Your Week in Virtual Book Events, Dec. 14th to Dec. 20th

ArtsEmerson: Claudia Rankine
Monday, December 14th 5:00pm EST
Brookline Booksmith will host ArtsEmerson’s Live Town Hall with this conversation between their Executive Director David C. Howse and Artistic Director David Dower and renowned author Claudia Rankine. The conversation is a continuum of discussions that began in 2015 following the release of Rankine’s best-selling book, Citizen: An American Lyric. This discussion will attempt to unpack the conversations presented on her new book, Just Us: An American Conversation. Free. Register here.

How To Pitch Electric Lit
Monday, December 14th, 6:00pm EST
Jess Zimmerman and Jennifer Baker, editor-in-chief and contributing editor of the online journal, Electric Lit, will host a salon and Q&A on everything you need to know when pitching nonfiction work to Electric Lit and other publications. Tickets are $10. Via Crowdcast.

Michael Grecco with Jim Sullivan
Monday, December 14th, 7:00pm EST
Hosted by Brookline Booksmith, photographer Michael Grecco will talk with moderator and culture writer Jim Sullivan on the visual history of punk as presented in Grecco’s newest book, Punk, Post Punk, New Wave: Onstage, Backstage, In Your Face, 1978-1991. Tickets are free, with the option to donate or purchase the book through Brookline Booksmith. Register here.

Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham — Black Futures, with Eve Ewing
Monday, December 14th, 7:00pm EST
Presented in partnership with Chicago Humanities Festival, co-editors Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham will discuss their widely acclaimed new book, Black Futures, in conversation with sociologist and writer, Eve Ewing (1919). Free, with registration.

Hope, Not Fear: A Virtual Reading
Monday, December 14th, 8:00pm EST
Poets & Writers will host a reading featuring Loyce Gayo, Mauricio Patrón Rivera, Muhammad Khaerisman, and Robin Davidson. Each writer will read work that provides hope in the face of fear. Free, via Zoom.

Virtual Franklin Park Reading Series Season Finale: Danielle Evans, Megan Giddings, and Deesha Philyaw
Monday, December 14th, 8:00pm EST
The Virtual Franklin Park Reading Series hosts a year-end bash featuring readings by highly acclaimed authors Danielle Evans (The Office of Historical Corrections), Megan Giddings (Lakewood), and Deesha Philyaw (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies) and a demonstration of a custom cocktail created for the event by a Franklin Park bartender. Free, via Zoom. Register here.

Daniel Abbott and Razel Jones discuss Wounds
Monday, December 14th, 9:00pm EST
Book Soup will host a discussion with co-authors, Razel Jones and Daniel Abbott on their recent release, Wounds: A Collaborative Memoir in Stories. Free, via Crowdcast.

Skylit: The Moon Book
Monday, December 14th, 9:30pm EST
Author Sarah Faith Gottesdiener (The Moon Book) will discuss her recently published book on lunar magic with writer and curator Pam Grossman (Waking the Witch). Free, via Crowdcast.

A Celebration of Angels & Saints by Eliot Weinberger
Monday, December 14th, 10:00pm EST
Essayist and author Eliot Weinberger will celebrate the publication of his newest book, Angels & Saints, in a conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winner, Forrest Gander (Be With). Free, with donation welcome. Via Crowdcast.

The Wonder of It All: An Author Visit from R.J. Palacio
Tuesday, December 15th, 1:00pm EST
Bestselling author of Wonder, R.J. Palacio will participate in an author visit in which she’ll share the story behind Wonder and her picture book, We’re All Wonders, as well as her graphic novel, White Bird. Q&A to follow the webinar. $15, via Crowdcast.

Conversations with Authors: Zeyn Joukhadar
Tuesday, December 15th, 3:00pm EST
Author Zeyn Joukhadar will join in conversation about his newest release, The Thirty Names of Night, with Catherine Hernandez (Crosshairs) for Book Passage. Free, with registration.

Talking Agatha Christie with Phoebe Judge and Sophie Hannah
Tuesday, December 15th, 4:00pm EST
Join podcaster and reporter Phoebe Judge, as she sits down with bestselling author and podcaster Sophie Hannah (The Killings at Kingfisher Hill) to discuss the everlasting popularity of Agatha Christie’s work. Free, via Youtube and Facebook. Get details here.

