Today's Featured Books— Events

Free online: Publishing Scandals of 2023. This past year was an eventful one in the publishing world, including lots of literary scandals. Join the hosts of Writers Lunch for a discussion of some jaw-dropping and bonkers literary misdeeds from 2023. Thursday, January 4, 1-2 PM CST.

"Good writers borrow, great writers steal." ~T.S. Eliot

Free online: Speaking Crow Open Mic Series. Presented by the Winnipeg International Writers Festival and Winnipeg Public Library, this event is held the first Tuesday of each month and features a series of short (three minute!) readings from open mic participants. Tuesday, January 2, 7 PM CST.

"I think storytelling is a fundamental part of being human. It's how we make sense of the world and pass on our knowledge." ~Jim Welch

Free online: NYE around the world with EarthCam. Join EarthCam's live-stream of New Year’s celebrations from around the globe and in Times Square! Enjoy video and audio from multiple live webcams and watch as the world rings in 2024. Sunday, December 31. 

"And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been." ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Free online cultural event: Festive Valkenburg City Tour. Get yourself in the holiday spirit with this virtual tour of Valkenburg, a lovely town in the south of the Netherlands that turns its cobbled streets and medieval houses into a festive wonderland for the holidays. Saturday, December 23, 2-3 PM CST. (PS: Get your free ticket soon...the tour is almost full!) 

"Ik ben altijd dingen aan het doen die ik nog niet kan om zo te leren hoe ik ze moet doen." (I am always doing things that I can’t yet do, in order to learn how to do them.) ~Vincent van Gogh

Free online: The Parable of the Sower. Join the New York Public Library Grand Concourse staff for a discussion of Octavia Butler's The Parable of the Sower, a story set in a post-apocalyptic Earth (2024!) heavily affected by climate change and social inequality. Thursday, December 21, 1-2 PM EST. 

"Read every day and learn from what you read." ~Octavia Butler

Free online: Dueling Detectives author talk. Presented by the New York Public Library, UK author Tom Mead (who specializes in locked room mysteries) will discuss his writing career and his recent mystery titles, Death and the Conjuror and The Murder Wheel. Tuesday, December 19, 3-4 PM EST. 

"This man was poisoned! Oh, wait, is that blood? That is blood. This man was poisoned in the chest with a knife!" ~Hercule Poirot

Free online Sunday: The Back Room. Join authors Jeffery Deaver, Karen Dionne, James L'Etoile, and Nishita Parekh for an evening of great conversation. Sunday, December 17, 6-8 PM CST. 

"The more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm of conversation." ~Plato, Republic

Free online: Realms of Imagination. Join the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic at the University of Glasgow to celebrate the launch of Realms of Imagination: Essays from the Wide Worlds of Fantasy, recently released by British Library Publishing as a companion volume to the Fantasy: Realms of Imagination exhibition. Thursday, December 14, 12:00 - 1:30 PM CST. 

"Almost dead yesterday, maybe dead tomorrow, but alive, gloriously alive, today." ~Robert Jordan, Lord of Chaos

Free online: What's New in Historical Fiction, a panel discussion about new and upcoming historical fiction titles. This week's panel features Emily Bleeker, author of When We Were Enemies; Sean Lusk, The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley; Katherine Vaz, Above the Salt; and Katherine Howe, A True Account. Hosted by Colin Mustful, founder of History Through Fiction. Wednesday, December 13, 4-5 PM CST. 

"How can we live without our lives? How will we know it’s us without our past?" ~John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

Free online: Larksong Speedwriting & Reading Party. Kick off the holiday season with this writing/reading party from Larksong Writers Place. The format is simple: 5-minute readings alternated with 15-minute mini writing workshops that start with a craft talk and end with a writing prompt. Five readings and four workshops followed by a Q&A with writers and other participants. Saturday, December 9, 10 AM CST. 

"Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." ~E. L. Doctorow

Free online: Poetry Lit! Online Reading Series. Explore the world of poetry from the comfort of your own home. Join Poetry Lit! for their monthly online reading series featuring international poets and their passionate fans. This week: poets Jennifer Wong and Degna Stone. Friday, December 8, 1:00 - 2:30 PM CST.

"Poetry is the deification of reality." ~Edith Sitwell

Free online: Love in Winter Wonderland, a discussion with prize-winning children/YA author Abiola Bello about the YA Christmas romance Love In Winter Wonderland. Hosted online by the Pelham Parkway-Van Nest Branch of the New York Public Library. Tuesday, December 5, 3:30 - 4:30 PM EST. 

"Libraries: The medicine chest of the soul." ~Library at Thebes, inscription over the door

New giveaway: Enter the Merry Giveaway (hosted by Reader Central) for a chance to win a $150 Amazon.com gift card. Deadline: December 31, 2023. 

