Your Week in Virtual Book Events, Nov. 30th to Dec. 6th

Zong! Global 2020
Monday, November 30th – Wednesday, December 9th
M. NourbeSe Philip presents the first online global iteration of the annual durational reading of Zong!, her acclaimed book-length poem from November 30th, 2020 to December 9th, 2020. The 10-day durational reading commemorates the massacre of some 150 enslaved Africans, which began on November 29th, 1781 and continued for the following 10 days. In its eighth year of production, there will be pre-recorded readings/collective performances of the text, interspersed by 3 live simultaneous collective readings. Free, register here.

New and Noted: Jodi Kantor
Monday, November 30, All-day
Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Jodi Kantor (She Said) will lead a virtual lecture on investigative journalism and the #MeToo movement for the Pittsburgh Arts & Lecture series. Kristy Trautmann, founder of Southwest PA Says No More, will moderate a conversation following the lecture. Tickets for this event are $10 and can be reserved here.

Brooklyn Poets Workshop Showcase
Monday, November 30th, 7:00pm EST
The Brooklyn Poets Workshop series culminates their fall session with a group reading celebrating the work of students and faculty. Featured faculty Jay Deshpande (Love the Stranger), Natalie Eilbert (Indictus), Ariel Francisco (A Sinking Ship is Still a Ship), Xandria Phillips (HULL), and students Leo Aquino, Maghan Baptiste, Eunha Choi, Oli Rodriguez and more will read. Free, via Zoom.

Creative Conversations: Anuradha Roy
Monday, November 30th, 8:00pm EST
Creative Conversations, programmed by the University of Glasgow Creative Writing Programme, welcomes award-winning novelist Anuradha Roy (All the Lives We Never Lived)  in conversation. Free, with registration.

The Stars at Night: Constellations
Monday, November 30th, 8:00pm EST
The editors and staff of American Short Fiction will honor authors, emerging writers, and community leaders in this fall virtual celebration. The Stars at Night 2020 Honorees include Jamaica Kincaid (See Now Then), C Pam Zhang (How Much of These Hills Is Gold), Charlotte Gullick (By Way of Water), and Selena Anderson. Free, with donations welcome. Via Crowdcast.

Together in a Sudden Strangeness
Monday, November 30th, 10:00pm EST
Editor Alice Quinn is joined by contributors to the anthology, Together in a Sudden Strangeness: America’s Poets Respond to the Pandemic, for a virtual reading hosted by Point Reyes Books. Readers include: Forrest Gander (Be With), Brenda Hillman (Extra Hidden Life, Among the Days), Dean Rader (Self-Portrait as Wikipedia Entry), Tess Taylor (Rift Zone), Noah Warren (The Destroyer in the Glass), Jenny Xie (Eye Level), and Matthew Zapruder (Father’s Day). Free, via Crowdcast.

Writing the Virus
Monday, November 30th, 10:30pm EST
Book Passage will host this group reading with contributors of the new anthology, Writing the Virus, exploring the human effects of the pandemic. Caille Millner (The Golden Road: Notes on My Gentrification), Jon Roemer, and David Dario Winner (Tyler’s Last) will read. The event will be moderated by Oscar Villalon, managing editor of Zyzzyva. Free, via Zoom.

Panel Book Discussion — Trans Care: A Critical Conversation
Tuesday, December 1st, 4:00pm EST
A panel of leading scholars on Trans and queer studies will discuss the recently published book, Trans Care, by Hil Malatino. Joining Malatino on the panel will be Jules Gill-Peterson (Histories of the Transgender Child) and Ann Cvetkovich (Depression: A Public Feeling). Free. Register here.

Tracy K. Smith and Kevin Young: The African American Poetic Tradition
Tuesday, December 1st, 5:00pm EST
Poets Tracy K. Smith (Wade in the Water) and Kevin Young (Brown) discuss the African American poetic tradition and read from their own works as well as other poets who are featured in the recently released African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song. Free, via Crowdcast.

Naima Coster and Leesa Cross-Smith In Conversation
Tuesday, December 1st, 6:00pm EST
Acclaimed novelists Naima Coster (What’s Mine and Yours) and Leesa Cross-Smith (This Close to Okay) join in conversation with Grand Central Publishing editor Seema Mahanian to discuss their forthcoming titles. Free. Via Crowdcast.