P&P Live! Celebrating Coach John Thompson’s I CAME AS A SHADOW
Tuesday, December 15th, 6:00pm EST
For Politics and Prose Live!, co-author and sports journalist Jesse Washington will discuss his newest book, I CAME AS A SHADOW, an autobiography of Georgetown University’s legendary head basketball coach, John Thompson. He will be joined in conversation with John J. DeGioia, the 48th President of Georgetown University. Free, with registration.

KGB Bar Homecoming Festival — Joyce Carol Oates, Philip Gourevitch, Finn Yekplé
Tuesday, December 15th, 7:00pm EST
In this iteration of the KGB Bar Lit Series, a reading series and fundraiser in which former readers will read their acclaimed and current work to benefit the longevity of KGB Bar, Joyce Carol Oates (Lovely, Dark, Deep: Stories), Philip Gourevitch (The Ballad of Abu Ghraib), and Finn Yekplé will read. Tickets are $12 for students and $18 for the general public. Register here.

Reconsidering Flannery O’Connor
Tuesday, December 15th, 7:00pm EST
Georgia College will celebrate the release of Reconsidering Flannery O’Connor, edited by Georgia College’s own Dr. Jordan Cofer and Wagner College’s Dr. Alison Arant. They will discuss the book in this virtual event with three of the book’s contributors, Dr. Eric Bennett (A Big Enough Lie), Dr. Carol Shloss (Lucia Joyce: To Dance in the Wake), and Dr. Doug Davis. Free, with registration.

Matthew McConaughey with Brené Brown
Tuesday, December 15th, 8:00pm EST
Blue Willow Bookshop welcomes actor and author Matthew McConaughey in conversation with research professor, speaker, and author, Dr. Brené Brown (Dare to Lead), about his new book, Greenlights. Tickets start at $33 and include a copy of the book. Reserve your spot here.

The Last Million: David Nasaw with Atina Grossmann
Tuesday, December 15th, 8:00pm EST
David Nasaw, bestselling author and historian, presents The Last Million, a sweeping new history that tracks the fates of the 1 million refugees left behind in Germany after WWII. He will speak with Atina Grossmann (Shelter from the Holocaust: Rethinking Jewish Survival in the Soviet Union) in this conversation hosted by the New York Public Library. Free, via Zoom.

Open Door Series Online: Beth McDermott and Maya Marshall
Tuesday, December 15th, 8:00pm EST
The Open Door reading series, hosted by Poetry Foundation, features readings by two Chicagoland writing program instructors and two of their current or recent students. This event will feature writer Beth McDermott (How to Leave a Farmhouse) reading with her student Eva Bruno, and writer/editor Maya Marshall (Secondhand) with her student Katharine Grace de Jesus Flores. Free, with registration.

Charles Baxter in Conversation with Dean Bakopoulos
Tuesday, December 15th, 8:00pm EST
Prairie Lights Books will host a reading and discussion with author Charles Baxter to celebrate the release of his new book, The Sun Collective. He will be joined in conversation by Writers @ Grinnell director, Dean Bakopoulos (Summerlong). Free, via Zoom.

Virtual Book Club: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio and Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
Tuesday, December 15th, 10:00pm EST
L.A. Times Book Club welcomes Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, author of The Undocumented Americans, and Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, author of Children of the Land, in a conversation with Steve Padilla, editor of the L.A. Times. They will discuss how their true stories showcase a hidden America. Free. Register here.

Alta Asks Live: Lynell George
Wednesday, December 16th, 3:30pm EST
Author and award-winning Alta contributor, Lynell George will speak about her new book, A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler, which examines Butler’s most intimate processes and inspirations. She will be joined in discussion with Alta books editor, David L. Ulin (The Lost Art of Reading: Books and Resistance in a Troubled Time).  Free, via Crowdcast.

How to Get Published in The Commuter
Wednesday, December 16th, 6:00pm EST

Editors of The Commuter, the weekly digital publication of poetry, flash, graphic, or experimental narrative from Electric Lit, will present a candid editorial discussion on how to have a standout submission among a high volume of unsolicited submissions. Writer/editors Halimah Marcus (Horse Girls), Kelly Luce (Pull Me Under), and Ed Skoog (Travelers Leaving for the City) make up this panel of editors. Q&A to follow the webinar. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.

An Evening with Lynn Emanuel, Lucia LoTempio, and Lauren Russell
Wednesday, December 16th, 7:00pm EST
Hudson Valley Writers Center welcome poets Lynn Emanuel (The Nerve of It: Poems New and Selected), Lucia LoTempio (Hot with the Bad Things), and Lauren Russell (Descent) for a group reading from their most recent collections and a talk on craft in a Q&A session. Free, with donations welcome. Via Zoom. 

