Calendar

Jul
28
Sun
Ann Arbor Storytellers Guild @ AADL Downtown (3rd floor, Freespace)
Jul 28 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

All invited to listen to guild members swap stories or bring their own to tell, at the AASG monthly meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

Jul
31
Wed
Terry McAuliffe: Charlottesville: Taking a Stand Against White Nationalism @ Friends Conference Room, Detroit Public Library
Jul 31 @ 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Literati Bookstore is pleased to be on hand to sell books as the Detroit Public Library welcomes former Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe as part of their Author Series, in support of his new book Charlottesville: Taking a Stand Against White Nationalism.

Beyond Charlottesville takes a deep look at those involved in the calamitous weekend. Beyond that, however, Gov. McAuliffe levels a very critical eye at the history of racism in Virginia, a state he dearly loves. Most importantly, he examines what is needed to correct the racial divide and the rise of nationalism, not only in his state but across the country.

This event is free. You may RSVP here. Parking available in the staff parking lot located on Putnam St. between Cass and Woodward. All visitors must enter via the Cass or Woodward entrances.

Event date:
Wednesday, July 31, 2019 – 12:00pm
Event address:
5201 Woodward
Friends Conference Room, Detroit Public Library
DetroitMI 48202
Poetry Salon: One Pause Poetry @ Argus Farm Stop
Jul 31 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm

ONE PAUSE POETRY SALON is (literally) a greenhouse for poetry and poets, nurturing an appreciation for written art in all languages and encouraging experiments in creative writing.

We meet every Weds in the greenhouse at Argus Farm Stop on Liberty St. The poems we read each time are unified by form (haiku, sonnet, spoken word), poet, time / place (Tang Dynasty, English Romanticism, New York in the 70s) or theme / mood (springtime, poems with cats, protest poems). We discuss the poems and play writing games together, with time for snacks and socializing in between.

Members are encouraged to share their own poems or poems they like – they may or may not relate to the theme of the evening. This is not primarily a workshop – we may hold special workshop nights, but mostly we listen to and talk about poems for the sake of inspiring new writing.

Whether you are a published poet or encountering poetry for the first time, we invite you to join us!

$5 suggested donation for food, drinks and printing costs.

8-10 p.m., Argus Farm Stop greenhouse, 325 W. Liberty. $5 suggested donation. onepausepoetry.org, 707-1284.

 

 

 

Aug
1
Thu
Mariama J. Lockington: For Black Girls Like Me @ Literati
Aug 1 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

We’re pleased to partner with 826michigan and the Neutral Zone as we welcome Mariama J. Lockington to our store to read from her book, For Black Girls Like Me. The event is free and open to the public. A signing will follow. 

Makeda June Kirkland is eleven years old, adopted, and black. Her parents and big sister are white, and even though she loves her family very much, Makeda often feels left out. When Makeda’s family moves from Maryland to New Mexico, she leaves behind her best friend, Lena– the only other adopted black girl she knows– for a new life. In New Mexico, everything is different. At home, Makeda’s sister is too cool to hang out with her anymore and at school, she can’t seem to find one real friend.

Through it all, Makeda can’t help but wonder: What would it feel like to grow up with a family that looks like me?

Through singing, dreaming, and writing secret messages back and forth with Lena, Makeda might just carve a small place for herself in the world.

In this lyrical coming-of-age story about family, sisterhood, music, race, and identity, Mariama J. Lockington draws on some of the emotional truths from her own experiences growing up with an adoptive white family. For Black Girls Like Me is for anyone who has ever asked themselves: How do you figure out where you are going if you don’t know where you came from?

Mariama J. Lockington is an adoptee, writer, and nonprofit educator. She has been telling stories and making her own books since the second grade, when she wore short-alls and flower leggings every day to school. Her work has appeared in a number of magazines and journals, including Buzzfeed News Reader, and she is the author of the poetry chapbook The Lucky Daughter. Mariama holds a Masters in Education from Lesley University and Masters in Fine Arts in Poetry from San Francisco State University. She lives in Lexington, KY with her partner and dapple haired dachshund, Henry.

 

Aug
5
Mon
Benjamin Pauli: Flint Fights Back @ Literati
Aug 5 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

We welcome Benjamin Pauli to the store to read and discuss his book, Flint Fights Back, an account of the Flint water crisis which shows that Flint’s struggle for safe and affordable water is part of a broader struggle for democracy. The event is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow. 

When Flint, Michigan, changed its source of municipal water from Lake Huron to the Flint River, Flint residents were repeatedly assured that the water was of the highest quality. At the switchover ceremony, the mayor and other officials performed a celebratory toast, declaring “Here’s to Flint!” and downing glasses of freshly treated water. But as we now know, the water coming out of residents’ taps harbored a variety of contaminants, including high levels of lead. In Flint Fights Back, Benjamin Pauli examines the water crisis and the political activism that it inspired, arguing that Flint’s struggle for safe and affordable water was part of a broader struggle for democracy. Pauli connects Flint’s water activism with the ongoing movement protesting the state of Michigan’s policy of replacing elected officials in financially troubled cities like Flint and Detroit with appointed “emergency managers.”

Pauli distinguishes the political narrative of the water crisis from the historical and technical narratives, showing that Flint activists’ emphasis on democracy helped them to overcome some of the limitations of standard environmental justice frameworks. He discusses the pro-democracy (anti-emergency manager) movement and traces the rise of the “water warriors”; describes the uncompromising activist culture that developed out of the experience of being dismissed and disparaged by officials; and examines the interplay of activism and scientific expertise. Finally, he explores efforts by activists to expand the struggle for water justice and to organize newly mobilized residents into a movement for a radically democratic Flint.

