Author: Maria Cristina Garcia Lynch

Events

The Bronx Book Festival is #goals

Post author By Maria Cristina Garcia Lynch
Post date May 7, 2018

Welcome to Book Riot’s Events Newsletter, hosted by me, María Cristina. We’re looking ahead at some of the bookish ways you can spend your time in the next couple weeks, and I’m sure there’s at least one item here that can tempt you to put on pants and go out (in that order, please). Clear your calendars on the following dates, my reading friends.

We’re giving away 15 of the best mysteries and thrillers of the year so far. Click here to enter, or click the image below:

IRL GATHERINGS

Romantic Times Booklovers Convention: May 15-20 in Reno, NV

This is an epic gathering of romance readers and authors! Registration is pricy if you’re a casual romance reader or festival goer. But if you have the stamina for a full day on the convention floor and parties all night, you will definitely get that bang for your buck. Wow, that sounds dirtier than I meant it…

Dear America: Poems of Resistance and Hope: May 17 in La Conner, WA

This event is part of the biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival. For $40 you get a ticket to “join three-time US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, Ada Limon, Lena Khalaf Tuffah and Brian Turner for this evening of poetry.” There will also be a band there called Hot Damn Scandal and I’m mad I didn’t take that name first (for a band, my child, whatever).

Gaithersburg Book Festival: May 19 in Gaithersburg, MD

She has no idea I’m plugging this, but Book Riot’s very own Karina Glaser, Contributing Editor extraordinaire, will be appearing at this book festival! Her debut middle grade book The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street was one of my favorite reads of 2017, and I’m 100% convinced I would feel that way even if I didn’t know for a fact that Karina herself is AMAZING. So go to the Jim Henson Pavilion at 2:15 for her presentation and signing!

The Bronx Book Festival: May 19 in the Bronx, NY

We’ve been excited about this event ever since its inspiring Kickstarter campaign. And now it’s almost here! Founder Saraciea Fennell told us, “This festival purposefully consists of predominantly authors and creators of color to show that there is a market for lit by and for marginalized people.” YEAH THERE IS! Can’t wait for the Keynote Panel featuring Daniel José Older and Elizabeth Acevedo. Talk about book festival #goals.

AUTHORS ON TOUR

Jesmyn Ward

Stops include: May 8 (Brooklyn, NY), 9 (Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC), 10 (Atlanta, GA), 14 (Chicago, IL), 15 (Austin, TX), 16 (Houston, TX), 22 (New Orleans, LA), and 24 (Pass Christian, MS)

Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing was a highlight of last year’s literary landscape. That’s reason enough for me to celebrate it. But the occasion of its paperback release means we get more Jesmyn Ward on the literary circuit, so more YAY for this Southern Gothic/magical realism read!

that kind of mother Rumaan Alam

Stops include: May 9 (Brooklyn, NY), 13 (Washington, DC), and 17 (Brooklyn, NY)

Just in time for Mother’s Day, we get Rumaan Alam’s latest, That Kind of Mother. I find this more funny than appropriate, because the titular parent is kind of an awful person? But it’s a thought-provoking novel by a non-awful person.

Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Stops include: May 8 (New York, NY), 9 (Maplewood, NJ), 10 (Haverford, PA), 11 (Washington, DC), and 12 (Frederick, MD)

My kid is the kid who gives other kids books for their birthdays. It would be very uncool, except she’s only three and nobody’s clamoring for whatever her generation’s Beanie Babies are going to eventually be. Her entire social circle will be getting Square in the coming year, because I’m her personal shopper and this is my favorite book of 2018, no lie.

ON THE HORIZON

June

BookCon at BEA in New York, NY

Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago, IL

July

Detroit Festival of Books in Detroit, MI

Saskatchewan Festival of Words in Moose Jaw, Canada

August

Rocky Mountain Book and Paper Fair in Denver, CO

Decatur Book Festival in Decatur, GA

THERE YA GO!