"Remember that the most important thing is to try and love other people as much as they love you." ~David Sedaris, Holidays on Ice

Free online: First Friday Book Talk & Reading. Presented by Larksong Writers Space: Join freelance journalist Carson Vaughan for a discussion of his first book, Zoo Nebraska: The Dismantling of an American Dream, and his upcoming book, a travelogue through the Nebraska Sandhills. Friday, December 1, 12 PM CST.

"Kindness is like snow—it beautifies everything it covers." ~Kahlil Gibran

Free online: Your Heart Was Made for This. Copperfield’s Books presents author Oren Jay Sofer for a virtual celebration for his new book, Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity, and Love, a practical roadmap to cultivating the heart’s capacity to face and transform our greatest challenges. Tuesday, November 28, 6 PM PST.

"Just as our cells know how to heal a cut, our psyche possesses the intelligence to heal emotional wounds." ~Oren Jay Sofer

Free online: Thanksgiving Virtual Storytime. Presented by Preschool Readers, enjoy a Thanksgiving-themed virtual storytime event in the spirit of gratitude and togetherness. Let Preschool Readers keep the kids entertained while you put the finishing touches on your Thanksgiving preparations. Wednesday, November 22, 7 PM EST.

"Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude." ~A.A. Milne

Free online: Holiday Survival Guide. This is not a literary event (although we think reading is a great way to "survive" any season), but it sounds like a fun way to prepare for the holidays. The organizers will share expert tips, tricks, and hacks to equip you with everything you need to make this your best holiday season ever.

"Life moves fast. One day, you’re playing kick the can with kids named Flick and Schwarz, and the next thing you know, you’re paying taxes and pulling out grey hairs." ~Ralphie from A Christmas Story (based on In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd)

Free online: NYPL Morning Coffee & Books. Hosted by the New York Public Library, this free, online-only event is an opportunity to bring your favorite beverage and discuss with others what you are reading, listening to, watching, and brewing. Come for the conversations, stay for the recommendations! Saturday, November 18, 11 AM EST. 

"The public library is where place and possibility meet." ~Stuart Dybek

Free online literary event: Exile & Ecstasy. Presented by Copperfield's Books, join author Madison Margolin for a discussion of her new book, Exile & Ecstasy: Growing Up with Ram Dass and Coming of Age in the Jewish Psychedelic Underground. Thursday, November 16, 6:30 PM PST.

"Let’s trade in all our judging for appreciating." ~Ram Dass

Free online: The Backroom. Cocktails and conversation with authors Jon Clinch, Stephen Mack Jones, Jacquelyn Mitchard, and Peggy Townsend. Sunday, November 12, 6-8 PM CST.

"Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better." ~Albert Camus

Free online: Poetry Lit! Explore the world of poetry from the comfort of your favorite chair via this monthly online reading series featuring international poets and their passionate fans. This month: poets Vasiliki Albedo and Joseph Fasano. Friday, November 10, 1:00 - 2:30 PM CST.

"Gratitude bestows reverence...changing forever how we experience life and the world." ~John Milton (9 December 1608 - 8 November 1674)

Free online: NYPL discussion of "Song of Myself." Join the New York Public Library Grand Concourse Library staff to discuss Walt Whitman's classic poem "Song of Myself." Whitman included this lengthy poem in his epic work, Leaves of Grass. "Song" is divided into fifty-two parts, each poem representing a week of the year. The registration site includes a link to read "Song" online free. (The registration site also says the event begins at 12 a.m., but we're pretty sure they mean noon!) Tuesday, November 7, noon - 1 p.m. EST.

“Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.” ~Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

Starting online tonight: The Reclaiming Mni Sota Indigenous Writers Grant 24-Hour Live Fundraiser (from 7 PM Nov. 3 to 7 PM Nov. 4) to support and uplift Indigenous writers in Mni Sota (Minnesota). Throughout the 24 hours, Colin Mustful of History Through Fiction will be hosting interviews with special guests (including LitNuts cofounder Mike O'Mary at 10 AM CDT Saturday) to discuss writing, editing, and publishing. 

The event also includes a silent auction for dozens of special prizes. The silent auction ends Saturday, November 4 at 6 PM CDT. All proceeds from the auction directly benefit the Reclaiming Mni Sota Indigenous Writers Grant.

"I feel a keen sympathy that all are akin. The racial lines, which once were bitterly real, now serve nothing more than marking out a living mosaic of human beings." ~Zitkála-Šá

Free online: Strong Women, Strange Worlds. A virtual tasting menu of science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories featuring six authors who will each have eight minutes to tempt and tantalizing you with their reading. Bonus: The authors will be giving away a prize pack, free books, or something else! Friday, November 3, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. CDT.

"If you can remember me, I will be with you always." ~Isabel Allende, Eva Luna

Free online children's lit event on Halloween: READ, SCREAM, REPEAT. A spooktacular collection of scary stories by thirteen of the most exciting authors in children’s books today! Perfect for readers aged 9-12. Tuesday, October 31, 6:00 - 6:45 CDT. 

"Every day is Halloween, isn't it? For some of us." ~Tim Burton