GrubWrites

Lit Boston: What's Happening in September?

In the September 2020 edition of "Best of Boston," we bring you our top Boston lit events this month, taking place virtually. See below for our list of local literary happenings.

Virtual Event: Henri Cole

Tuesday, September 1st at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0 ($3 contribution suggested)

A Virtual Event by Harvard Book Store

Join Harvard Book Store in welcoming acclaimed poet Henri Cole — author of the award-winning poetry collections Touch and Nothing to Declare — for a discussion of his latest collection, Blizzard. He will be joined in conversation by Hannah Aizeman, poetry coordinator at The New Yorker. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Yolande Strengers and Jenny Kennedy Launch

Tuesday, September 1st at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Belmont Books

Join Belmont Books for the launch of The Smart Wife: Why Siri, Alexa, and Other Smart Home Devices Need a Feminist Reboot with authors Yolande Strengers and Jenny Kennedy. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Flamer Launch Event with Mike Curato and Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Tuesday, September 1st at 7:30 PM | Event Fee: $18 - $26 (signed, personalized book and art print included)

A Virtual Event by Brookline Booksmith

Take your seat around the (virtual) fire for an exclusive Campfire Chat with Mike Curato and Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Hey, Kiddo) to launch Mike's debut graphic novel, Flamer. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Michael Schrage

Wednesday, September 2nd at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Belmont Books

Join Belmont Books for a virtual event with Michael Schrage. He will be discussing his new book, Recommendation Engines. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Fatima Bhutto

Wednesday, September 2nd at 5:00 PM | Event Fee: $0 ($3 contribution suggested)

A Virtual Event by Harvard Book Store

Join Harvard Book Store in welcoming Fatima Bhutto — author of the novel The Shadow of the Crescent Moon and the widely acclaimed memoir Songs of Blood and Sword — for a discussion of her latest novel, The Runaways. She will be joined in conversation by Lisa Lucas, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Amanda Foody with Christine Lynn Herman and Rory Power

Wednesday, September 2nd at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0 - $29

A Virtual Event by Brookline Booksmith

Join Amanda Foody, Christine Lynn Herman and Rory Power to launch Queen of Volts with Brookline Booksmith. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Margaret Atwood

Thursday, September 3rd at 5:00 PM | Event Fee: $21 (signed book included)

A Virtual Event by Harvard Book Store

Join Harvard Book Store in welcoming award–winning author Margaret Atwood for the paperback release of her Booker Prize–winning follow-up to The Handmaid's Tale, The Testaments: A Novel. She will be joined in conversation by Carmen Maria Machado, author of the widely acclaimed Her Body and Other Parties and In the Dream House: A Memoir. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Robert Cocuzzo in conversation with Jan Saragoni

Thursday, September 3rd at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Belmont Books

Join Belmont Books for a virtual event with Robert Cocuzzo. He will be discussing his book The Road to San Donato, in conversation with Jan Saragoni. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Megan Margulies

Thursday, September 3rd at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0 ($3 contribution suggested)

A Virtual Event by Harvard Book Store

Join Harvard Book Store in welcoming writer Megan Margulies for a discussion of her debut memoir, My Captain America: A Granddaughter's Memoir of a Legendary Comic Book Artist. She will be joined in conversation by author and comics expert Hillary Chute, author of Why Comics? From Underground to Everywhere. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Kim Adrian and Alden Jones

Thursday, September 3rd at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Brookline Booksmith

Join authors Kim Adrian and Alden Jones as they discuss their new work with Brookline Booksmith. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Vanessa Díaz

Friday, September 4th at 12:00 PM | Event Fee: $0 ($3 contribution suggested)

A Virtual Event by Harvard Book Store

Join Harvard Book Store in welcoming Vanessa Díaz — journalist, multimedia ethnographer, and assistant professor in the Department of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Loyola Marymount University — for a discussion of her book Manufacturing Celebrity: Latino Paparazzi and Women Reporters in Hollywood. She will be joined in conversation by Jonathan Rosa, Associate Professor of Education, Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies at Stanford University. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Rita Colwell

Friday, September 4th at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0 ($3 contribution suggested)

A Virtual Event by Harvard Book Store

Join Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Harvard Library in welcoming Rita Colwell — pioneering microbiologist and former director of the National Science Foundation — for a discussion of her book A Lab of One's Own: One Woman's Personal Journey Through Sexism in Science. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: 2020 Festival of Books Presents Joyce Carol Oates

Sunday, September 6th at 4:30 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Spencertown Academy Arts Center

Join Spencertown Academy in celebrating Joyce Carol Oates’s new tour-de-force novel Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars, in conversation with author Daphne Kalotay. RSVP here. (Check out their annual event Festival of Books Program 2020 here.)

