Cambridge Common Writers

Start with a Bang: The Art of Outstanding Openings with David Farrow
2022-09-17 10:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Online Zoom Event
As writers, we’re all familiar with this particular bit of wisdom: a story has to “hook” the reader from the beginning. Excellent first pages (and first lines!) are the best way to immerse our audience and keep them reading. However, this is often easier said than done. In this course, students will study exemplary story openings – and share some of their favorites – to make the process of starting a story a little less daunting. They will also have the opportunity to participate in small group workshops for their own opening lines. Our goal is to leave the course with a variety of strategies to help achieve that elusive “hook.”

This course is geared toward fiction writers of any level (both short fiction and novels, in any genre) who struggle with opening their stories.

Befriend Your Inner Critic: Skills for a Productive Writing Practice with Deborah Sosin
2022-09-24 10:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Online Zoom Event
You might be familiar with your Inner Critic—the voice that says you’re not good enough. Or compares yourself to others. Or expects nothing but perfection. Our instinct is to push that voice away. But, paradoxically, we can find more inner peace and free up creative energy by moving toward that voice, with curiosity and compassion. The first part of this workshop will cover the roots and purpose of the Inner Critic and how it affects writers, both novices and veterans. Through lecture, discussion, and written exercises, we’ll look at seven types of Inner Critics, including the Perfectionist, the Task Master, and the Guilt Tripper. Finally, you’ll learn and practice specific skills and strategies for managing your Inner Critic so that you can move happily forward in your writing and artistic life.

Author Event: “The Animals Would Not Sleep” by Sara Levine
2022-10-06 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Guilford Free Library, 67 Park Street, Guilford, Connecticut, 06437, United States
Sara Levine (Nonfiction/WFYP, January 2006), the author of the book, The Animals Would Not Sleep will read her book aloud, and kids can bring their own stuffed animals along to help act out the story. Free signed copy of the book for each child who registers and shows up. Best for ages 2-7 and their families, but all ages are welcome. Please register separately below for each child who you would like to receive a book. Thursday, October 6th from 4:15-5:15pm. Funded by the Lana Ferguson Literary Festival.

This event has reached the maximum number of participants. Please call the library at 203-453-8282 to be put on a waiting list. Those on the wait list can still come to the event but will have to return to the library at a later date to pick up their free signed book.

A.J. Verdelle: Miss Chloe: A Memoir Of A Literary Friendship With Toni Morrison (In Conversation With Baruti N. Kopano)
2022-10-06 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | The Ivy Bookshop, 5928 Falls Road, Baltimore, Maryland, 21209, United States
Get an inside look at one of the literary powerhouses of our generation through the eyes of her contemporary, the brilliant novelist A.J. Verdelle (Fiction, MFA Writing Faculty). Miss Chloe, an Ivy staff favorite, is a love letter to books and a testament to the connections that books make possible. Verdelle will be joined by Baruti N. Kopano of Morgan State University.

Headlights All the Way: Navigating the Murky Middle with David Farrow
2022-10-08 10:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Online Zoom Event
You’ve written an excellent opening for your story, introduced some characters, incited some incidents, and are ready to launch into the meaty parts of your plot – but then you hit a roadblock. Now what? The second act of fiction stories (often called the “murky middle”) tends to be where most writers stall on their projects. In this course, we’ll take writer’s block head-on and practice some strategies to push through the more challenging sections of our drafts. Using outlines, collaborative brainstorming, generative prompts, and more, students will leave the course better equipped to write through that murky middle.

This course is geared toward fiction writers of any level (both short fiction and novels, in any genre) who have hit a roadblock in the middle of their manuscript.

Revision: Crack the Shell of Your Manuscript (with Celia Jeffries)
2022-10-08 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Online Zoom Event
Sign up for an online memoir workshop with Celia Jeffries (Fiction/Nonfiction, 2008):

Cynthia Occelli says “for a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” In this two-hour workshop you may tap on the shell of your work, or you may crack it wide open. Either way, you can expect to shake things up enough to see your work in a new light. We will write in response to a few prompts and you will leave with exercises to help your manuscript grow. For writers of all levels and genres. Limited to 12 writers.

2022 Brattleboro Literary Festival
2022-10-13 00:00 - 2022-10-16 23:59 (America/New_York) | Brooks House Lobby, 132 Main Street, Brattleboro, Vermont, 05301, United States
The 2022 Brattleboro Literary Festival will take place live October 13-16 in downtown Brattleboro. Featuring readings from various CCW members, including Jason Reynolds (MFA Writing Faculty, WFYP), Steven Cramer (MFA Writing Faculty, Poetry), and Cindy House (Fiction, June 2017).