Welcome to the United States of Anxiety with Jen Lancaster
Wednesday, December 16th, 7:00pm EST
Bestselling author and comedian Jen Lancaster presents her newest book, Welcome to the United States of Anxiety: Observations from a Reforming Neurotic — a meditation on the state of the world and why it routinely feels like the end of days. Author and food writer, Stacey Ballis (How to Change a Life) will host. Free, via Crowdcast.

Mediocre — A Conversation with Ijeoma Oluo and Janaya Future Khan
Wednesday, December 16th, 7:00pm EST
New York Times-bestselling author Ijeoma Oluo (Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America) will be featured in this virtual event alongside BLM activist  Janaya Future Khan to celebrate the release of Oluo’s latest book. Tickets start at $30. Register here.

Writer to Writer: Afaa Michael Weaver and Gary Copeland Lilley
Wednesday, December 16th, 7:00pm EST
The Vermont Studio Center will host this featured reading and conversation on craft between widely acclaimed poets Afaa M. Weaver (Spirit Boxing) and Gary Copeland Lilley (The Bushman’s Medicine Show). Moderated by author Sebastian Matthews (Beyond Repair: Living in a Fractured State). Free, with registration.

Conversations with Authors — Ruby Bridges
Wednesday, December 16th, 7:00pm EST
Civil Rights Activist and author, Ruby Bridges will discuss This Is Your Time, her first book in over twenty years to coincide with the 60th anniversary of her becoming the first Black student to attend the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in 1960. The book is inspired by the recent wave of activism for racial justice led by the youth and serves as inspiration for people of all ages to unite in movement work. She will be in conversation with Paula Farmer of Book Passage and CALIBA. Free. Register here.

Nicole Krauss in Conversation with Jeremy Dauber
Thursday, December 17th, 12:30pm EST
The Jewish Book Council will host this special conversation between authors Nicole Krauss and Jeremy Dauber (Jewish Comedy: A Serious History), to celebrate the release of Krauss’ new book, To Be a Man: Stories. Tickets are $32 and include a signed copy of Nicole’s book. Register here.

Queer Writers, Speaking Across Borders
Thursday, December 17th, 6:00pm EST
Six authors from four time zones share their writing, and talk about how queerness operates in their work and how this has changed over time. Writers Kiran Bhat (we of the forsaken world…), Tom Cho (Look Who’s Morphing), Farzana Doctor (Seven), Koh Jee Leong (Snow at 5 PM: Translations of an insignificant Japanese poet), Angela Meyer (Joan Smokes), and Sarah Sala (Devil’s Lake) will participate in a group reading and conversation moderated by William Johnosn, Deputy Director of Lambda Literary. Free, with suggested donation. Via Zoom.

Celebrating the Poets of Forms & Features
Thursday, December 17th, 7:00pm EST
Poetry Foundation will host a reading and celebration of the diverse voices, rich experiences, and powerful words of poets from around the country and the world. Poets working in the online poetry workshop and discussion, Forms & Features, will share the work they’ve created in this online creative community. Free. Register here.

Watertown Public Library: Jeff Benedict
Thursday, December 17th, 7:00pm EST
Brooklyn Booksmith is partnering with the Watertown Public Library to present a virtual event with bestselling author Jeff Benedict for his new book, The Dynasty, a definitive inside story of the New England Patriots. Free.

Samantha Silva: Mr. Dickens and His Carol
Thursday, December 17th, 7:00pm EST
Warwick’s bookstore will host author Samantha Silva as she discusses the new paperback edition of her debut novel, Mr. Dickens and His Carol, in conversation with Warwick’s Director of Events, Julie Slavinksy. Free, via Facebook Live.

The HAM Slam
Thursday, December 17th, 7:00pm EST
The HAM Slam is a virtual spoken word poetry competition for Black and BIPOC spoken word artists in the United States. The slam was established to help Black and BIPOC artists generate revenue with a paid opportunity, regardless of who wins, during the current pandemic while creating and sharing new work that is uplifting, funny, and provides a creative escape — with the overall goal of invigorating the multifaceted Black community. Tickets are $12.50 and can be reserved here.