Virtual Event: Jane Yolen Launch with Heidi Stemple

Tuesday, September 8th at 6:30 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Belmont Books

Join Belmont Books for the launch of Jane Yolen's new book, Plymouth Rocks!: The Stone-Cold Truth. She will be in conversation with her daughter Heidi Stemple. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Kerri Arsenault in conversation with Elizabeth Rush

Wednesday, September 9th at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Belmont Books

Join Belmont Books for a night of fascinating conversation in which author Kerri Arsenault and Elizabeth Rush will be talking about communities living on the periphery of environmental degradation. RSVP here.

Walking and Talking with Myself: Alden Jones and Cheryl Strayed on Memoir Writing

Wednesday, September 9th at 7:30 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by The Center for Fiction

Join authors Alden Jones (The Wanting Was a Wilderness) and Cheryl Strayed (Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Trail) as they discuss the art of memoir writing and why reading about the lives of others can bring our own personal struggles into focus. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Translating Spanish with Sophie Hughes and Megan McDowell, in conversation with Alejandra Oliva

Thursday, September 10th at 5:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Brookline Booksmith

The Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith welcomes two prominent Spanish translators, Sophie Hughes and Megan McDowell, to discuss their work and their recent translations. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Elizabeth Segran in conversation with Meredith Goldstein

Thursday, September 10th at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Belmont Books

Join Belmont Books for a great conversation between Elizabeth Segran, author of How Your Twenties Launch the Rest of Your Life, and Meredith Goldstein, author of Can't Help Myself. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Salem Lit Fest 2020

Thursday, September 10th through Sunday, September 13th | Event Fee: $0 ($5 - $20 suggested donation)

A Virtual Event by Salem Lit Fest

The eleventh Salem Literary Festival will be presented online from September 10th-13th, 2020. While an in-person festival wasn't in the books this year, the line up of almost 50 award-winning and best-selling authors will be better than ever. RSVP here.

WDtS Mattapan: The Dynamics of Dialogue (Remote)

Saturday, September 12th from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM | Workshop Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by GrubStreet

As part of GrubStreet's Write Down the Street community program, writers based near the Egleston or Mattapan Branches of the Boston Public Library can take this free drop-in class. In this remote class we’ll examine samples of dialogue and discuss what does and doesn’t work, share our own experiences with writing dialogue, and consider popular lists of “do’s” and “don’ts” when trying to write effective dialogue and the pieces of advice from popular authors. Learn more and register here.

Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP): FREE Saturday Sessions for Teens

Saturday, September 12th from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM | Workshop Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by GrubStreet

Learn how authors approach writing about animals in both fiction and nonfiction, and address some of the common questions that come up when writing about non-humans; explore two genres of nonfiction: the memoir and personal essay while learning how to get over our fear of writing about the self; or discuss the two most important elements of novel writing: plot and character while covering tips on the writing life: everything from how to finish your novel to what it takes to get published. Learn more and register here.

Virtual Event: The Effects of War on Artistic Collaborations Between Iraqi & U.S. Women Writers

Sunday, September 13th at 2:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Her Story Is and Jennifer Jean

Her Story Is will present a panel discussion at which poets, playwrights, and scholars share their experiences working cross-culturally through translators on creative and academic projects. In addition, scholars on the panel will use feminist methodologies to explore questions regarding the challenge of translating across culture, conflict, and geography and the value of building connections and collaboratively developing literature among women from former enemy nations. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Peace Adzo Medie

Monday, September 14th at 5:00 PM | Event Fee: $0 ($3 contribution suggested)

A Virtual Event by Harvard Book Store and GrubStreet

Harvard Book Store's virtual event series and GrubStreet welcome Peace Adzo Medie—author of Global Norms and Local Action: The Campaigns to End Violence Against Women in Africa—for a discussion of her debut novel, His Only Wife. She will be joined in conversation by acclaimed writer Wayétu Moore, author of She Would Be King: A Novel and The Dragons, The Giant, The Women: A Memoir. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Kerri Arsenault and Jaed Coffin

Monday, September 14th at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0 - $55

A Virtual Event by Brookline Booksmith

Authors Kerri Arsenault (Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains) and Jaed Coffin (Roughhouse Friday: A Memoir) discuss their books with Brookline Booksmith. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: YA 2020 Releases Panel with Lori Goldstein, Jessica Goodman, Natalie Mae, and Andrea Tang

Monday, September 14th at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Wellesley Books

Join Wellesley Books for a YA 2020 Releases Panel featuring authors Lori Goldstein, Jessica Goodman, and Natalie Mae, moderated by author Andrea Tang. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Susan Buttenwieser Launch with Virginia Pye

Tuesday, September 15th at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Belmont Books

Join Belmont Books for the launch of Susan Buttenwieser's debut short-story collection, We Were Lucky with the Rain. She will be joined in conversation with Virginia Pye, author of Shelf Life of Happiness. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: FREE Brown Bag Lunch Writing Series