If you end up participating in any of the above, tell us about it on social media.

And if there are any bookish events that should be on my radar, tweet me @meowycristina or email me at mariacristina@bookriot.com.

Hope to see you Riot readers in the wild!

-MC

Events

Independent Bookstore Day, a 24 Hour Readathon, and More Bookish Happenings!

Post author By Maria Cristina Garcia Lynch
Post date April 23, 2018

Everyone’s Having a Festival!

Post author By Maria Cristina Garcia Lynch
Post date April 9, 2018

Welcome to Book Riot’s Events Newsletter, hosted by me, María Cristina. So. Many. FESTIVALS. I will offer a prize to anyone who can prove they were at all of the ones featured below. I don’t know what that prize will be, but I can confidently say it’s going to be extravagant. It’s not that I don’t believe in you. There are just SO MANY FESTIVALS! Clear your calendars on the following dates, my reading friends.

Sponsored by Park Row Books, publisher of We Own The Sky by Luke Allnutt.

Rob Coates feels like he’s won the lottery of life. There is Anna, his incredible wife, their London town house and, most precious of all, Jack, their son, who makes every day an extraordinary adventure. But when a devastating illness befalls his family, Rob’s world begins to unravel. Suddenly finding himself alone, Rob seeks solace in photographing the skyscrapers and clifftops he and his son Jack used to visit. And just when it seems that all hope is lost, Rob embarks on the most unforgettable of journeys to find his way back to life, and forgiveness.

IRL GATHERINGS

Palm Beach Book Festival: April 13-15 in Palm Beach, FL

It’s a three-day festival, but April 14 is the only day open to the public. That day’s events kick off with a panel featuring Kwame Alexander (The Crossover) and Kirstin Chen (Soy Sauce for Beginners). Beware: only books purchased at the festival are permitted in the signing line.

Ohioana Book Festival: April 14 in Columbus, OH

This festival features 120 authors and illustrators who identify as Ohioans. There are up to five concurrent panels during each time slot, so take a careful look at the program before you go. If I were in Columbus from 1:15-2:00, I don’t know if I’d go to “The Impact of Pop Culture in Our Modern World” or “Cozy Mystery” or “How We Write What We Write”…

Chicago Young Adult Book Festival: April 14 in Chicago, IL

The lineup here is outstanding, and the morning sessions repeat in the afternoon, so you don’t have to make tough concurrent-panel choices. Best of all? The panels are named after songs (that maybe date the organizers a bit, but I identify with their choices). “Father of Mine” by Everclear: Family Dynamics. “Walking on the Sun” by Smash Mouth: Sci-Fi and Fantasy. “Building a Mystery” by Sarah McLachlan: Mystery/Thriller. And so on and so on. Good job.

PEN World Voices Festival: April 16-22 in New York, NY

This festival is jam packed. Get to know the schedule, and plan in advance. Some events are free with an RSVP…some are $12 in advance, $15 at the door… “An Evening with Roxane Gay” is $40, which I think is a bargain because ROXANE GAY.

Unbound Book Festival: April 19-21 in Columbia, MO

Zadie Smith (Swing Time) is headlining, but I’m most excited about the children’s programming. Salina Yoon is going to be there, and my toddler makes me read Where’s Boo year-round.

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books: April 21 & 22 in Los Angeles, CA

Confession: I spent an hour looking at flights and hotels to see if there was any scenario in which it would be feasible for me to attend. I knew within minutes that it was not, but it was nice pretending that soon I’d be witnessing a conversation between Viet Thanh Nguyen and Alexander Chee. Check the schedule out for yourself (it is gloriously color-coded).

Alabama Book Festival: April 21 in Montgomery, AL

Anthony Ray Hinton (The Sun Does Shine) will be speaking about memoir and social justice. And Alexis Okeowo (A Moonless, Starless Sky) will be talking about her career path. Those two panels alone would make for a well-spent day.