Walter Mosley’s in conversation with John Freeman
Thursday, December 17th, 8:00pm EST
Writer, editor, and critic John Freeman will lead a free hour long conversation with celebrated crime fiction novelist Walter Mosley about his 1990 novel, Devil in a Blue Dress. The event will include an excerpt reading and live Q&A session from the audience. Produced by Alta as their December 2020 California Book Club selection. Via Zoom.

Persea Press Poetry Reading
Thursday, December 17th, 8:00pm EST
Three accomplished poets, all with new volumes published at Persea Books, will read in a free group reading. Featured poets are: Laura Cronk (Ghost Hour), Kimberly Grey (Systems for the Future of Feeling), and Anne Marie Macari (Heaven Beneath). Via Zoom.

WITS Writer Winter Reading
Thursday, December 17th, 8:30pm EST
Writers in the Schools (WITS) will close out this year in community with their annual WITS Writer Winter Reading, hosted through Literary Arts. This event will feature WITS writers Brian Benson (Going Somewhere), CJ Wiggan, Dey Rivers, Matt Smith, Meg E. Griffitts (Hallucinating a Homestead), Valarie Pearce (Little Dot), and others. Free, via Zoom.

Bruce Wagner in conversation with Sam Wasson
Thursday, December 17th, 9:00pm EST
Novelist and screenwriter Bruce Wagner will discuss his newest book, The Marvel Universe: Origin Stories, with author Sam Wasson (The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood). Free, via Crowdcast.

Show Us Your Spines: Nov/Dec 2020
Thursday, December 17th, 9:00pm EST
Show Us Your Spines is a month-long writer residency and reading in collaboration with RADAR Productions and the San Francisco Public Library’s Hormel Center. This year, the residency went virtual and Queer and Trans BIPOC writers who participated in the November and December iteration of the residency will have a group reading. Featuring Michal ‘MJ’ Jones, Aja Lenae, Endria Richardson, and Pedro Perez. Free, via TWITCH TV. 

Slamlandia: December
Thursday, December 17th, 10:00pm EST
Slamlandia is a poetry open mic and slam hosted by Julia Gaskill that meets every month. For the pandemic, the slam is going virtual. Sign up to watch, read in the open mic, or compete in advance. Free, via Zoom.

‘Houston Eyes, Silver Screens’ Reading Series
Friday, December 18th, 8:00pm EST
Sponsored in part by Poets & Writers, thanks to a grant from the Hearst Foundations, ‘Houston Eyes, Silver Screens’ is a virtual, 3-month-long reading series where writers of color from Houston present original pieces of writing that respond to, critique, and/or transform pop culture. Reyes Ramirez and friends Aliah Lavonne Tigh, Miranda Ramírez, and José Eduardo Sánchez will read. Free.

Homo for the Holigays: Already Felt Volume 1 Launch
Friday, December 18th, 8:00pm EST
already felt is a chapbook/broadside project centering queer and trans Black poets and poets of color curated by Alexis Aceves Garcia, danilo machado and Devyn Mañibo. Contributors Anaïs Duplan (BLACKSPACE: ON THE POETICS OF AN AFROFUTURE), Kemi Alabi (The Echoing Ida Collection), Kyle Carrero Lopez, Omotara James (Daughter Tongue), and Yanyi (The Year of Blue Water) will read in this event to celebrate the launch and reveal of the chapbook’s contents and designs. Free, with registration.

Happy Hour with contributors from Best Women’s Erotica of the Year
Friday, December 18th, 8:00pm EST
Feminist Erotica will host an hourlong virtual chat with the editor and contributors of Best Women’s Erotica of the Year Vol. 6. Featured guests will be the series editor Rachel Kramer Bussel and authors Jeanette Grey, Margot Pierce, Elizabeth SaFleur, Anuja Varghese, and Elia Winters. Free, via Facebook Live.

High Dawn Reading Series: Ross/Smith/Townsend/Topazu/Subset
Friday, December 18th, 9:00pm EST
Small Press Traffic and UC Berkeley Poetry Colloquium present a group reading featuring poetry, prose, and music. Editor and poet Noah Ross (Swell) and artist and writer S*an D. Henry-Smith (Wild Peach) will read, introduced by poet/editor Jamie Townsend (Sex Machines). San Francisco performer Topazu will provide music. Free. Register here.

Literacy Through Poetry: Virtual Poet Laureate Reading and Workshop
Saturday, December 19th, 1:00pm EST
Prince George’s County Poet Laureate, Sistah Joy will host the final Literacy Through Poetry event of 2020 from the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council. This month’s event will feature poet Ann Harding Woodworth (Trouble) and visual artist Kimeko Robinson for an afternoon poetry workshop. Free, via Zoom.

