We are thrilled to bring you the latest in literary events and writings that have caught our attention. These events encompass a range of free and ticketed registration and are not affiliated with AWP. All times are in ET.

• Kidliterate invites you to join a group of quirky adults who enjoy reading and discussing Young Adult and Middle Reader books. Drop-ins welcome! This month's book is Gentlehands by M. E. Kerr. The book club will meet on Tuesday, October 26, at 7 p.m. Register in advance.
• Charis welcomes Tamara Winfrey Harris in conversation with Bre Rivera, Jessica Louise, Halimah Washington, and Dr. Adia McClellan Winfrey for a celebration of the new edition of The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America. This event is cohosted by the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History and will take place on Tuesday, October 26, at 7:30 p.m.
• Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, the first Black woman to sit on the Superior Court of Northern California, will celebrate the release of her book Her Honor in conversation with Judge Anita Crawford-Willis at Seattle University on Tuesday, October 26, at 9 p.m. Register in advance to receive the Zoom link.*
• Bennington College welcomes poet Ladan Osman, author of Exiles of Eden and The Kitchen-Dweller’s Testimony, for a craft talk on Wednesday, October 27, at 3 p.m. Join via Zoom.
• The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and A Cappella Books welcome human rights lawyer, writer, and activist Derecka Purnell for a virtual discussion of her book, Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom, on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at 7 p.m. Purnell will appear in conversation with Josie Duffy Rice, journalist and cohost of Crooked Media’s daily news podcast “What a Day.”
• The Race Conscious Parenting Collective will meet via Zoom on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, at 7 p.m. The collective is designed to support the ongoing development of white parents and educators of white, multiracial children, and children of color, who are seeking to unlearn and dismantle white supremacy within their families, schools, neighborhoods and faith communities. Facilitated by parent and organizer Shannon Gaggero; E. R. Anderson, executive director of Charis Circle; and Beth-Ann Buitekant, a local family and school therapist. Register in advance.
• Join David Chang and Priya Krishna for a celebration of the release of their book Cooking at Home: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Recipes (and Love My Microwave) on Wednesday, October 27, at 7 p.m. Each ticket comes bundled with a copy of the book—limited signed copies are available on a first-come-first-served basis. This virtual event will take place on Zoom.
• The Bullitt Lecture in American History presents a special lecture with Professor Laura E. Gómez illuminating the invention of Latino identity that has spanned centuries‚ leaving a permanent imprint on how race operates in the United States today. Wednesday, October 27, at 9 p.m. Registration required.
• Join Northwestern University School of Professional Studies (SPS) on Thursday, October 28, at 1 p.m. for an online conversation between two award-winning authors on writing, publishing fiction during the pandemic, and the role of storytelling in society. The talk features SPS MFA in Prose and Poetry faculty member Lori Rader-Day, author of The Lucky One, and special guest Christopher Coake, author of You Would Have Told Me Not To. Register in advance.
• The Black Feminist Book Club will meet to discuss The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi on Thursday, October 28, at 7 p.m. Charis Circle board chair Susana Morris will facilitate. All community members are invited to participate with the acknowledgment that this is a space that centers Black women’s thoughts, creativity, and lived experiences. Register in advance.
• Luis Alberto Urrea will become the eleventh Chicago author to receive the prestigious Henry Blake Fuller Award for his lifetime achievements as an author, teacher, and activist on Thursday, October 28, at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, with live attendance at the National Museum of Mexican Art and livestream via Zoom. Register in advance.
• The Seminary Co-op Bookstores welcome Professor Jarvis R. Givens to discuss his book Fugitive Pedagogy on Thursday, October 28, at 7:30 p.m. He will be joined in conversation by Professor Elizabeth Todd-Breland. Presented in partnership with the UChicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Register in advance.
• Charis welcomes Dr. Cynthia B. Dillard in conversation with Dr. Bettina Love for a discussion of The Spirit of Our Work: Black Women Teachers (Re)Member, an exploration of how engaging identity and cultural heritage can transform teaching and learning for Black women educators in the classroom, on Thursday, October 28, at 7:30 p.m. This event is cohosted by the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History.