Wednesday, September 16th at 12:30 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by GrubStreet

Looking for some virtual midweek writing community? Or do you have a schedule that gives you free afternoons instead of evenings? Join GrubStreet’s FREE Brown Bag Lunch Writing Series live via Zoom. For 45 minutes, you’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some cool writing exercises. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Margot Livesey and Matthew Salesses

Wednesday, September 16th at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Belmont Books

Join Belmont Books for a great conversation between Margot Livesey (The Boy in the Field: A Novel) and Matthew Salesses (Disappear Doppelgänger Disappear) as they discuss their new books. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Adam Smyer in conversation with Deesha Philyaw

Thursday, September 17th at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Belmont Books

Join Belmont Books for a conversation between Adam Smyer, author of You Can Keep That to Yourself: A Comprehensive List of What Not to Say to Black People, for Well-Intentioned People of Pallor and Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Danielle Allen

Friday, September 18th at 12:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Harvard Book Store and the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics

Harvard Book Store's virtual event series and the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics welcomes Danielle Allen—James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University and the Safra Center's director—for a discussion of her co-edited book, Difference Without Domination: Pursuing Justice in Diverse Democracies. She will be joined in conversation by her fellow editor Rohini Somanathan, Professor of Economics at the Delhi School of Economics. RSVP here.

WDtS Mattapan: Heroes and Structure (Remote)

Saturday, September 19th from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM | Workshop Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by GrubStreet

As part of GrubStreet's Write Down the Street community program, writers based near the Egleston or Mattapan Branches of the Boston Public Library can take this free drop-in class. Heroes and Structure is a 90-minute drop-in course, revisiting elements of the 2020 spring course, The Evolution of the Hero. We’ll refresh ourselves on the arc of stories, the characters we choose to send down that arc, and how the two elements affect each other. If you missed the spring class, no worries. You can still take this class. Learn more and register here.

Virtual Event: Mass Poetry's U35 Reading Series

Tuesday, September 22nd at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Mass Poetry

Join Mass Poetry for its U35 Reading Series on September 22nd. Bask in poems as you hear from a stunning set of features: Resi Ibañez, Meaghan Quinn, Lindsay D’Andrea, and Jonathan Rowe. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Becca Pizzi Launch with Joanna Tzouvelis

Wednesday, September 23rd at 6:30 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Belmont Books

Join Belmont Books for the launch of Becca Pizzi's new book, Becca's Feat on Feet. She will be joined in conversation with Joanna Tzouvelis. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Sheila Williams, James Patrick Kelly, and Suzanne Palmer

Thursday, September 24th at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Belmont Books

Join Belmont Books for a discussion between editor Sheila Williams and authors James Patrick Kelly and Suzanne Palmer as they discuss the new anthology, Entanglements: Tomorrow's Lovers, Families, and Friends. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: Fowzia Karimi with Micheline Aharonian Marcom

Thursday, September 24th at 7:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Brookline Booksmith

Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith for a conversation with Fowzia Karimi and Micheline Aharonian Marcom. They'll be discussing Fowzia Karimi's Above Us The Milky Way. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: FREE Happy Hour Writing Session

Friday, September 25th at 5:30 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by GrubStreet

Maximize that Friday feeling and kick off your writing weekend. Leave work behind on Friday, September 25th, from 5:30pm-6:30pm, grab a snack and/or your favorite after-work beverage, and log into GrubStreet Remote for some writing! In 60 jam-packed minutes, you’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some great writing exercises. RSVP here.

Virtual Event: FREE SUBMITHATHON!

Friday, September 25th at 6:00 PM | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by GrubStreet

GrubStreet is once again partnering with UMass Boston MFA Program's Jill McDonough for SUBMITATHON!—an evening of 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 dinner, a drink, or both during the session! RSVP here.

WDtS Mattapan: Screenwriting for Beginners (Remote)

Tuesdays, starting September 29th, from 5:45 PM to 7:45 PM | Workshop Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by GrubStreet

As part of GrubStreet's Write Down the Street community program, writers based near the Egleston or Mattapan Branches of the Boston Public Library can take this free drop-in class. Screenwriting for Beginners is an eight-week remote class split into two parts. During the first four weeks, we’ll explore the screenplay’s format, effectiveness, character development, the structure of storytelling, and the dynamics of dialogue. During the second four-week stretch, we’ll build upon what we’ve learned and use workshops, writing prompts, and a more comprehensive consideration of the earlier storytelling topics to build upon the foundation. Learn more and register here.

Virtual Event: Scholastique Mukasonga with Maaza Mengiste

Wednesday, September 30th at 6:00pm | Event Fee: $0

A Virtual Event by Brookline Booksmith

Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith and City of Asylum Bookstore for a virtual event with Scholastique Mukasonga and Maaza Mengiste to discuss Mukasonga's latest book, Igifu. RSVP here.