Today's Featured Books— Events

Free online: First Friday Book Talk & Reading with Shanan Ballam, Poet Laureate of Logan City, Utah, and a Senior Lecturer for the Utah State University's Department of English. Shanan survived a massive stroke in January 2022 that left her without speech and without the use of her entire right side, but she never quit writing poetry. Friday, September 6, 12 p.m. CDT. 

"Every year, about 800,000 Americans have strokes. But it seems that, unlike Shanan Ballam, few people found poetry in it." ~Peter Rosen, KSLTV.com

Free online: Abraham Lincoln's "A House Divided" Speech. Join the staff of the New York Public Library's Grand Concourse Library for a discussion of one of Lincoln's most consequential speeches. The NYPL provides a link to a free copy of the speech if you'd like to read it ahead of time. Wednesday, September 4, 12 - 1 PM EDT. 

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." ~Abraham Lincoln

Want a weekend getaway and the opportunity to learn more about other cultures...without getting on a plane or spending time in traffic? MyTourOnline offers free online tours of London, Paris, Barcelona, and Lisbon, with plans to add virtual tours of Amsterdam, Athens, Madrid, and Rome. 

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” ~Henry Miller

Free online: Poetry at the New York Public Library. Want to read more poetry but don’t know where to start? Not sure you know how to really read poetry? Join the staff of the Mulberry Street branch of the NYPL on the last Thursday of every month to discuss a few poems! (The poems to be discussed are available to read free online.) Thursday, August 29, 10 a.m. EDT. 

“You can find poetry in your everyday life, your memory, in what people say on the bus, in the news, or just what’s in your heart.” ~Carol Ann Duffy

The Smithsonian Libraries include 21 specialized research libraries that support the Smithsonian Institution’s museums and research centers. Individually, each of these libraries is among the world’s greatest repositories of knowledge for the specialized fields they support. Collectively they are among America’s greatest scientific and cultural treasures. 

The Libraries are currently offering two free online exhibits: Nature of the Book explores early handmade books, and Music HerStory focuses on women and the music of social change. 

"Sing from your heart, and the world will listen." ~Mahalia Jackson

Free online: Perugia and Raphael. Along with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (known simply as "Raphael" to the English-speaking world) was one of the great painters of the High Renaissance. Perhaps best known for The School of Athens (shown above), young Raphael spent years in Perugia where he painted seven of his works. Join Partizia Blanquart, archaeologist, art historian, and licensed tour guide in Italy, for this live stream tour of the places once visited and the roads once treaded by Raffaello in Perugia. Thursday, August 22, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. CDT. 

"When one is painting, one does not think." ~Raphael

Free online: The Notebooks Collective "In Conversation" reading series with poets Karen Rigby and Danika Stegeman. The Notebooks Collective is a virtual literary arts space focused on community, connection, and continued learning. "In Conversation" is their monthly reading series that fosters discussion about craft and the creative life. Tuesday, August 20, 7:30 - 9:00 PM EDT.

“Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.” ~Carl Sandburg

Free online: Standing on the Moon - The Lyrical Imagination, a virtual event that explores the intersection between lyric writing and literature through performance and conversation. Sunday, August 18, 11 AM CDT. 

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." ~Maya Angelou

Free online: All About Venice, a virtual journey to the enchanting city of Venice, Italy. Discover the rich history, art, and cuisine of this iconic destination from the comfort of your own home. Wednesday, August 14, 8:00 PM EDT.

“When I went to Venice, I discovered that my dream had become-incredibly but quite simply – my address.” ~Marcel Proust

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is the world-leading festival of words, literature, and ideas, and there are dozens of free online literary events now through August 25. Visit the Festival's What's On page to see the program of events, including Online Events.

“The Scots think of it as their capital; they’re too possessive, Edinburgh belongs to the world.” ~Richard Demarco, Scottish artist and promoter of the visual and performing arts, cofounder of the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in 1963

Free online: A Place for Lost Things, a workshop that combines visual and literary art to help people find comfort in art. Presented by the Arts & Healing Resiliency Center, an organization that supports mental health well-being by nurturing creative expression in a caring community. Sunday, August 11, 3-5 PM CDT. 

"We never completely lose the things we love. They become a part of us, hidden away in the deepest corners of our soul." ~from The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

Free online: Author Talk with Erin Bartels. Award-winning author Erin Bartels presents an informative talk about obstacles women artists have faced in the past and present, and about how her research on women artists made its way into her latest novel, The Lady with the Dark Hair. Thursday, August 8, 11 AM CDT.

