Poetry open mike.
Ann Arbor Poetry. Poetry open mike. 7-9 p.m. (sign-up begins at 6:30 p.m.), Espresso Royale, 324 S. State. $5 suggested donation. facebook.com/AnnArborPoetry.
Local short story writer Alex Kourvo and young adult novelist Bethany Neal explain the importance of outlining and different ways to do it. For all fiction & nonfiction writers grade 6-adult. Also, Kourvo & Neal host an open house for writers to connect with one another and/or work on their projects at 7 p.m. on July 23.
7-8:45 p.m., AADL Westgate, Westgate shopping center, 2503 Jackson. Free. 327-4200
RC creative writing alumna and Detroit freelance journalist Anna Clark discusses her new book on the Flint water crisis.
7-8:30 p.m., AADL Downtown multipurpose rm., 343 S. Fifth Ave. Free. 327-4200.
All invited to read and discuss their poetry or short stories. Bring about 6 copies of your work to share.
7-9 p.m., Crazy Wisdom, 114 S. Main. Free. 665-2757
Join us for a panel presentation featuring accomplished authors from the state of Michigan! Detroit author Michael Ferro is celebrating the release of his debut novel Title 13, named a “Most Anticipated Small Press Book of 2018” by literary blog Big Other. Kelly Fordon is a former writer-in-residence at InsideOut LIterary arts in Detroit, whose collection of interconnected stories, Garden for the Blind, was named a Michigan Notable book. Joining them will be University of Michigan creative writing professor Laura Hulthen Thomas, speaking about her acclaimed short story collection States of Motion
Michael A. Ferro‘s fiction and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. He won the Jim Cash Creative Writing Award for Fiction, received an Honorable Mention from Glimmer Train for their New Writers Award, and been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Born and bred in Detroit, Michael has lived, worked, and written throughout the Midwest; he currently resides in rural Ann Arbor, Michigan. TITLE 13 is his first novel.
Prior to writing fiction and poetry, Kelly Fordon worked at the NPR member station in Detroit and for National Geographic magazine. Her fiction, poetry, and book reviews have appeared in The Boston Review, The Florida Review, Flashquake, The Kenyon Review, and various other journals. She is the author of two poetry chapbooks, On the Street Where We Live, which won the 2011 Standing Rock Chapbook Contest, and Tell Me When It Starts to Hurt, which was published by Kattywompus Press in 2013. She received her MFA in fiction writing from Queens University of Charlotte and worked for InsideOut Literary Arts in Detroit as a writer-in-residence.
Laura Hulthen Thomas’s work has appeared in The Cimarron Review, Nimrod International Journal, Epiphany and Witness. She received her MFA in fiction writing from Warren Wilson College. She currently heads the undergraduate creative writing program at the University of Michigan’s Residential College, where she teaches fiction and creative nonfiction.
Poets invited to read their own work along with a favorite poem by another writer. In celebration of National Poetry Month. Tea & light refreshments.
7 p.m., Bookbound, Courtyard Shops. Free. 369-4345.
Readings by local writers. Books and authors include Emily Siwek’s A Monster on Main Street (picture book), Rebecca Biber’s Technical Solace (poetry), and Andy Gutman’s Charlie the Caterpillar and Pop Lullaby (picture books). Signings. Refreshments.
7-8:30 p.m., AADL Westgate, Westgate shopping center, 2503 Jackson. Free. 327-4200
Local flavor and fragrance expert Michelle Krell Kydd, creator of the award-winning smell and taste blog Glass Petal Smoke, discusses both the smell of books (old and new) and literary passages that illustrate just how powerfully the sense of smell can be used in the hands of a gifted writer. Aromatic references in various texts are accompanied by specific scents mentioned in these passages. For all grade 6 & up.
6:30-8:45 p.m., AADL Downtown 4th-fl. meeting rm. Free. 327-4200.
July 3 & 18. Open mike storytelling competition sponsored by The Moth, the NYC-based nonprofit storytelling organization that also produces a weekly public radio show. Each month 10 storytellers are selected at random from among those who sign up to tell a 3-5 minute story on the monthly theme. July themes: “Age” (July 3) & “Boundaries” (July 18). The 3-person judging teams are recruited from the audience. Monthly winners compete in a semiannual Grand Slam. Space limited, so it’s smart to arrive early.
7:30-9 p.m. (doors open and sign-up begins at 6 p.m.), Greyline, 100 N. Ashley. $8. 764-5118.
Local short story writer Alex Kourvo and young adult novelist Bethany Neal host an open house for writers to connect with one another and/or work on their projects.
