Lit Boston: What's Happening in February?
In the February 2023 edition of "Best of Boston," we bring you our top Boston lit events this month, taking place virtually and in-person. See below for our list of local literary happenings.
Hourly Comics Day! ft. Karl Stevens, Isabella Rotman, and Raúl the Third
Wednesday, February 1st at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
For Hourly Comics Day 2023, we invite you to grab your art supplies and head to your local Porter Square Books: Boston Edition (50 Liberty Dr. Boston, MA 02210)! We're hosting a panel of comic artists at 7pm on Wednesday, February 1, and you can stop by anytime from open to close (10am-8pm) to draw your hourlies from the comfort of a cozy bookstore by the sea(port). Learn more.
V (formerly Eve Ensler) at Harvard Book Store presenting Reckoning
Thursday, February 2nd at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes V (formerly Eve Ensler)—Tony award-winning author of The Vagina Monologues and The Apology—for a discussion of her new book Reckoning. She will be joined in conversation by DIANE PAULUS—Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Learn more.
Friday, February 3rd at 12:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An Online Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store and the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics welcome SIGAL BEN-PORATH of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania for a discussion of her new book Cancel Wars: How Universities Can Foster Free Speech, Promote Inclusion, and Renew Democracy. Learn more.
Nick Brooks, author of Promise Boys, with Karen McManus
Friday, February 3rd at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is thrilled to welcome Nick Brooks, author of the new YA mystery Promise Boys! Bestselling author Karen McManus will join him in conversation. Learn more.
Friday, February 3rd at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $24.50
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Harvard Library welcome theoretical physicist, author, and host of the Mindscape podcast SEAN CARROLL for a discussion of his new book The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion. Learn more.
Eleanor Shearer at Harvard Book Store presenting River Sing Me Home
Monday, February 6th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes debut author ELEANOR SHEARER for a discussion of her novel River Sing Me Home, which has been named a "Most Anticipated Book of 2023" by Goodreads, AARP, Boston.com, and BookRiot. Learn more.
Virtual Event: Natalie Haynes presents Stone Blind: A Novel
Tuesday, February 7th at 12:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An Online Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes NATALIE HAYNES—author of A Thousand Ships and Pandora’s Jar—for a discussion of her new book Stone Blind: A Novel. Learn more.
Grace Lin and Kate Messner, authors of Once Upon a Book
Tuesday, February 7th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to welcome Newbery, Geisel, and Caldecott honoree Grace Lin and NYT bestselling author Kate Messner for the launch of their latest picture book, Once Upon a Book! Learn more.
Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone, How to Be a (Young) Antiracist
Tuesday, February 7th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to partner with Cambridge Public School Libraries in welcoming Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone for an event on Tuesday, February 7 at 7pm at Temple Beth Shalom (8 Tremont St. Cambridge, MA 02139). The authors will discuss their new book, a young adult adaption of the New York Times bestselling How to be an Antiracist. Following the talk, we'll move into a live Q&A featuring your audience questions. Learn more.
Tuesday, February 7th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An Online Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes author and documentarian DAN LEVITT for a discussion of his new book What's Gotten Into You: The Story of Your Body's Atoms, from the Big Bang Through Last Night's Dinner. He will be joined in conversation by DEBORAH BLUM—Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and director of the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT. Learn more.
Wednesday, February 8th at 5:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An Online Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Harvard Library welcome videomaker and science communicator SIMON CLARK for a discussion of his new book Firmament: The Hidden Science of Weather, Climate Change and the Air That Surrounds Us. He will be joined in conversation by JORDAN HARROD—Ph.D. Candidate in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics at the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program. Learn more.
Rebecca Kaiser Gibson, author of The Promise of a Normal Life, with Robert Pinsky
Wednesday, February 8th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to welcome Rebecca Kaiser Gibson, author of The Promise of a Normal Life, in conversation with Robert Pinsky! Learn more.
Wednesday, February 8th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes IAN F. SVENONIUS—rock and roll musician and author—for a discussion of his new book Against the Written Word: Toward a Universal Illiteracy. Learn more.
Wednesday, February 8th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books: Boston Edition hosts another Open Mic Night! Join us for a night of poetry, stand up comedy, storytelling, and performance. This event is free and open to all. Sign up below or at the door to perform a set of 5-10 minutes, or just come to spectate and cheer everybody on! Learn more.