• SubText Books is pleased to present a virtual event to celebrate The Echo Chamber by Michael Bazzett (Milkweed Editions) on Thursday, October 28, at 8 p.m. Bazzett will be joined by poets Maggie Smith, author of Goldenrod, and Matthew Olzmann, author of the forthcoming Constellation Route. 
• Northwestern University’s Weinberg College Center for International & Area Studies welcomes faculty Chris Abani, an internationally-acclaimed writer and scholar, for a conversation on his memoir, The Face: Cartography of the Void, on Friday, October 29, at 1 p.m. Register in advance.
• Goethe Pop Up Seattle, Elliott Bay Book Company, UW Center for West European Studies, and the UW Department of German Studies welcome historian Timothy Snyder and artist Nora Krug for a virtual discussion about the new graphic edition of Snyder’s book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century featuring illustrations by Krug on Friday, October 29, at 9 p.m. Paul Constant will moderate. Register in advance.
• Join Haymarket Books for an educational lecture on immigration enforcement, the criminal punishment system, and data literacy with sociologist, writer, and editor Tamara K. Nopper on Monday, November 1, at 6 p.m.
• Booker Prize-shortlisted and New York Times bestselling author Paul Auster returns virtually to the Elliott Bay Book Company Reading Series to discuss Burning Boy: The Life and Work of Stephen Crane (Henry Holt), his new biography of the American literary icon and war reporter. He appears in conversation with Eric Lorberer on Monday, November 1, at 9 p.m.
• The Lit & Luz Festival returns November 1–6, 2021! Through this year’s theme, “Structure,” participants will consider the physical structures that house us, political and societal structures that surround us, and much more. The 2021 Chicago festival will be hybrid and feature both virtual and in-person programs including readings, conversations, and workshops.*
• Charis welcomes Wanda M. Morris in conversation with Joshilyn Jackson for a celebration of All Her Little Secrets: A Novel on Tuesday, November 2, at 7:30 p.m.
• Join world-renowned artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei on the release date of his highly anticipated memoir, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows. Copresented by BAM, Greenlight Bookstore, and PEN America at the Howard Gilman Opera House on Tuesday, November 2, at 7:30 p.m. Buy tickets in advance.*
• Charis welcomes editor Mattilda B. Sycamore in conversation with contributors Edric Figueroa, Patrick Milian, and Stephen H. Moore for a celebration of Between Certain Death and a Possible Future: Queer Writing on Growing Up with the AIDS Crisis. Between Certain Death and a Possible Future offers crucial stories from this missing generation in AIDS literature and cultural politics. Join them on Thursday, November 4, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Seattle Public Library and Elliott Bay Book Company present Elsa Sjunneson, author of Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism, in conversation with Annalee Newitz on Thursday, November 4, 9 p.m. Register in advance.
• Poets Amanda Moore, Requeening, and Danielle Janess, Milk of Amnesia, will give a virtual joint poetry reading sponsored by the Elliott Bay Book Company on Friday, November 5, at 9 p.m. Register in advance.
• Join Plume’s editors for their November session of Station to Station, featuring poet pairings for a multisession celebration of poetry, on Saturday, November 6, at 5 p.m. This session is moderated by Plume editor Leeya Mehta. Register in advance.
• Sarah Mangold, author of Her Wilderness Will Be Her Manners, will be reading virtually with Stephanie Ellis Schlaifer, author of Well Waiting Room, on Saturday, November 6, at 8 p.m.
• The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and A Cappella Books welcome author, journalist, and producer Denise Kiernan for a virtual discussion of her new book, We Gather Together: A Nation Divided, a President in Turmoil, and a Historic Campaign to Embrace Gratitude and Grace, on Monday, November 8, 2021, at 7 p.m. Kiernan will appear in conversation with bestselling author and journalist Kate Andersen Brower.
• Rabih Alameddine returns to Elliott Bay in virtual form to read from and discuss his brilliant new novel, The Wrong End of the Telescope, on Monday, November 8, at 9 p.m.
• Chicago Writers Association presents Let’s Just Write! An Uncommon Writers Conference. Speakers, panels, interactive sessions geared toward honing your craft; opportunity to submit work for review by a publisher; live lit events; most meals, including banquet on Saturday. Warwick Allerton Hotel in downtown Chicago, March 19–20, 2022.

*in-person events