How Does That Spark of Inspiration Become a Book? - Benjamin Roesch￼
2022-10-15 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Pierson Library, 5376 Shelburne Rd, Shelburne, Vermont, 05482, United States
Local YA authors Benjamin Roesch (Fiction, January 2016) and Margot Harrison discuss crafting and selling their coming-of-age novels at the Pierson Library in Shelburne, VT. This event is a great fit for teens, teachers, writers, and book lovers. Book support from Flying Pig Books.

Sister Anonymous - A Fundraiser Reading for Eileen's House
2022-10-18 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | IBEW Local 103, 256 Freeport Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02122, United States
A reading of the critically acclaimed play “Sister Anonymous” by Catherine M. O’Neill (WSS), directed by Kelly E. Smith to support Eileen’s House. Eileen’s House is a 30-bed facility that will serve women ages 18+ in Boston who are recovering from alcoholism and substance use disorder.

Emily Inouye Huey | Beneath the Wide Silk Sky Reading
2022-10-26 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Denver) | Millcreek Branch of the County Library, 2266 East Evergreen Ave, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84109, United States
TKE is thrilled to present an in-person event featuring author, Emily Inouye Huey (WFYP, June 2011), who will read from and discuss her historical fiction YA novel, Beneath the Wide Silk Sky.

This event is free and open to the public and will take place at the Millkcreek branch of the County LIbrary System. Pre-order your signed copy of Beneath the Wide Silk Sky today, by either calling the store at 801-484-9100 or ordering online. Please specify if you will be attending the event and if you want your book personalized.

Places in the signing line are reserved for those who purchase a copy of Beneath the Wide Silk Sky from The King’s English.

Beneath the Wide Silk Sky - CCW Book Launch with Emily Inouye Huey
2022-11-02 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Online Zoom Event
Join us for this CCW event as we celebrate the launch of Emily Inouye Huey (WFYP, June 2011)‘s debut novel, Beneath the Wide Silk Sky.

Order Here

Emily will be in conversation with WFYP MFA Writing Faculty Chris Lynch and fellow WFYP cohort Andrea Wang. The readings and conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A.

PhD in Educational Studies Community: Dissertation Public Presentation: Hengameh (Heny) M. Taraz
2022-11-09 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Online Zoom Event
The Ph.D. Program in Educational Studies will host a public presentation by Hengameh (Heny) M. Taraz (WFYP, June 2021) who will speak about her doctoral dissertation entitled, Lighting Neural Maps: Using a Neuroscience Lens to Examine Quantitative Performance from Urban Districts. Hengameh (Heny) successfully defended her dissertation recently and will have her degree conferred in January.

Members of the Ph.D. Educational Studies community and guests are invited to join this hyflex presentation on Wednesday, November 9 at 1:00 pm. If you plan to attend in-person, the presentation will take place at 1815 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge MA, 2nd floor, Univ. Hall 2-150. If you plan to join virtually, a zoom link to this presentation appears below.

Meeting Info
Meeting ID: 982 9623 6762

Passcode: [REDACTED]

A Reading from Miss Chloe: A Memoir of a Literary Friendship with Toni Morrison
2022-12-02 16:30 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | McCosh Hall 40, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544, United States
Author A.J. Verdelle will read from her book Miss Chloe: A Memoir of a Literary Friendship with Toni Morrison at the McCosh Hall at Princeton University.

Kate's Kid Book Bash: Pittsburgh's Book Festival for Kids and Teens with Sabrina Fedel
2022-12-03 11:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | The Kingsley Association, 6435 Frankstown Ave, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15206, United States
Sabrina Fedel (WFYP, January 2014) will be one of the authors featured at this Pittsburgh event. A full list of participating authors can be found here.

Live at Brookline Booksmith! Nathan Tavares: A Fractured Infinity
2022-12-07 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, Massachusetts, 02446-2908, United States
In person at Brookline Booksmith! Celebrate the release of A Fractured Infinity with author Nathan Tavares, in conversation with David Farrow. The venue asks attendees to RSVP ahead of time in case of high volume. You can also reserve a book for pickup after the event, or preorder it and have it shipped from the store.

Nathan Tavares (Fiction, June 2011) is a writer from Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in the Portuguese-American community of southeastern Massachusetts and developed a love for fantastical stories at an early age, from superheroes to mythology.

Moderator David Farrow (Fiction, June 2022) is the author of the Neverglades paranormal mystery series, which started as a cult success on Reddit, became a bestselling book series on Amazon, and is now being adapted as a video game. Like Nathan, he is a Fiction alum from Lesley University’s MFA program and a writer of all things queer and speculative.