A Room with a View: Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore and Jordy Rosenberg
Tuesday, December 1st, 6:00pm EST
BOMB Magazine celebrates the forthcoming release of Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s new book, The Freezer Door. The evening will be hosted by author Jordy Rosenberg (Confessions of the Fox). Free, with registration. 

Getting to Center: Marlee Grace in conversation with Sarah Faith Gottesdiener
Tuesday, December 1st, 7:30pm EST
Charis Books celebrates Marlee Grace’s anticipated collection, Getting to Center: Pathways to Finding Yourself Within the Great Unknown. She will be joined in conversation by Sarah Faith Gottesdiener (The Moon Book: Lunar Magic to Change Your Life). Free. Register here.

Small Press Showcase: Athena Dixon, Meghan Phillips, and Jihyun Yun
Tuesday, December 1st, 8:00pm EST
Three writers from the world of independent small presses, Athena Dixon (The Incredible Shrinking Woman), Meghan Phillips (Abstinence Only), and Jihyun Yun (SOME ARE ALWAYS HUNGRY), will read. Free, via Crowdcast.

In Conversation: Philippa Gregory
Wednesday, December 2nd, 12:00pm EST
Writer and broadcaster Tara Henley will join in discussion with NYT-bestselling author Philippa Gregory about her new historical novel Dark Tides. Free, via Crowdcast.

KGB Bar Homecoming Festival: Jennifer Egan, Victoria Redel, Ben Schrank
Wednesday, December 2nd, 7:00pm EST
KGB Bar Lit Series former readers, Jennifer Egan (Manhattan Beach), Victoria Redel (Before Everything), and Ben Schrank (Love Is a Canoe), read their acclaimed and current work to raise funds to keep landmark KGB Bar alive, post-pandemic and beyond. Tickets start at $12 for students and $18 for general admission. Reserve a ticket here.

God Save the Queen Diva! Big Freedia in conversation with TAYLOR ALXNDR
Wednesday, December 2nd, 7:30pm EST
Charis Books welcomes the Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia in conversation with Southern Fried Queer Pride’s TAYLOR ALXNDR, for the paperback release of Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva! Co-sponsored by Southern Fried Queer Pride (SFQP) and the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History. Free. Via Crowdcast.

Launch Your Laptop Into the Sun with Samantha Irby and Megan Stielstra
Wednesday, December 2nd, 8:00pm EST
Hosted by the Black Mountain Institute, essayists Samantha Irby (Wow, No Thank You) and Megan Stielstra (The Wrong Way To Save Your Life) will discuss what it means to tell stories in this time and of this time. Free, with registration.

The Office of Historical Corrections
Wednesday, December 2nd, 8:00pm EST
For the Wisconsin Book Festival, award-winning author Danielle Evans will appear live on Crowdcast to discuss her newest book, The Office of Historical Corrections. Free. Reserve a spot here.

The Harry Belafonte Black Liberation Speaker Series: Bryan Washington with Vinson Cunningham
Wednesday, December 2nd, 8:00pm EST
In this event hosted by the New York Public Library, acclaimed writer Bryan Washington (Memorial) discusses the complications of love and family with The New Yorker staff writer Vinson Cunningham. Free. Register here.

Mei-mei Berssenbrugge and Simone White
Wednesday, December 2nd, 8:00pm EST
The Poetry Project brings poets Mei-mei Berssenbrugge (A Treatise on Stars) and Simone White (Dear Angel of Death) for a reading of writing that carries data and desire of intimate connection between public and private selves and across the space between. Free, with registration.

Skylit: Felicia Luna Lemus and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore in Conversation
Wednesday, December 2nd, 9:30pm EST
Authors Felicia Luna Lemus (Particulate Matter) and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (The Freezer Door) join Skylight Books in conversation about their new books. Free, live on Crowdcast.

Bookshop Santa Cruz Presents: Sherry Smith
Wednesday, December 2nd, 10:00pm EST
Professor of history, Sherry Smith, is joined in conversation with Geoffrey Dunn to talk about Smith’s new book, Bohemians West: Free Love, Family, and Radicals in Twentieth Century America, a historical biography of a radical relationship at the dawn of the 20th Century. Free, with suggested donation. Via Crowdcast.

SAL and CD Forum Present: Black Futures with Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham
Wednesday, December 2nd, 10:30pm EST
Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) and the Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas (CD) present co-editors Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham in conversation about their highly anticipated book, Black Futures. Tickets are tiered on a pay-what-you-can pricing model. They can be reserved here.