AUTHORS ON TOUR

Weike Wang

Stops include: April 10 (San Francisco, CA), 12 (Seattle, WA), 21 (Washington, DC), and 26 (Brooklyn, NY)

Wang’s debut novel Chemistry has a lot going for it. It’s funny, for one. And the heroine is brilliant but flawed (something we see in male protagonists all too often). If you like science and/or have immigrant parents, you’ll find yourself nodding in recognition.

Kate Mulgrew

Stops include: April 15 (New York, NY), 16 (Chicago, IL), 17 (Los Angeles, CA), 19 (San Francisco, CA), 20 (Corte Madera, CA), 21 (Seattle, WA), 22 (Dubuque, IA), and 26 (Woodmere, OH)

Kate Mulgrew is so much more than Captain Janeway. I’m typing this for my own benefit. But you should read her memoir Born with Teeth for your benefit, and then tell all your friends to do it too.

Jason Reynolds

Stops include: April 10 (Nashville, TN), 11 (Downer’s Grove, IL) 18 (St. Paul, MN), and 21 (Los Angeles, CA)

Sunny is the latest in Reynolds’ middle grade series about a track team with a shot at the Junior Olympics. I was on my middle school track team for a hot second, and reading these books make me wish I had stuck it out. But they’re not a bad substitute for the real thing.

THERE YA GO!

If you end up participating in any of the above, tell us about it on social media.

And if there are any bookish events that should be on my radar, tweet me @meowycristina or email me at mariacristina@bookriot.com.

Hope to see you Riot readers in the wild!

-MC

PS: By popular demand, the next installment will have an ON THE HORIZON section so you can plan your bookish road-tripping a couple months in advance. Just another service we provide here at Book Riot.

Events

London Gets Its Book Fair On, and More Bookish Happenings!

Post author By Maria Cristina Garcia Lynch
Post date March 26, 2018

Welcome to Book Riot’s Events Newsletter, hosted by me, María Cristina. We’re looking at the end of March, but mostly the beginning of April. April already! Can you believe it? Clear your calendars on the following dates, my reading friends.

Sponsored by Penguin Teen, publisher of If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson.

A lyrical story of star-crossed love perfect for readers of The Hate U Give, by National Ambassador for Children’s Literature Jacqueline Woodson

Jeremiah feels good inside his own skin. That is, when he’s in his own Brooklyn neighborhood. But now he’s going to be attending a fancy prep school in Manhattan, and black teenage boys don’t exactly fit in there. So it’s a surprise when he meets Ellie the first week of school. In one frozen moment their eyes lock, and after that they know they fit together–even though she’s Jewish and he’s black. Their worlds are so different, but to them that’s not what matters. Too bad the rest of the world has to get in their way.

Jacqueline Woodson’s work has been called “moving and resonant” (Wall Street Journal) and “gorgeous” (Vanity Fair). If You Come Softly is a powerful story of interracial love that leaves readers wondering “why” and “if only . . .”

IRL GATHERINGS

Ujamaa Book Festival: March 31 in Alexandria, VA

Harambee Books and Artworks hosts this annual festival featuring local and national writers of African descent (“harambee” is Swahili for “working together”). This year Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a featured author and speaker, so if you liked Americanah or We Should All Be Feminists, take advantage of this free event open to the public (authors must register as exhibitors).

Poets and New York: Miguel Algarin, Alfred Corn, Toi Derricotte: April 7 in New York, NY

This is a members-only library on the Upper East Side, and this reading/discussion takes place in the Members’ Room. But! The event is free and open to the public (as long as you rsvp). Basically, you can take a peek behind closed doors under cover of National Poetry Month.

San Antonio Book Festival: April 7 in San Antonio, TX

The festival, in its sixth year, boasts an event listed on the schedule as “Beloved Icon Sandra Cisneros” and yeah, that is accurate. The kid in me who treasured The House on Mango Street is fangirling from here in New York. If you’re able to make it to San Antonio, please give Sandra a “Yay!” in person on my behalf.