“Change happens when the cost of keeping things the way they are is too high.” ~Erin Bartels

Free online: Barnes & Noble Book Club. Barnes & Noble welcomes Liz Moore for a live, virtual event to discuss The God of the Woods, BN's July Book Club selection. Tuesday, August 6, 2 PM CDT. 

“Kissing someone—someone you want to kiss, I mean—is like living inside the best song you ever heard. It's the same feeling.” ~Liz Moore, The God of the Woods

Free online: Memories of Summer. Relive the carefree days of summer with this online concert of summer-related pop, classical, Broadway, and folk tunes. Sunday, August 4, 7 PM GMT, 2 PM EDT, 1 PM CDT. 

"Music: What so many sentences aspire to be." ~Mary Oliver

Free online: The Hudson Valley Writers Center presents author Nana Brew-Hammond who will read from My Parents’ Marriage, a novel about a woman trying to redefine what marriage means to her and what it takes to break free of harmful generational cycles. Thursday, August 1, 7:00 - 8:30 PM EDT. 

"Storytelling is as old as humanity—every known civilization has told stories of life as they lived it, passed down legends of how we got here, and created fables or parables to illustrate morals or deliver lessons." ~Nana Brew-Hammond

New Giveaway: Win a Bundle of Cozy Mysteries. Enter for a chance to win a bundle of 21 cozy mysteries plus a new e-reader (a $250 value). Earn entry points by following participating authors on BookBub or Amazon.

"Every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.” ~Charles Dickens

Free online: Pour & Explore. Grab a glass of wine and join sommelier Nick Elliott (aka "The Wine Guy") for a virtual journey through the captivating world of wines. Learn how to swirl, sniff, and sip like pros, unlocking the hidden nuances and flavors of different wine varietals. Saturday, July 27, 5 - 6 PM CDT. 

"Wine and love have always been about sharing, living, and feeling." ~Paulo Coelho

Free online: Your Money or Your Life. Join for a discussion of Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin, a highly recommended book on personal finance. You are welcome to join whether you've read the book or not. Wednesday, July 24, 7 - 8:30 PM CDT. 

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people that they don’t like.” ~Will Rogers

Free online: Story Foolery. Step into the enchanting world of Story Foolery, where you and your partner become the protagonists of captivating tales. Imagine experiencing every thought, feeling, and secret of your character while your partner does the same from their character’s perspective. Whether you become a Femme Fatale, a Private Detective, a Pirate, a Ghost, or a Rock Star, each story immerses you in a way you’ve never experienced before. Monday, July 22, 9 PM CDT.

“Plot grows out of character. If you focus on who the people in your story are, something is bound to happen.” ~Anne Lamott

Free online: The Mythology of Wine. Grab a glass of wine and enjoy this webinar about ancient myths in which wine plays an important part. Saturday, July 20, 5 PM CDT.

“Wine is poetry in a bottle.” ~Clifton Fadiman

Free online: How To Easily Share Your Old Photos. This workshop will teach you the steps for converting your paper print photo collection into print-quality digital images. Hear about the simplest and proven methods from sorting, preparing, and digitizing to developing, storing, and uploading. Thursday, July 18, 12 - 1 PM CDT.

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” ~Dorothea Lange

Free online: Mindful Reinvention for Women In Midlife, a two-night virtual gathering focused on empowering women in midlife to embrace change and reinvent themselves through mindful intention. July 16 & 17, 7 PM CDT each night. 

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” ~Alice Walker

Free online: Poets in Pajamas. This virtual poetry reading series takes place each Sunday at 7 PM ET. This week, join poets Dorinda Wegener and Mukethe Kawinzi for two 20-minute live readings, immediately followed by Q&A. Sunday, July 14, 7 PM ET.

“What is the meaning of life? The great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark.” ~Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse

Free online: LitPR Summer Showcase. Join to hear from an array of indie authors, including M. N. Rosen (author of The Consciousness Company), C.F Dunn (Wheel of Fortune & Sun Ascendant), Charlotte Hastings (Kitchen Therapy), Philip Davidson (Birth of the Tiptons), and Elena Joannides (Meli & Mac). Thursday, July 11, 6-7 PM CDT.

"Your own positive future begins in this moment. All you have is right now. Every goal is possible from here." ~Lao Tzu

Free online: B&N Midday Mystery. Join Barnes & Noble for a discussion with Colin Walsh, author of Kala, a Book of the Year for NPR, The Guardian, GQ, and others. In this gripping literary page-turner, former friends estranged for twenty years reckon with the terrifying events of the summer that changed their lives. Tuesday, July 9, 2 PM CDT.

“It takes strength to be open to life, to the possibility things will change for the better.” ~Colin Walsh, Kala