Big Freedia in Conversation with Faylita Hicks
Thursday, December 3rd, 1:00pm EST
In celebration of the paperback of Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva! Bookwoman Austin presents Big Freedia in conversation with writer Faylita Hicks (HoodWitch). Free, via Instagram Live.

The Queer Body: A Poetry Reading and Discussion
Thursday, December 3rd, 2:00pm EST
As part of the Dublin Book Festival, Sasha de Buyl, director of the Cúirt International Festival of Literature, will lead a discussion between poets Seán Hewitt (Tongues of Fire), Liz Quirke (How We Arrive in Winter), and Mark Ward (Carcass) on the ins and outs of the queer body in their own work and in the work of others. Free, live on Crowdcast.

Go Ahead in the Rain: Reading and Remixes
Thursday, December 3rd, 2:30pm EST
From The Institute of Black Intellectual Innovation’s Innovative Art Futures Conference, Hanif Abdurraqib will read from and discuss Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest, a New York Times Bestseller and finalist for the Kirkus Prize. Students in Hip Hop Culture will read essays written in response to the book. Free, via Zoom.

Lunch Poems: Yusef Komunyakaa
Thursday, December 3rd, 3:00pm EST
UC Berkeley will host this reading featuring the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Yusef Komunyakaa (Night Animals). Free, via Zoom.

Black CENTER: A Reading
Thursday, December 3rd, 5:30pm EST
The Institute of Black Intellectual Innovation at California State University, Fullerton presents a group reading of poetry from ENG 306 students and featured poets: Ashaki Jackson (Language Lesson), Nandi Comer (Tapping Out), Keith Wilson (Fieldnotes on Ordinary Love), Joy Priest (HORSEPOWER), Phillip B. Williams (Thief in the Interior), Luther Hughes (Touched), t’ai freedom ford (& more black), Rio Cortez (I Have Learned to Define a Field as a Space Between Mountains), Tommye Blount (Fantasia for the Man in Blue), and Nabila Lovelace (Sons of Achilles). Free, via Zoom.

Billy Collins: Virtual Poetry Reading and Conversation
Thursday, December 3rd, 6:00pm EST
Hosted by the Harry Ransom Center, poet Billy Collins will read from his new collection Whale Day and discuss his poetry with Ransom Center Director Stephen Enniss. Tune in via Facebook Live.

The Center for Fiction presents: The First Novel Fête
Thursday, December 3rd, 6:30pm EST
The Center for Fiction will host “The First Novel Fête,” a virtual celebratory cocktail hour preceding their Annual Awards Benefit. The Fête will celebrate the seven First Novel Prize finalists, including Amina Cain (Indelicacy), Maisy Card (These Ghosts Are Family), Hilary Leichter (Temporary), Raven Leilani (Luster), Corey Sobel (The Redshirt), Douglas Stuart (Shuggie Bain) and C Pam Zhang (How Much of These Hills Is Gold). The winner will be announced at The Center For Fiction’s Annual Awards Benefit, which will directly follow the Fête. The party will feature excerpt readings from some of NYC’s finest actors including Marin Ireland, Leon Addison Brown, Eisa Davis and Morgan Christie as well as a chance to participate in live literary trivia games. Free, but a donation of at least $20 is suggested to benefit KidsRead/KidsWrite. Register here.

Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham in conversation with Camonghne Felix
Thursday, December 3rd, 7:00pm EST
Hosted virtually by Sixth & I, writer Kimberly Drew and podcast host Jenna Wortham will join in discussion with poet and political strategist, Camonghne Felix (Build Yourself a Boat) in celebration of their forthcoming book of Black art, Black Futures. There are a limited quantity of free tickets for those in financial need. General admission begins at $12. Register here.

2020: Writing in an Age of Crisis, with Jericho Brown
Thursday, December 3rd, 7:00pm EST
As part of a new series on craft, “The Yale Review Talks,” 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winner, Jericho Brown, will read and talk about the craft of writing poetry and his current work with Meghan O’Rourke, editor of The Yale Review, and Roger Reeves, senior editor. The event is co-sponsored by Beinecke Library and the Yale English Department. Free, via Zoom. Register here.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies: A Virtual Evening with Deesha Philyaw and Samantha Irby
Thursday, December 3rd, 7:00pm EST
Books & Books and Miami Book Fair presents an evening with writer Deesha Philyaw as she presents her new book, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, in conversation with essayist Samantha Irby (Wow, No Thank You). Free, via Crowdcast.