The Telling Room Presents Show & Tell: A Literary Spectacular: April 10 in Portland, ME

John Hodgman and Jean Grae emcee this all-ages literary cabaret. It sounds like it’s going to be a magical time, but the coolest part? The price of admission goes towards supporting free creative writing programs for kids 6 to 18.

The London Book Fair: April 10-12 in London, England

This is more of a publishing industry event than a readers’ event, but as an industry person who is also a reader, I thought you’d want to know about it. Also, London!

Word of South Festival of Literature and Music: April 13 in Tallahassee, FL

I smell a conspiracy to get my attention. First of all, there’s the punny name. Then there’s the interdisciplinary focus, as guests are “authors who write about music, musicians who also are authors, authors and musicians appearing together, and everything in between.” If the food trucks have gluten-free options, there’s the María Cristina trifecta right there. And I just have to point out again: Word of SOUTH. You see what they did there? My people.

AUTHORS ON TOUR

Kwame Alexander

Stops include: April 2 (Plainville, MA), 3 (Maplewood, NJ), 4 (Haverford, PA), 5 (Reston, VA), 7 (South Bend, IN), 9 (Milwaukee, WI), 10 (Downers Grove, IL), and 11 (Columbus, OH)

Rebound is the prequel to Alexander’s The Crossover. I am more excited about this middle grade basketball book release than I ever was about my little brother’s middle school basketball games. Low bar to clear, but for real, these novels are some of my favorite sports books.

Mohsin Hamid

Stops include: March 27 (Windsor, CT), 28 (Richmond, VA), 29 (Washington, DC), April 2 (Los Angeles, CA), 3 (Albuquerque, NM), 4 (Seattle, WA), 5 (Portland, OR), 6 (San Francisco, CA), 9 (Nashville, TN), 10 (Houston, TX), 11 (Austin, TX), and 12 (Denver, CO)

You may be a bit confused right now. It’s 2018, and wasn’t Exit West a huge 2017 book? Wasn’t it a finalist for almost every award ever and on dozens of best-of-2017 lists? Yes, all true. And now it’s out in paperback!

Leslie Jamison

Stops include: April 3 (Brooklyn, NY), 4 (Washington, DC), 5 (Cambridge, MA), 6 (New Haven, CT), 9 (Portland, OR), 10 (Seattle, WA), 11 (Menlo Park, CA), and 12 (San Francisco, CA)

Jamison’s The Recovering defies genre. It’s memoir, it’s journalism, it’s history, it’s social science, it’s psychology, it’s myth. Something for everybody, even if your life has been (improbably) untouched by addiction and recovery.

THERE YA GO!

If you end up participating in any of the above, tell us about it on social media.

And if there are any bookish events that should be on my radar, tweet me @meowycristina or email me at mariacristina@bookriot.com.

Hope to see you Riot readers in the wild!

-MC

PS: I’ve heard that some of you are willing and able to travel for bookish events if given enough notice. Our roughly-two-week window for the newsletter is optimal for event hosts who may not have everything set in stone any earlier, and attendees who forget something is happening a month from now. But there are a few events for which I can at least advise you to be in a certain state in a certain week. If the addition of a bare-bones save-the-date shortlist in these newsletters is appealing to you, shoot me a message to let me know. Make sure to tell me what “advance notice” means to you. Events a month from now? Two months? Three? I’m here for you, readers!

Events

Literary Death Match, the Librarian of Congress, and More Bookish Happenings!

Post author By Maria Cristina Garcia Lynch
Post date March 12, 2018

Welcome to Book Riot’s Events Newsletter, hosted by me, María Cristina. When will the cold end?!?! This is not a rhetorical question. If you have hard intel, get in touch. In the meantime, we’ve got plenty of indoor book events to busy ourselves with until the glorious outdoor book fairs make their return. Clear your calendars on the following dates, my reading friends.