Fictionalizing Your Past — Debby Dodds
Saturday, December 19th, 1:30pm EST
Jolabokaflod PDX, an annual holiday book fair that embraces the Pacific Northwest, will celebrate the Yuletide virtually. Author Debby Dodds (Amish Guys Don’t Call) will discuss her first and second novels, reference other fiction classics and discuss how growing up surrounded by the Amish affected her storytelling. Free, via Youtube.

Soul Sister Revue + WomenWriteBloom Salon and Open Mic
Saturday, December 19th, 3:00pm EST
Soul Sister Revue and Women Writers in Bloom Poetry Salon will host an end of the year online collaboration and virtual potluck on Zoom. Salon Curator JP Howard (SAY/MIRROR) and Soul Sister Revue Curator Cynthia Manick (Blue Hallelujahs) will co-host the event and share writing prompts for later use prior to the group reading. The featured poets for this month are Kamilah Aisha Moon (Starshine & Clay), Yesenia Montilla (The Pink Box), Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie (Layla’s Happiness), Keisha-Gaye Anderson (Everything is Necessary), Freida Jones (The Midnight Ride), and Amanda Johnston (Another Way to Say Enter). The night will end with a multi-genre open mic open to the audience. Free, with donations to support ongoing community programming are welcome. Register here.

City Lights Live! Elif Shafak
Saturday, December 19th, 3:00pm EST
Award-winning novelist Elif Shafak will read from and discuss her new novel, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, for this event hosted by City Lights Booksellers and Publishers. Free, with registration.

Writing YA in a World of Identity, Sexuality, and Violence: How Much is Too Much?
Saturday, December 19th, 4:30pm EST
Five YA novelists, Michaela Thorn (Tooth and Claw), Debby Dodds (Amish Guys Don’t Call), Karen Eisenbrey (Barbar and the Rage Brigade), Kate Ristau (Shadow Girl), and Benjamin Gorman (Don’t Read This Book) will wrestle with how to deal with real life issues with tact in YA fiction these days. Free, via Youtube.

Will Crime Fiction Change? 2020’s Impact on Research Methods
Saturday, December 19th, 7:00pm EST
Crime fiction authors Elle Mitchell (Sweethearts), Robert Dugoni (The Last Agent), and Kim Taylor Blakemore (After Alice Fell) will discuss how the events of 2020 and those forthcoming will have change their research process for upcoming books. As part of Jolabokaflod PDX. Free, via Youtube.

natty roots & rhyme: set. fire.
Saturday, December 19th, 8:00pm EST
Poet, writer, teacher and speaker Natasha Carrizosa (Of Fire and Rain) curates and hosts natty roots & rhyme poetry open mic and slam with a cash prize. Supported in part by Poets & Writers, this virtual event celebrates 11 years of programming. Free, with the event link forthcoming here.

A Virtual Afternoon with Katherine May and Sharon Salzberg
Sunday, December 20th, 2:00pm EST
Books & Books and Miami Book Fair present an afternoon with writer and journalist Katherine May, in a conversation discussing her new book, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. New York Times bestselling author, Sharon Salzberg (Real Change: Mindfulness To Heal Ourselves and the World), will moderate. Free, with donation welcome. Via Crowdcast.

The Year of Publishing Women
Sunday, December 20th, 4:00pm EST
Oregon independent publisher, Not A Pipe Publishing, will discuss their experience with writer and novelist Kamila Shamsie’s challenge to make 2018 “The Year of Publishing Women.” A panel of authors who participated in the challenge will also share their experience and answer audience questions. Free, via Youtube for Jolabokaflod PDX.

How Do Americans Learn to be Americans?
Sunday, December 20th, 5:00pm EST
Poet Kathleen Flenniken (Post Romantic) will explore the messages of patriotism hidden inside some of her childhood memories using poems from her most recent collection, and previous book of poems, Plume. In examining these memories from a disenchanted adult perspective, she hopes to unpack the American experience with grief and her discomfort with the term “patriotism.” As part of Jolabokaflod PDX. Free, via Youtube.

Speculative Sundays Poetry Reading Series
Sunday, December 20th, 7:00pm EST
The Speculative Sundays Poetry Reading Series presents creator Akua Lezli Hope (THEM GONE) for a reading live on Facebook, via Zoom. Access either of those links by reading more here. Free.

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