The Center for Fiction Annual Awards Benefit
Thursday, December 3rd, 7:30pm EST
The Center For Fiction will host their Annual Awards Benefit virtually this year. The night will honor screenwriter, James McBride, and Executive Vice President of Nonfiction Programming for Showtime Networks, Vinnie Malhotra for “The Good Lord Bird” and Chris Jackson, Publisher & Editor-In-Chief of One World, a newly relaunched imprint of Random House. Actor and writer Ethan Hawke and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates will serve as presenters with additional appearances by Lena Waithe, Lucy Boynton and more to be announced. The night will be emceed by actor, comedian and writer Yvonne Orji. Free, with registration.

Lyric Relation with Jos Charles
Thursday, December 3rd, 8:00pm EST
Author Jos Charles (feeld) presents a lecture on Édouard Glissant, literary encounter, and lyric relation. Hosted by The Poetry Project. Free. Register here.

Virtual Author Conversation: Halley Sutton and Layne Fargo
Thursday, December 3rd, 8:00pm EST
Women & Children First welcomes Halley Sutton (The Lady Upstairs) and Layne Fargo (They Never Learn) for a virtual author reading and conversation. Free, via Crowdcast.

City Lights Live! Derek McCormack and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
Thursday, December 3rd, 9:00pm EST
To celebrate the release of two novels, City Lights Booksellers welcomes Derek McCormack (Castle Faggot) and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (The Freezer Door) for a reading. Free, with registration.

Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Elena Passarello
Thursday, December 3rd, 10:00pm EST
Poet and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Elena Passarello will be in conversation about Aimee’s new book, World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments. Free, via Crowdcast.

Author Voices: Kiley Reid
Thursday, December 3rd, 10:30pm EST
The King County Library System welcomes Kiley Reid (Such a Fun Age) in a conversation moderated by Helena Stephens, Initiatives and Equity Manager for the City of Bellevue/Parks & Community Services. Free. Register here.

Saidiya Hartman: Remote Guest Lecture
Friday, December 4th, 3:00pm EST
UC San Diego Visual Arts welcomes scholar of African American literature and cultural historian Saidiya Hartman (Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments) for a remote guest lecture. Free, with registration.

EX LIBRIS: Alexander Chee
Friday, December 4th, 5:30pm EST
Providence Athenæum will host acclaimed novelist Alexander Chee (How to Write an Autobiographical Novel) in conversation on how we form our identities in life and in art for EX LIBRIS. Free, via Zoom.

Launch Party! In the Shadow of the Mic: 3 Decades of Slam Poetry in Pittsburgh
Friday, December 4th, 7:00pm EST
White Whale Bookstore hosts a launch party for In the Shadow of the Mic: Three Decades of Slam Poetry in Pittsburgh. Editors Adriana E. Ramírez (The Swallows) and Jesse Welch will speak as well as a reading by slam poets Lexi Rafael, Kizza, and Kelli Stevens Kane (Hallelujah Science). Free, with registration.

Songs at the Confluence: Indigenous Poets on Place
Friday, December 4th, 7:00pm EST
Tippet Rise Art Center and The Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation in partnership with In-Na-Po presents an evening of short films and poetry from the recently released When The Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry. Readers will include Kimberly Blaeser (Copper Yearning), Jake Skeets (Eyes Bottled Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers), Brandy Nalani McDougall (Finding Meaning: kaona and Contemporary Hawaiian Literature), Sy Hoahwah (Night Cradle), Layli Long Soldier (WHEREAS), and M.L. Smoker (Another Attempt at Rescue). Poets by the late Adrian Louis and Louis Little Coon Oliver will also be performed. Free, via Crowdcast.

LHUCA Literary Reading Series featuring Joy Priest
Friday, December 4th, 8:30pm EST
The Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts presents a reading series devoted to conversations around the sociopolitical power of literature with a reading from author Joy Priest (HORSEPOWER). The event will be opened by a briefe reading from Emma Aylor and Kit Aldridge, an undergraduate and a graduate student from Texas Tech University. Free, via Zoom.