Sponsored by The Neighbors by Hannah Mary McKinnon

In 1992, Abby is responsible for a car crash that kills her beloved brother. It’s a mistake she can never forgive, so she pushes away Liam, the man she loves most.

Twenty years later, Abby’s husband, Nate, is also living with a deep sense of guilt. He was the man who pulled her to safety—the man who couldn’t save her brother. When a twist of fate brings Liam and Abby back into each other’s lives, they pretend never to have met, yet cannot resist the pull of the past—nor the repercussions of the terrible secrets they’ve been carrying…

IRL GATHERINGS

Literary Death Match: March 14 in Brooklyn, NY

Here’s a lively hybrid event for y’all. Three celebrity judges sit in appraisal as four authors compete in a read-off. In this installment, authors Safiya Sinclair (Cannibal), Kanishk Tharoor (Swimmer Among the Stars), Simeon Marsalis (As Lie Is to Grin), and Alex Okeowo (A Moonless, Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in Africa) duke it out at The Bell House

Montclair Literary Festival: March 15-18 in Montclair, NJ

I’m calling it right now: year two of this festival will avoid the sophomore slump. I mean, Patti Smith is going to be there! You won’t see her unless you already have tickets, because of course that part of the festival is a sold-out ticketed event. But I’m just as excited about the back-to-back panels Pachinko author Min Jin Lee is appearing in on Saturday (getting into print without the MFA, and the immigrant experience in fiction).

In Conversation with the Librarian of Congress: Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists: March 15 in Washington, DC

As part of the programming for Women’s History Month, this event brings Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden (awesome lady) together with a panel that includes This One Summer artist Jillian Tamaki (another awesome lady). If you can’t take a long lunch to witness the conversation in person, you can livestream it.

NYC Teen Author Festival: March 18-25 in New York, NY

From the Strand to McNally Jackson to Books of Wonder you won’t be able to set foot in a New York bookstore without running into a panel or signing for this sprawling YA festival. A couple branches of the New York Public Library are also getting in on the fun. All events are free, but book purchases are always appreciated.

Virginia Festival of the Book: March 21-25 in Charlottesville, VA

There are some bookish events that just lack all kinds of self-awareness (e.g. centering themselves around a theme of activism but failing to feature a single woman of color). And then there’s Sunday night at the Virginia Festival of the Book, where Peter Ho Davies (The Fortunes), Tyehimba Jess (Olio), and Margot Lee Shetterly (Hidden Figures) “will share their writing and insights about race and culture, with a particular focus on the August 2017 events that took place in Charlottesville.” Sometimes the most obvious reaction is the bravest one.

Saints and Sinners Literary Festival: March 23-25 in New Orleans, LA

This LGBTQ literary festival is marking its fifteenth year, and doing so in style; the Hotel Monteleone, a Tennessee Williams haunt and official Literary Landmark, is hosting in the French Quarter. Interested in historical fiction? Humor? Speculative fiction? Playwriting? Are you a reader? Writer? Both? There’s something for everyone!

AUTHORS ON TOUR

the merry spinster Mallory Ortberg

Stops include: March 14 (Berkeley, CA), 16 (Berkeley, CA), 18 (Portland, OR), 19 (New York, NY), 20 (Washington, DC), and 23 (Cambridge, MA)

There’s been an Ortberg-sized hole in my heart ever since the Toast shuttered. I’ve been getting my fix reading the Dear Prudence column, but I’m beyond excited for The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror. And I can’t decide if a poster-sized version of the cover would be a great or terrible thing to hang in the bedroom. I mean, it is in the room’s color scheme.

Shobha Rao

Stops include: March 14 (Manhattan Beach, CA), 19 (Pittsburgh, PA), 20 (Providence, RI), and 21 (Boston, MA)

Rao’s Girls Burn Brighter is no easy read. As the main characters grow from girls to women, they are continuously pitted against an abusive patriarchy. But they are drawn more roundly than mere ciphers for the plight of women. I guarantee that this debut novel will stay with you long after you finish it.

