leader asked the question: is reading enough?

The unanimous conclusion was yes. Reading is important, and it does make a difference. If just one person’s mind is changed and they tell their friends, that’s a difference. If one of those people becomes an activist or has influence where some laws could be changed, that’s definitely a difference. And so on.

If you’re a reader who wants to make a difference but perhaps doesn’t know how, or doesn’t know where to start, or wants to know which books could be deemed most important right now, here’s a list of books Writers of Color Say We Should All Read Now. This list is so, so good because I don’t think any one person could have come up with all these important works. I’m a bookseller and I didn’t even know about most of them (partly because our sections on racial, gender, women’s, and LGBTQIA+ studies are always going fast! An awesome problem to have). blues vision

I would also like to spotlight Blues Vision: African American Writing from Minnesota from the list, another anthology on race also published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press last year. I’ve sold books for well-attended readings from this anthology at the Loft and always been sad I couldn’t listen in from my book table. If there are more events like this, you can bet I’ll do my best to be there.

Don’t minimize the influence you could have. Read these books. Share them with people, and start seeing the literary community as a place of discussion, healing, and beauty.

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Do you agree that books and the literary community can be a place of healing? Where have you see this for yourself? Do you have books you would recommend strongly at this period in time? I’d love to start a discussion on this! 

 

 

 

all the reasons

/ Wallsah / Leave a comment

Okay so this post is my attempt to deviate from the books and events a little and be a real human being who writes things. I’ve been writing some reflections on things in life and I’d love to start posting them. Most have to do with literature in some way simply because my life revolves so closely around it. And I’m always, always reading, so there’s that. But anyway, it’s not a blog if there’s no personality, so, hello!

June has been busy, and I’ve been absent.

Reasons for not blogging:

  1. Every time I get home, I pull on comfy clothes, grab a drink and my book, and attempt to plop down on the reading chair ASAP. Almost immediately, my male cat starts meowing and scratching at walls, the closet doors, the tapestry, the furniture… He knows it drives me nuts. So instead of peacefully reading before starting to make dinner, I chase the cat around with a squirt bottle for sometimes 3 hours because I’ve already played with him for 30 minutes and he’s not letting up. My husband usually comes home to me fuming in anger while the cat has magically decided he’s had enough of torturing me. #truestory
  2. Summer means the I’m-not-outside-enjoying-this-nice-MN-weather guilt meter is on full blast. If it’s anywhere between 60-90 degrees, I feel like I should be outside on my patio. Laptops and patios don’t mix.
  3. Ermergerd, ervernts!! So many in June. Not that I’ve been able to go to all of them, but still.
  4. And summer stuff like visiting family, beach days, road trips…
  5. Adulting means there are always things to do! And when you’ve had enough and need a break, there’s always a book or Netflix. Or the Game of Thrones finale, or Orange is the New Black Season 4. I’m not a binge watcher anymore, but sometimes blogging requires too much thinking for my ideal downtime.
  6. Lots of work and a new season in life! My last day as a barista was today, and I’m starting an internship this week! I’ll still be working 40-something hours a week, so bear with me as I go through another transition!

Reasons to blog:

  1. Things to say. Great books to blog about, and great thoughts about life to share.
  2. My readership. I’m only hoping to grow from here, but I’m realized I need more realistic goals, and ones that fit with my schedule! So no guests posts yet, sorry readers!
  3. So many books to review!

There you have it. What have you been busy doing this summer? What’s been keeping you from your writing? 

where I went in May

/ Wallsah / 2 Comments

Here is my long overdue recap of the literary events I was able to attend in May! It’s a big season of change in my life right now, so bear with my lateness. I will also be posting very soon a post of literary news of things happening in the Twin Cities area that aren’t event-specific.

May was a busy month due to a wedding I was in and being out of town, but I caught some really great events featured below!

May Event Recap

On May 1, I was able to attend the Twin Cities bookstore Rep Night where we listened to Random House representatives talk about the exciting new books coming out this summer. I landed an ARC of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (review to come soon!) as well as some others I’m really excited to dive into quite soon. We also listened to short readings and talks by authors Peter Geye, author of recently released Wintering and Nathan Hill, author of The Nix. Other perks of being a bookseller include meeting other booksellers in the area and nerding over our love of books.

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Poetry bingo & Strongbow at honey mpls!

Later that week on Wednesday, May 4, my partner and I went to honey mpls for a poetry reading with Coffee House and Graywolf presses complete with POETRY BINGO, and it was bomb. The release of Amanda Nadelberg’s Songs From a Mountain from Coffee House Press. She was hilarious and, in honor of Mother’s Day, read excerpts from her mom’s journal from when Amanda was a baby. Good drinks with good publishing friends.

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This is my ACR of his short story collection along with teasers of 3 of his re-released novels!

Over the weekend on Saturday, May 14, Andy and I listened to Brian Evanson read at Magers & Quinn from his new short story collection A Collapse of Horses just out from Coffee House Press! It’s a delightfully spooky short story collection best read in Evanson’s voice himself. Saw friends from Coffee House at this event as well!

alimon_brightdeadthingsOn Monday, May 16, Milkweed hosted “Taking the Risk to Change Your Life for Art: A Reading & Conversation with Ada Limón and Joan Vorderbruggen” at Open Book/The Loft Literary Center, which was an absolutely fantastic evening. Ada Limón read from her latest poetry volume Bright Dead Things, which was incredible, and they all had a lovely discussion about creativity and how it does or should fit into our lives. I will be writing up a whole separate post about this talk because it was just that good. And check out Ada’s poetry collection if you want to read some great poetry!

Unfortunately I didn’t make it to many events last month, but we are making up for it in June for sure!

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Did you attend any awesome literary events in May, or listening to any readings on NPR or any book-related podcasts? Please share in the comments! 

Updated event: Max Porter on June 23

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briefOriginally I posted about a reading at Magers & Quinn on Thursday, June 23 that I am SUPER excited for: Max Porter reading from his debut from Graywolf Press, Grief is the Thing With Feathers.

BUT let me tell you, I just found out that Man Booker Prize winner and author of A Brief History of Seven Killings Marlon James will be joining him (and reading from his own book)!

WHAT. Oh my gosh I’m excited. I saw Marlon James at Friends of the Hennepin County Library last year even though I didn’t get to personally meet and he is incredible. You don’t want to miss this, guys.

Excerpt from the M&Q event page: 41xE70s+S8L._SY344_

“One of the only accurate representations of grief I have ever found in literature. [Porter] combines verse, narrative, essay, myth, drama, jokes, bad dreams, and the language of therapy in a way that seems magical, permanent, utterly integrated, as impossible to distill to its components as it would be impossible to remove or isolate grief from love, or from life itself. Says Crow of grief, ‘It is everything. It is the fabric of selfhood.’” —Sarah Manguso

P.S. Sarah Manguso also happens to be a Graywolf author, and I am reading her book Ongoingness: The End of a Diary, and it is beautiful. Just sayin’.