Thursday, February 9th at 6:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
The return of the Silent Reading Party! You can either BYOB (bring your own book) or buy a book here! We’ll be sitting and reading quietly for an hour, followed by some discussion about what we read. Or not, if you don’t feel like talking! Snacks, refreshments, and excellent book recommendations will be provided. Learn more.
Goldie Taylor at Harvard Book Store presenting The Love You Save: A Memoir
Thursday, February 9th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes celebrated journalist, cable news political analyst, and human rights activist GOLDIE TAYLOR for a discussion of her new memoir The Love You Save. She will be joined in conversation with MIKKI KENDALL—acclaimed author of Hood Feminism. GOLDIE TAYLOR will sign copies of The Love You Save pre-ordered from Harvard Book Store before February 8th. Learn more.
Friday, February 10th at 5:30pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An Online Event by GrubStreet
What's more satisfying than leaving work behind on a Friday evening? Rounding out the week with a free virtual writing session, of course! Maximize that Friday night feeling and kick off your writing weekend with us online! Join us for a Friday Night Writes Session on Friday, February 10th, from 5:30pm-6:30pm and log into GrubStreet Online for some writing! In 60 jam-packed minutes, you’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some great writing exercises. Learn more.
Friday, February 10th at 6:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by GrubStreet
Spend an evening submitting work in any genre, talking about submitting work, thinking about where to publish your work, answering your questions about submitting work, and then submitting more of your own work. Feel free to have a dinner, a drink, or both during the session! Drop in when it’s convenient for you, bring your polished pieces and get ready to make this boring, lonely, secretarial task into a party. No workshopping, no revision, just submitting all your finished pieces so they are all out at magazines you admire. Elizabeth is happy to answer your questions, talk about simultaneous submissions, or just let you watch her submit her work online. All pre-registered particpants will recieve one free drink (from a list of selections) and snacks from our brand new Cafe, Fabulist! Porter Square Books will be open during the event as well, so feel free to browse in between your submissions! Learn more.
Friday, February 10th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes JARVIS R. GIVENS—assistant professor of education and African & African American studies at Harvard University—for a discussion of his books School Clothes: A Collective Memoir of Black Student Witness and Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching. Learn more.
Tsitsi Dangarembga at Harvard Book Store presenting Black and Female: Essays
Monday, February 13th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes TSITSI DANGAREMBGA— filmmaker, playwright, and acclaimed author of This Mournable Body—for a discussion of her new essay collection Black and Female. Learn more.
Fatin Abbas at Harvard Book Store presenting Ghost Season: A Novel
Tuesday, February 14th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes FATIN ABBAS—award-winning fiction writer and Harvard University graduate—for a discussion of her debut novel Ghost Season. She will be joined in conversation by NOVUYO ROSA TSHUMA—award-winning author of House of Stone. Learn more.
Elizabeth (Dori) Tunstall presents Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook
Wednesday, February 15th at 6:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An Online Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes ELIZABETH (DORI) TUNSTALL—Dean of Design at Ontario College of Art and Design University—for a discussion of her new book Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook. Learn more.
Tell-All Boston Presents: Readings on Love
Wednesday, February 15th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Tell-All Boston, GrubStreet, and Porter Square Books (Cambridge, MA)
Join us on February 15—the day after Valentine’s Day—for an evening celebrating writing on love, in all its forms. The evening’s program will feature work from five writers, including editor Alexander Chee and contributor Aube Rey Lescure of The Best American Essays 2022. Learn more.
Thursday, February 16th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes MARY CALVI—12-time New York Emmy award-winning journalist and anchor—for a discussion of her new book If a Poem Could Live and Breathe: A Novel of Teddy Roosevelt's First Love. She will be joined in conversation by PAULA EBBEN—Peabody award-winning anchor for WBZ-TV. Learn more.
Haley Neil, author of Planning Perfect, with David Valdes
Thursday, February 16th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is thrilled to welcome Haley Neil, author of Planning Perfect, for an event in conversation with David Valdes! Learn more.
Annalee Newitz at Harvard Book Store presenting The Terraformers
Friday, February 17th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes ANNALEE NEWITZ—award-winning author of Autonomous and Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction—for a discussion of their new book The Terraformers. They will be joined in conversation by CHARLES MANN— three-time National Magazine Award finalist and author of 1491. Learn more.
Writers in Residence Welcome Reading 2023
Friday, February 17th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Join Porter Square Books to welcome our 2023 Writers in Residence Meghan Strapec and Pia Owens as they read selections from their works in progress! Learn more.