Junot Díaz

Stops include: March 13 (Brooklyn, NY), 15 (Washington, DC), 16 (Coral Gables, FL), 18 (Cambridge, MA), 20 (Los Angeles, CA), 21 (Menlo Park, CA), 22 (Seattle, WA), 23 (Salt Lake City, UT), 25 (Boston, MA), and 26 (Jamaica Plain, MA)

Grab your kiddo and head on over to pick up this Pulitzer Prize-winner’s first picture book! Name recognition alone is sure to catapult Islandborn to the top of every list, but the illustrations by Leo Espinosa are breathtakingly fun and evocative.

THERE YA GO!

If you end up participating in any of the above, tell us about it on social media.

And if there are any bookish events that should be on my radar, tweet me @meowycristina or email me at mariacristina@bookriot.com.

Hope to see you Riot readers in the wild!

-MC

Events

Tayari Jones Goes on Tour for AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE

Post author By Maria Cristina Garcia Lynch
Post date February 27, 2018

Enter to win $500 of Penguin Clothbound classics over on our Instagram account. Click here, or on the image below to enter.

IRL GATHERINGS

Her Own Hero: Book Talk & Self-Defense Demo with Sun Dragon Martial Arts: March 3 in Austin, TX

I honestly thought that self-defense became a thing sometime around my high school years, when we gals were rounded up for a lesson during phys ed. But the women’s self-defense movement has been kicking around since the early twentieth century, and Wendy L. Rouse’s book will tell you all about it. Hear the professor herself and get a demo from Sensei Joy Williamson at Austin’s BookWoman.

Kingston Book Festival: March 4-11 in Kingston, Jamaica

If you’ve been contemplating a trip to the Caribbean but haven’t committed yet, here’s what’s going to tip the scales in favor! The Book Industry Association of Jamaica is bringing the festival back as a biennial event after taking the last year off. Here Comes the Sun author Nicole Dennis-Benn is headlining, which is perfect since the theme is all about celebrating Jamaican literature’s international impact.

The Tucson Festival of Books: March 10 and 11 in Tucson, AZ

If you’re in the market for a less humid literary festival, give Jamaica a pass and go to the Grand Canyon State instead. Book Riot Live alumni Zoraida Córdova and Ken Liu will be there, but—no offense—the festival highlight can’t be anything other than the hour on Saturday when therapy dogs will be available for kids to read aloud to (the Tent for Tots seats 16, so you’d better get there early).

NoVa TEEN Book Festival: March 10 in Arlington, VA

One half of Book Riot’s HEY YA Podcast team is going to be at this free day-long festival, so swing by and ask Eric Smith to tell you how much fun it is working with Kelly Jensen. 😉

AUTHORS ON TOUR

Tomi Adeyemi

Stops include: March 5 (San Diego, CA), 6 (Menlo Park, CA), 8 (Naperville, IL), 10 (Arlington, VA), 13 (New York, NY), 14 (Coral Gables, FL), 15 (St. Charles, MO), and 17 (Detroit, MI)

What a cover, right? Don’t judge, etc. but there is zero chance that Children of Blood and Bone is NOT an amazing YA fantasy. Jump on this debut and say you were into this YA trilogy before it was the hottest film franchise.

