Another great lineup of literary events in the region this week. Here’s a quick look at the book discussions, readings, open mics, and workshops coming up.
Thursday, October 19
5:00 PM – “Grafted Tree” Book Launch @ Professor Javas
Join local poet and author Judith Prest for the release of her new book, “Grafted Tree,” at Professor Java’s in Colonie.
6:45 PM – A Writer’s Night in October @ The Longmeadow Adult Center
Join Longmeadow Adult Center and Straw Dog Writers Guild on Thursday, October 19, 6:45-7:45pm for A Writer’s Night with featured reader Margaret Lloyd, poet and visual artist. Born in Liverpool, England, of Welsh parents, Margaret grew up in a Welsh immigrant community in central New York State.
7:00 PM – CAPS Be the Feature Open Mic
CAPS Be the Feature Open Mic is always a fluid evening. Maybe participants read 6 poems. Maybe 5. Maybe 3. Maybe 2…
7:00 PM – Profile Writing with Annie Stoltie @ Adirondack Center for Writing
In this 90-min workshop, Annie Stoltie (editor in chief of Adirondack Life) will teach participants how to approach a “profile” for magazine writing.
7:30 PM – Third Thursday Poetry Night Featuring Rebecca Schumejda @ Social Justice Center
Rebecca Schumejda will read from her work at the Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center with an open mic for community poets.
Friday, October 20
9:00 AM – Early Literacy Storytime! @ Troy Public Library
Kids ages 0-5 are welcome to this early literacy story.
7:30 PM – Hudson Valley Writers’ Center Open Mic
Featured Poets + open mike for poets, fiction writers, essayists with rotating hosts at the Hudson Valley Writers’ Center.
7:30 PM – Cafe Euphoria Open Mic & Slam
A laid-back open mic and fun slam at a cafe founded and run by trans and gender non-conforming folks.
Saturday, October 21
10:00 AM – Fall Finds – Telling Trails “Hike-Workshop” @ Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library
Through walking, talking, hiking, and exploring, see how speaking, writing, reading, drawing, and photography can become natural and easy ways to express yourself.
1:00 PM – “Along About Midnight” Book Signing @ POW Card Games and Comics
Join a celebration of the release of Dorian J. Sinnott’s new dark coming-of-age novel, “Along About Midnight” from Raven’s Hollow Books!
1:00 PM – James Preller Signing “The Whispering Pines” and “The Spaces in Between” @ The Open Door Bookstore
Author James Preller will be signing The Whispering Pines and The Spaces in Between (“Exit 13” books 1 & 2).
11:15 AM – A Writer Can Write Anywhere @ Bethlehem Public Library
Sue Ann Jaffarian is the author of several mystery series, including the latest, “The Ghost of Christmas Granny,” as well as other novels and short stories.
2:00 PM – Poetry Reading with Elizabeth Poreba and Katrinka Moore @ New Lebanon Library
Poet Elizabeth Poreba, a longtime New Lebanon, NY resident, will read from her newly published book, “New Lebanon.”
3:00 PM – Jay Farrell signs and discusses, “Abandoned Albany” @ The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza
Abandoned structures are places that open the imagination and invite interpretation. Exploration of their rusted, rotted remnants ensures stories of the forgotten continue to be told. While often overlooked by passers-by, their skeletal remains, weathered paint, and patina act as the perfect subject for the lens of a camera, quietly waiting to be documented and shared with the world.
6:00 PM – Daniel Mason – “North Woods” @ Northshire Manchester
Mason will join us to discuss his latest book – a sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries—a daring, moving tale of memory and fate from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier. North Woods has been taking Northshire’s booksellers by storm, and is a staff pick many times over.
7:00 PM – Reading Willa Cather @ Kaatsbaan Cultural Park
Featuring readings from actors Mary Stuart Masterson and Jeremy Davidson, plus musical performances by Hailey McAvoy (mezzo-soprano) and Jonathan Lawlor (baritone). Selections curated by Cather Center Board member Peter Cipkowski.