Katee Robert presents Radiant Sin
Saturday, February 18th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An Online Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes KATEE ROBERT—New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author—for a discussion of the fourth book in her Dark Olympus series, Radiant Sin. She will be joined in conversation by director of the Ashland Public Library and lifelong reader of romance, MEENA JAIN. Learn more.
Monday, February 20th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes MEGAN BUSKEY—contributor to The Atlantic, The New Republic, and NPR’s All Things Considered—for a discussion of her new book Ukraine is Not Dead Yet: A Family Story of Exile and Return. She will be joined in conversation by EMILY CHANNELL-JUSTICE—Director of the Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program at the Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University. Learn more.
Tuesday, February 21st at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes lawyer and historian CHRISTOPHER GORHAM for a discussion of his new book The Confidante: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Helped Win WWII and Shape Modern America. He will be joined in conversation by LISA MULLINS—host of All Things Considered on WBUR. Learn more.
Jonathan Wilson, author of The Red Balcony, in conversation with Ravit Reichman
Tuesday, February 21st at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is happy to welcome Jonathan Wilson, author of The Red Balcony! Brown University English Professor Ravit Reichman will join him in conversation. Learn more.
Tuesday, February 21st at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books and GrubStreet are delighted to present the latest installment of the Grubbie Debut series featuring Boyah J. Farah, author of America Made Me a Black Man, in conversation with GrubStreet executive director Eve Bridburg. Learn more.
Novel Immersive for LGBTQ+ Writers Open House & Info Session
Wednesday, February 22nd at 6:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An Online Event by GrubStreet
Thinking of applying to the Novel Immersive for LGBTQ+ Writers? GrubStreet will host an online Q&A session with instructor Milo Todd on Wednesday, February 22nd, from 6:00-7:00p.m. Milo will answer any questions you have about the Novel Immersive, including the workload, the application process, what the program does and doesn’t entail, the schedule, the philosophy behind our approach, and anything else you have on your mind! Please note that the upcoming round of the Novel Immersive for LGBTQ+ Writers, which begins in June 2023, will take place online via Zoom. Learn more.
Wednesday, February 22nd at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes NAOMI ORESKES—author and Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University—for a discussion of her new book The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market. Learn more.
Amy Spalding, author of For Her Consideration, with Margaret H. Willison
Wednesday, February 22nd at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is thrilled to welcome Amy Spalding, author of For Her Consideration, for an event in conversation with Margaret H. Willison! Learn more.
Harold McGee Presents Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells
Thursday, February 23rd at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
A Online Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Harvard Library welcome HAROLD MCGEE—noted food writer and author of On Food and Cooking—for a discussion of his new book Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells. Learn more.
Mai Nardone at Harvard Book Store presenting Welcome Me to the Kingdom
Thursday, February 23rd at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes author MAI NARDONE for a discussion of his debut story collection Welcome Me to the Kingdom. He will be joined in conversation by MENG JIN—author of Little Gods and Self-Portrait with Ghost. Learn more.
Friday, February 24th at 5:30pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by GrubStreet
Looking to add some creativity to your day? Want to meet other local writers and get started on some new writing? Join us for our next Seaport Free Writes session on Friday, February 24th, from 5:30pm-6:30pm. You’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some frighteningly fresh writing exercises. Best of all, you’ll leave with some new ideas to ponder for the rest of your day and beyond. Please note that you must register ahead of time to attend this session. Learn more.
Paul Harding at Harvard Book Store presenting This Other Eden
Friday, February 24th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Paul Harding—Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Tinkers—for a discussion of his latest novel This Other Eden. Learn more.
Rupert Holmes at Harvard Book Store presenting Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide
Monday, February 27th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes RUPERT HOLMES, writer of the Tony Award–winning Best Musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, for a discussion of his new book Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide. Learn more.
Monday, February 27th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Please join us for the new Porter Square Books Book Club, led by bookseller Wendy! We'll meet on the fourth Monday of every month at 7pm at Porter Square Books in Cambridge (25 White St. Cambridge, MA 02140). For details on this month's book pick, visit this page, and to participate in an ongoing online discussion and see what other members have to say, visit this page! Learn more.
Tuesday, February 28th at 7:00pm (EST) | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store and The Emancipator welcome ERNEST OWENS—President of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists and host of the "Ernestly Speaking!" podcast—for a discussion of his new book The Case for Cancel Culture: How This Democratic Tool Works to Liberate Us All. He will be joined in conversation by Deborah Douglas—co-editor in chief of The Emancipator. Learn more.
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