Jomny Sun

Stops include: March 1 (Chicago, IL), 3 (Chicago, IL), 4 (LaGrange, IL), and 10 (Washington, DC)

Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too is a one-sitting book that will change your life. I thought about lending it out the other day, but came to my senses. If you don’t already follow Jomny Sun on Twitter…why? Is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s endorsement not enough for you?

the poet x Elizabeth Acevedo

Stops include: March 6 (Washington, DC), 7 (Frederick, MD), 8 (New York, NY), 9 (Brookline, MA), 10 (Chicago, IL), 11 (Naperville, IL), 12 (Atlanta, GA), and 13 (Athens, GA)

This is a damn fine novel in verse. Typical. “But María Cristina,” you say, “The Poet X is only her debut novel.” Yeah, but Elizabeth Acevedo is a slam poetry goddess. You’re in for a treat.

an american marriage Tayari Jones

Stops include: February 27 (Memphis, TN), 28 (Oxford, MS), March 1 (Dallas, TX), and 13 (Denver, CO)

Wrongful imprisonment. Mass incarceration. These issues are a huge part of this novel. But there’s a reason why this is titled An American Marriage. Spending some time with the central couple will give you a sense of these issues in a way that compliments the available journalism. Oh, and it’s an Oprah Book Club pick.

THERE YA GO!

If you end up participating in any of the above, tell us about it on social media.

And if there are any bookish events that should be on my radar, tweet me @meowycristina or email me at mariacristina@bookriot.com.

Hope to see you Riot readers in the wild!

-MC

Events

Teens in Texas, Dickens in California, and More Bookish Happenings!

Post author By Maria Cristina Garcia Lynch
Post date February 12, 2018

Welcome to Book Riot’s Events Newsletter, hosted by me, María Cristina. I’m experience some serious FOMO looking at all these things that I can’t realistically be at, and I apologize if I’m inducing a little FOMO in you. But hopefully there’s at least one thing within an acceptable radius of yourselves! Clear your calendars on the following dates, my reading friends.

Live your best bookish life with our New Release Index. It’s a fantastically functional way to keep track of your most anticipated new releases. It’s available exclusively to Book Riot Insiders. Subscribe to Book Riot Insiders!

IRL GATHERINGS

Teen Bookfest by the Bay: February 17 in Corpus Christi, TX

Educators and librarians doing what they do best: awesomeness. In this particular instance, that means organizing their own book festival for area teens who would otherwise have to make an expensive trek to other parts of the state. Parking is free. Admission is free. Books are available to purchase onsite, but you can bring your own for any one of the thirty featured authors to sign.

ONYXCON: SANKOFA: February 17 in Atlanta, GA

This is the comic con that shines a light “on the impact, contributions, and presence of the African Diaspora in realms of imagination!” And you can bet it’s going to be a good time, as their tenth anniversary coincides with the release of Marvel’s Black Panther (way better than the traditional ten-year gift of tin or aluminum).

Search for Meaning Festival: February 24 in Seattle, WA

“Dedicated to topics surrounding the human quest for meaning, and the characteristics of an ethical and well-lived life,” this festival wins the award for Real-Life Event Most Likely to Attract Fictional Chidi Anagonye. But it also looks fun enough for Eleanor and Jason, and the glittering roster of guests could probably be found in Tahani’s contacts. Ruth Ozeki, author of A Tale for the Time Being, is giving one of the keynote speeches, so that’s something for which I’m going to resent all you lucky West Coasters.

The Riverside Dickens Festival: February 24-25 in Riverside, CA

Speaking of things I can’t go to because they are on the opposite coast… Making Great Expectations the featured book for this year’s DickensFest puts me in a disappointment-mindset, but this is the event’s twenty-fifth year, so they probably know how not to be the Fyre Festival. If they deliver on the promises of their Oliver’s Alley (apple juice tea parties and appearances by Queen Victoria!) they’re already on their way to being a template for all future events of any kind anywhere.

Let’s Woman-splain Romance!: February 26 in New York, NY

Now this Strand event is something your humble correspondent can get to using her MTA card! And when Katharine Ashe, Lisa Kleypas, Beverly Jenkins, Alisha Rai, and Alyssa Cole are going to be there, why would I be anyplace else?!

