Today's Featured Books— Events
Free online: Your Heart Was Made for This
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
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
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
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 lit event: Exile & Ecstasy
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 & Conversation
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!
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"
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
Online event: Reclaiming Mni Sota Indigenous Writers Grant 24-Hour Live Fundraiser
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
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 on Halloween: READ, SCREAM, REPEAT
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
Free online lit event: Hudson Valley Writers Center
Free online lit event: Hudson Valley Writers Center. Slapering Hol Press presents eight poets who will read from their recently published poetry collections. Sunday, October 29, 4:00 - 5:30 PM EDT.
“A poet can survive everything but a misprint.” ~Oscar Wilde
Free: Online Art & Craft Club
Free: Online Art & Craft Club. Presented by the Bristol (UK) Libraries, this is a bring-your-own-craft/show-and-tell event. The idea is to chat about and show whatever you're crafting at the moment, which may or may not tie to this month's theme (Halloween/Autumn), or come along to see what other people are making and get some inspiration for what to create next. Discussion will be led by Bristol Libraries staff, but it will be a relaxed and informal conversation. All art media and crafts welcome: painting, knitting, crochet, felting, card making, origami, sewing, printmaking, etc. Friday, October 27, 8:00 - 9:00 AM CDT.
“Creativity is contagious, pass it on.” ~Albert Einstein
Free online author talk presented by the New York Public Library
Online Author Talk: The Sound of Light. Presented online free-of-charge by the New York Public Library, join the NYPL staff and author Sarah Sundin for a discussion of The Sound of Light, a story of WWII resistance. Tuesday, October 24, 5 PM EDT.
"War does not determine who is right—only who is left." ~Bertrand Russell
$150 Amazon.com/PayPal Giveaway
New giveaway: Fall Winner's Choice Amazon.com/PayPal Giveaway. Win a $150 Amazon.com eGift card or $150 in PayPal money (winner's choice) in a giveaway cosponsored by LitNuts. Enter by November 30, 2023, for a chance to win.
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” ~Henry David Thoreau
Free online: Strong Women, Strange Worlds QuickReads
Free online: Strong Women, Strange Worlds. Third Thursday QuickReads of Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Horror with authors K. Aten, C.O. Davidson, JL George,
D.L. Howard, Luna McNamara, and Jessie Mihalik. Thursday, October 19, 7 PM EDT.
"There is nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns." ~Octavia E. Butler
Free online: Poets & Writers Jackson Poetry Prize Reading
Free online: Jackson Poetry Prize Reading. Join Poets & Writers online on for a reading by Sandra Lim, recipient of the 2023 Jackson Poetry Prize. Sandra will be joined in conversation by Carl Phillips, Jackson Poetry Prize judge (2023) and recipient (2021). Monday, October 16, 7 PM EDT.
"Real exploration involves real risk." ~Sandra Lim
Free online: A Life in Books & Film with Nick Hornby
Free online: A Life in Books & Film with Nick Hornby. Presented by the Fairfax (Virginia) Library Foundation, bestselling novelist (About a Boy, High Fidelity) and screenwriter (Brooklyn, An Education) Nick Hornby will discuss his life in books and film. Friday, October 13, 7:30 PM EDT.
"Books are, let's face it, better than everything else." ~Nick Hornby
Free online: We'll Always Have Paris
Free online: We'll Always Have Paris. Authors Aimie K. Runyan and Bryn Turnbull discuss captivating historical novels set in Paris that explore the power of women’s resistance during wartime. Thursday, October 12, 8:40 AM CDT.
“She realized that the landscape of a woman’s soul could change as quickly as a world at war.” ~Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale
Free online: Laughing Through the Pain
Free online: Laughing Through the Pain. Join author Alyssa Graybeal for a discussion of her memoir, Floppy: Tales of a Genetic Freak of Nature at the End of the World, which playfully and thoughtfully explores the emotional landscape of living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome from a patient’s perspective. Wednesday, October 11, 9:30 a.m. CDT.
“I am satisfied...I see, dance, laugh, sing.” ~Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
Free online: BookWoman Poetry
Free online: BookWoman Poetry. Join poets Lindsey Royce, Aliki Barnstone, and Sandi Stromberg for this free online literary event, presented by the BookWoman bookstore of Austin, Texas. Sunday, October 8, 3:30 - 5:00 PM CDT.
"And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees and changing leaves..." ~Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse
Free online: Larksong Writers Place Book Talk & Reading
Free online: Larksong Writers Place First Friday Book Talk and Reading with Kevin Clouther, recipient of the Richard Yates Fiction Award and author of We Were Flying to Chicago: Stories and the soon-to-be-released short story collection Maximum Speed. Friday, October 6, 12 PM CDT.
"You should never hesitate to trade your cow for a handful of magic beans." ~Tom Robbins
Free online: B&N Book Club
Free online: B&N Book Club. Join Barnes & Noble for a virtual event to discuss Happiness Falls by Angie Kim. When a father goes missing, his family’s desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another—both a riveting page-turner and a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis. Tuesday, October 3, 2 PM CDT.
“The excursion is the same when you go looking for your sorrow as when you go looking for your joy.” ~Eudora Welty
Free online from the Brooklyn Book Festival: Can Science Fiction Change the World?
Free online Saturday: Can Science Fiction Change the World?, a panel discussion brought to you live from the Brooklyn Book Festival. Featuring sci-fi authors Cadwell Turnbull, Rebekah Bergman, Justin C. Key, and Luke Dani Blue. Saturday, September 30, 4 - 6 PM EDT.
"That's all science fiction was ever about. Hating the way things are, wanting to make things different." ~Ray Bradbury
Free online: Speak from the Heart - How to Change the World in Quiet Ways
Free online: A Speak from the Heart Author Conversation. Brought to you by The Birth Your Truest Story community, hosts Audrey Kalman and Jennifer Browdy interview award-winning writer, editor, speaker, and communications consultant Dorcas Cheng-Tozun about her most recent book, Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul: How to Change the World in Quiet Ways. They'll talk about her challenges as an introverted activist and how she brings her unique gifts as a writer to the work that matters so much to her. Thursday, September 28, 4:00 - 5:30 PM PDT.
“Even when things are hard and exhausting and uncertain, they can still be good.” ~Dorcas Cheng-Tozun