Word Works: Porochista Khakpour on Writing Toward and Against Identity
Friday, December 4th, 9:00pm EST
Hosted by Hugo House, novelist Porochista Khakpour (The Last Illusion) will give a digital lecture that explores the ways the personal essay can be instrumental in examining the self. Following the talk, Khakpour will be interviewed by Anne Liu Kellor (Heart Radical). General admission is $15 with discounted ticket options for members, students, and attendees with financial need. Purchase a ticket here.

Audre Lorde: Women of Color and Systems of Health
Saturday, December 5th, 2:30pm EST
Facilitated by Sherese Francis (Lucy’s Bone Scrolls), this event is part of a Reading and Discussion series that takes a deeper look into the work of Audre Lorde and her view of language and storytelling as powerful technologies for self-empowerment. Saturday’s event will include reading excerpts from The Cancer Journals to discuss how women of color create their own spaces for self-care, often within neglectful and dehumanizing health care systems. Free. Register here.

Breaking Piñata Theory Book Tour: Alan Chazaro, Kim Sousa, Malcolm Friend
Saturday, December 5th, 7:00pm EST
White Whale Bookstore will host a virtual book party to celebrate Alan Chazaro’s latest poetry collection, Piñata Theory. He’ll be joined by poets Malcolm Friend (Our Bruises Kept Singing Purple) and Kim Sousa. Free, via Zoom.

Words of Revolution; Words of Solace: 10 Writers of Today Read From Texts That Light The Way
Saturday, December 5th, 7:00pm EST
Philadelphia’s premier literary nonprofit, Blue Stoop, will host this special benefit event to support writers, foster creativity and build an inclusive literary community. The event will feature readings from 10 of the most exciting voices writing in and around Philly today: Brittney Cooper (Eloquent Rage), Myriam Gurba (Letter to a Bigot), Anne Ishii, Airea D. Matthews (Simulacra), Trapeta Mayson (She Was Once Herself), Kiley Reid (Such a Fun Age), Nikil Saval, Eric Smith (Black Hole Factory), Amber Sparks (And I Do Not Forgive You), and Elissa Washuta (White Magic). Tickets for the event start at $20 and can be purchased here.

Envisioning Black Futures
Saturday, December 5th, 7:30pm EST
Charis Books welcomes co-editors Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham and contributors Donovan X. Ramsey and Tone Johnson, for a conversation moderated by curator Theo Tyson in celebration of the release of Black Futures. Free, via Crowdcast.

An Afternoon of Poetry: Readings by Cave Canem Poets, featuring Evie Shockley and Steven Leyva
Sunday, December 6th, 2:00pm EST
Presented in partnership with CityLit Project and Enoch Pratt Free Library, local Maryland Cave Canem poets will read with feature readings from poets Steven Leyva (The Understudy’s Handbook) and Evie Shockley (semiautomatic). Free, via Zoom and Facebook Live. Register here.

Black Bottom Saints with Alice Randall Holiday Special
Sunday, December 6th, 6:00pm EST
Source Booksellers will host a celebration of the novel Black Bottom Saints with NYT Bestselling author Alice Randall. The Double Strained Collective of Detroit will join the event with a holiday cocktail recipe. Free, with registration.

Skylit: A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers, with Laurie Penny
Sunday, December 6th, 7:00pm EST
Skylit Books welcomes writer Chelsea G. Summers who will discuss her debut book, A Certain Hunger, with journalist and author Laurie Penny (Bitch Doctrine). Free, via Crowdcast.

Conversations with Authors – Zeyn Joukhadar
Sunday, December 6th, 7:00pm EST
Author Zeyn Joukhadar (The Thirty Names of Night) will join in conversation with playwright and author Catherine Hernandez (Scarborough) for this event hosted by Book Passage. Free. Register here.

Midwest Writers Virtual Holiday Potluck
Sunday, December 6th, 8:30pm EST
Prairie Lights Virtual kicks off the holiday season with a digital potluck with Midwestern authors who have released books in the past year. The event will feature short readings, hilarious banter, and recipes that the authors would share at a non-disaster-era holiday party. Featuring writers Rachel Mans McKenny (The Butterfly Effect), Lyz Lenz (Belabored), Amber Sparks (And I Do Not Forgive You), Denise Williams (How to Fail at Flirting), Mia Mercado (Weird but Normal), and Riane Konc (Build Your Own Christmas Movie Romance.) Free, via Zoom.

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