AUTHORS ON TOUR

Elif Batuman

Stops include: February 13 (Brooklyn, NY), 15 (Purchase, NY), 20 (Washington, D.C.), 22 (Hoboken, NJ), 26 (Evanston, IL), 27 (Los Angeles, CA), and 28 (Portland, OR)

This New Yorker writer is touring in support of the paperback release of her debut novel The Idiot. She is not to be confused with Dostoyevsky (but she does hold a Ph.D. in Russian lit).

Tavi Gevinson

Stops include: February 13 (Winnetka, IL), 14 (New York, NY) 16 (Menlo Park, CA), 17 (Seattle, WA), and 18 (Los Angeles, CA)

We started with something aimed at the youths, and we end there as well. The Rookie on Love anthology is a great resource for teens, and you can get a copy signed by editor Tavi Gevinson.

THERE YA GO!

If you end up participating in any of the above, tell us about it on social media.

And if there are any bookish events that should be on my radar, tweet me @meowycristina or email me at mariacristina@bookriot.com.

Hope to see you Riot readers in the wild!

-MC

Events

Public Library Trivia Night, #WorldReadAloudDay, and More Bookish Happenings

Post author By Maria Cristina Garcia Lynch
Post date January 29, 2018

Blow Out Poe’s Candles, #24in48 Readathon, and More Bookish Happenings!

Post author By Maria Cristina Garcia Lynch
Post date January 15, 2018

Welcome to Book Riot’s Events Newsletter, hosted by me, María Cristina! I had the great good fortune of being Jenn’s sidekick during the sophomore Book Riot Live, and while there are no immediate plans for a junior year, there are still plenty of bookish happenings to get excited about. Clear your calendars on the following dates, my reading friends.

Live your best bookish life with our New Release Index. It’s a fantastically functional way to keep track of your most anticipated new releases. It’s available exclusively to Book Riot Insiders.

IRL GATHERINGS

Poe’s Birthday Bash: January 20 in Richmond, VA

Quoth the Raven “Let’s get this party started!” From noon to midnight at the Poe Museum there will be cake, readings, screenings, cake, tours, cake, and cake. One of the bands performing is called League of Space Pirates, so you know it’s gonna be a good time.

The Bookworm Festival: February 3 in Houston, TX

Here’s one where the littles can attend age-appropriate panels and get their picture books signed! And the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation has funded grants for teachers and librarians to secure bus transportation. My heart grew three sizes.

INTERWEBBY THINGS

24 in 48 readathon: January 27 and 28

Read Harder’s own Rachel Manwill is shepherding this online event again. The idea is to get in twenty-four hours of reading across one full weekend (which is actually kind of super inconvenient for me because I’d rather have a solid day to ignore all obligations but whatever some people like the flexibility of being able to take breaks for sleep and personal hygiene). You can sign-up for a chance at fabulous prizes, or just follow the hashtag #24in48 on your preferred social media platform(s).

AUTHORS ON TOUR

Marie Lu

Stops include: January 16 (Houston, TX), 17 (Coral Gables, FL), 18 (Decatur, GA), 19 (Newnan, GA), and 22 (Folsom, CA)

Batman YA novel? Stahp it, I am so there.

Chloe Benjamin

Stops include: January 17 (Madison, WI), 18 (Milwaukee, WI), 19 (Naperville, IL), 20 (Nashville, TN), 22 (Brooklyn, NY), and 23 (Cambridge, MA)

January is a desolate ice underworld, but it did give us The Immortalists, so fine.

Samira Ahmed

Stops include: January 16 (Nashville, TN), 17 (New York, NY), 18 (Los Angeles, CA), 22 (Baltimore, MD) and 23 (Washington D.C.)

Debut YA novel Love, Hate and Other Filters is sweet, and #ownvoices to boot.

THERE YA GO!

If you end up participating in any of the above, tell us about it on social media.

And if there are any bookish events that should be on my radar, tweet me @meowycristina or email me at mariacristina@bookriot.com.

Hope to see you Riot readers in the wild!

-MC