Benjamin J. Pauli is Assistant Professor of Social Science at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan.

Emerging Writers: Writing Short Stories and Flash Fiction @ AADL Westgate, West Side Room
Aug 5 @ 7:00 pm – 8:45 pm

A short story isn’t a miniature novel. It’s an art form all its own with rules about length, pacing, and theme. In this workshop, Bethany Neal and Alex Kourvo will be joined by author Harry R. Campion, who will discuss the best way to write and market your short stories.

This is part of the monthly Emerging Writers Workshops, which offer support, learning, and advice for local authors. Each month, two weeks after the workshop, there is a meet-up where the instructors will read samples of your work and offer advice and assistance in a casual, supportive atmosphere.

Do you have a completed manuscript? Consider submitting it to the library’s imprint Fifth Avenue Press.

 

Aug
6
Tue
Elizabeth Berg @ Tecumseh District Library
Aug 6 @ 2:45 pm – 4:15 pm

From her website:

“Before I became a writer, I was a registered nurse for ten years, and that was my “school” for writing—taking care of patients taught me a lot about human nature, about hope and fear and love and loss and regret and triumph and especially about relationships–all things that I tend to focus on in my work. I worked as a waitress, which is also good training for a writer, and I sang in a rock band which was not good for anything except the money I made. I was a dramatic and dreamy child, given to living more inside my head than outside, something that persists up to today and makes me a terrible dining partner. I have two daughters and four grandchildren. I live with my partner Bill Young, and our excellent dogs, Gabigail Starletta Buttons, and Austin Ima Riot, and our cat, Gracie Louise Pawplay, near Chicago, even though what I really want to do is live on a hobby farm with lots of animals, including a chicken, I’m dying for a chicken.  . The animals would like you to know they did not get to vote on their names. Or on the food they eat.”

Fiction at Literati: Maureen Joyce Connolly: Little Lovely Things @ Literati
Aug 6 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

We welcome debut novelist Maureen Joyce Connolly for an event in support of Little Lovely Things, which bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard called “a shattering adventure.” The event is free and open to the public. A signing will follow. 

It is the wrong time to get sick. Speeding down the highway on the way to work, her two little girls sleeping in the back seat, medical resident Claire Rawlings doesn’t have time for the nausea overtaking her. But as the world tilts sideways, she pulls into a gas station, runs to the bathroom, and passes out. When she wakes up minutes later, her car—and her daughters—are gone.

The police have no leads, and the weight of guilt presses down on Claire as each hour passes with no trace of her girls. All she has to hold on to are her strained marriage, a potentially unreliable witness who emerges days later, and the desperate but unquenchable belief that her daughters are out there somewhere.

As hopeful and uplifting as it is devastating, Little Lovely Things is the story of a family shattered by unthinkable tragedy, and the unexpected intersection of heartbreak and hope.

Maureen Joyce Connolly is a former owner of a consulting firm that helped develop medications for ultra-rare diseases. While she misses her old career, she loves being a full-time writer. Maureen received her bachelor’s degree in physiology from Michigan State University and her master’s degree in liberal studies from Wesleyan University. Her background and love for science and the natural world informs and inspires her writing. Little Lovely Things is her debut novel.

The Moth Storyslam: Camp @ Greyline
Aug 6 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Open-mic storytelling competitions. Open to anyone with a five-minute story to share on the night’s theme. Come tell a story, or just enjoy the show!

6:30pm Doors Open | 7:30pm Stories Begin

*Tickets for this event are available one week before the show, at 3pm ET.

*Seating is not guaranteed and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be sure to arrive at least 10 minutes before the show. Admission is not guaranteed for late arrivals. All sales final.

Media Sponsor: Michigan Radio.

 

Aug
7
Wed
Sean Sherman: The Sioux Chef: A Tasting Menu Experience @ Miss Kim
Aug 7 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Literati is pleased to be an official bookselling partner as Zingerman’s Community of Businesses presents acclaimed food activist and James Beard-award winning Chef Sean Sherman for a select dinner and presentation. Tickets are available through Zingerman’s, here. Proceeds from every ticket purchased will directly benefit The Sioux Chef team as they continue to work to educate and make indigenous foods more accessible through its nonprofit North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS).

On Wednesday, August 7, 2019, at Zingerman’s Miss Kim restaurant, in Ann Arbor, acclaimed indigenous food activist and winner of two James Beard awards, Chef Sean Sherman will share both history, wisdom and foods directly from The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen cookbook for a select, ticketed group of diners.

Rooted in his passionate quest to rekindle and restore stolen traditions and preserve them in the present day, Chef Sean will educate and enlighten our hearts and palates. Diners will be graced with new translations of seasonal dishes by Chef Sean made with ingredients locally sourced in collaboration with Miss Kim’s Chef Ji Hye. The spirit of Chef Sean’s book joyfully reinforces Chef Ji Hye’s own integration of Korean food roots and ancestral traditions in her Michigan kitchen and she joins our community’s warm welcome of Chef Sean Sherman. The result is a rare and intimate evening with one of the most inspired social, political and culinary change agents of our time who is blazing a timely trail to honor and value tradition’s sacred connection to the fundamental human experience of community, land and food. See what you’ll be having!

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