Sunday, October 22
11:00 AM – Michelle Cuevas Signing “The Dreamatics” @ The Open Door Bookstore
In this exhilaratingly original novel, a fantastical theatre and its troupe perform a young girl’s dreams, until nightmares take over. Will one devoted stagehand be able to bring joy back into the spotlight? This touching story is perfect for dreamers and kids who love theatre and performing arts.
1:00 PM – Prose Writers Showcase @ Albany Public Library – Bach Branch
The Hudson Valley Writers Guild presents an afternoon of prose with Ian Ross Singleton, Christy O’Callaghan, and Keith W. Willis.
2:00 PM – Ryan T. Higgins – “Bruce and the Legend of Soggy Hollow” @ Northshire Manchester
Northshire Manchester is delighted to present a special event with #1 New York Times bestselling author Ryan T. Higgins as he celebrates his latest Mother Bruce book.
Monday, October 23
12:00 PM – Make it Mondays @ The Poetry Barn
Each Monday, drop in with your journal, tablet, laptop, or whatnot and make it happen! Whether you’re researching, drafting, revising, or submitting, the writing life is a lot less lonely in community.
2:00 PM – With Pen in Hand @ Albany Public Library
Learn how to express yourself clearly and imaginatively, share your work, and respond to the stories of others. Attend any or all sessions. Facilitated by Misty Yarnall. This event is virtual and held through Zoom. Please register with your email address to recieve the Zoom invite.
6:00 PM – Bard Written Arts: A Reading with Adam Shatz @ Bard College
Adam Shatz, a visiting professor at Bard College in the Human Rights Program, is the US editor of the London Review of Books and a contributor to the New York Times magazine, the New York Review of Books, the New Yorker, and other publications. He is the author of Writers and Missionaries: Essays on the Radical Imagination and the host of the podcast Myself with Others. His biography of Frantz Fanon, The Rebel’s Clinic, will be published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in January 2024 and is available to order now.
Tuesday, October 24
12:00 PM – Friend Book Talk @ Albany Public Library – Washington Ave. Branch
P. Bryon Backenson, MS, director, NYS Department of Health, Bureau of Communicable Disease Control presents Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues by Jonathan Kennedy.
5:00 PM – Teen Writing Club @ Schenectady Public Library – Central Branch
Kids in grades 6-12 that love to write are invited to join. We usually pick a writing prompt, do some writing, and then share; but sharing is not mandatory. We are very welcoming to new members. This club meeting will be held in person and virtually. A meeting link for remote participants will be sent a day before the event. Snacks will be served. Registration required.
Wednesday, October 25
5:45 PM – Writers Group @ Schenectady Public Library – Central Branch
Whether you’ve been doing it forever or just starting out, bring your written words to this volunteer-run community group and receive feedback from fellow wordsmiths as time permits. No registration required. Ages 18+
6:30 PM – Empowered by Poetry @ Hart Cluett Museum
Empowered by Poetry is a new open mic for poetry and spoken word in Troy sponsored by The Arts Center of the Capital Region.
6:30 PM – “Pain Hustlers” with Evan Hughes @ Upstate Films
Co-presented by Oblong Books. Post-film discussion with Evan Hughes, moderated by Michelle Montalbano from Starr Library.
6:30 PM – A Spooky Poetry Share @ Belding Memorial Library
Join writer and poet Arianna Alexsandra Collins of Offerings for Community Building for an evening of speaking your truth through poetry. October’s Poetry Share challenge is to find and read your poems that illustrate what you consider spooky or scary, from critters to creatures to the state of our world.
7:00 PM – Howl Story Slam: Saratoga Springs @ Caffe Lena
The Howl Story Slam is a live storytelling competition. Anyone can sign up to tell a story the night of the event.
Did we miss anything? Let us know at info@hvwg.org, and be sure to check out https://hvwg.org to find out more about our vibrant literary and arts community.