The Golden Land - CCW Book Launch with Elizabeth Shick
2022-12-08 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Online Zoom Event
Join us for this celebration of Elizabeth Shick’s debut novel, The Golden Land, which was inspired by the six years she lived in Yangon, Myanmar, and is the winner of the 2021 AWP Prize for the Novel.

Purchase Here

The event will take place during the following time zones:

8:00 PM December 8 Boston

7:00 AM December 9 Dhaka

7:30 AM December 9 Yangon

12:00 PM December 9 Melbourne

Virtual Author Reading with Laurie Foos
2022-12-13 13:30 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | PBALC Facebook Page
Laurie Foos (MFA Writing Faculty; Fiction) will be giving a reading from her most recent book, THE OTHER, and participating in a Q & A with Permian Basin Adult Literacy Center. The live event will be streamed on the @PBAdultLiteracyCenter Facebook page and their LinkedIn account.

Lesley MFA Reading Series: Erin Belieu and Jason Reynolds
2023-01-06 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | University Hall Amphitheater, 99 Brattle St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States
Join the Lesley community for an evening reading by Erin Belieu (MFA Writing Faculty; Poetry) and Jason Reynolds (MFA Writing Faculty; WFYP). The event is free and open to the public, both in-person and via Zoom.

All Lesley Reads: Visiting Writer, Meg Day
2023-01-07 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | University Hall Amphitheater, 99 Brattle St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States
Join the Lesley MFA community for the All Lesley Reads event with visiting writer, Meg Day. This event is open to the public both in-person and on Zoom.

Meg Day was raised in northern California’s Bay Area. Day holds a B.A. from the University of California, San Diego, an M.F.A. from Mills College, and a Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing with an emphasis on Disability Poetics from the University of Utah where Day was a Steffensen-Cannon Fellow, a United States Point Foundation Scholar, and Poetry Editor for Quarterly West. The 2015-2016 recipient of the Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship and a 2013 recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, Day has also received awards and fellowships from the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, The Amy Clampitt Fund, Lambda Literary Foundation, Hedgebrook, Squaw Valley Writers, the Taft-Nicholson Center for Environmental Humanities, and the International Queer Arts Festival. Day is Assistant Professor of English & Creative Writing in the MFA Program at North Carolina State University.

Crafting Picture Books with Heart with Visiting Writer Anika Aldamuy Denise
2023-01-08 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | University Hall Amphitheater, 99 Brattle St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States
Join the Lesley MFA community for a panel on Crafting Picture Books with Heart with visiting writer Anika Aldamuy Denise. This panel will be open to the public both on Zoom and in-person.

Anika Aldamuy Denise is the author of ten picture books including the Pura Belpré author honor-winning Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré and A Girl Named Rosita: The Story of Rita Moreno: Actor, Singer, Dancer, Trailblazer!. Raised in Queens, New York, she now lives with her husband and three daughters in Rhode Island. Visit her online at anikadenise.com.

WFYP Panel: What It Means to Write Meaningful Stories
2023-01-08 11:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | University Hall Amphitheater, 99 Brattle St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States
Join the Lesley community for a WFYP MFA Writing Faculty panel with Tracey Baptiste, Anika Aldamuy Denise, David Elliott, and Cynthia Platt. Moderated by Mikki Knudsen. This event is open to the public both in-person and on Zoom.

Lesley MFA Reading: Ellen Lewis & John Rozum
2023-01-08 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | University Hall Amphitheater, 99 Brattle St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States
Join the Lesley MFA community for a reading with Ellen Lewis (MFA Writing Faculty; WSS) and John Rozum (Graphic Novel & Comics). This event is open to the public both in-person and on Zoom.

Lesley MFA Reading: Cynthia Platt & Janet Pocorobba
2023-01-09 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | University Hall Amphitheater, 99 Brattle St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States
Join the Lesley MFA community for this reading with Cynthia Platt (MFA Writing Faculty & Alum, WFYP) and Janet Pocorobba (MFA Writing Faculty & Alum, Nonfiction). This event is open to the public both in-person and on Zoom.

Lesley MFA Reading: Sara Farizan & Doug Bauer
2023-01-11 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | University Hall Amphitheater, 99 Brattle St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States
Join the Lesley MFA community for a reading with Sara Farizan (WFYP, January 2012) and the visiting writer sponsered by Cambridge Common Writers, Doug Bauer (Fiction). This event is open to the public both in-person and on Zoom. There will be a reception hosted by CCW following the event.

Lesley MFA: Graduating Student Readings
2023-01-12 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | University Hall Amphitheater, 99 Brattle St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States
Join the Lesley community for a series of graduating student readings from Sari Boren (WSS), Erin McGinley (WSS), Katie DeBonneville (Nonfiction), Melinda Farris (Fiction), Amy Mevorach (Nonfiction), Kent Neal (Poetry), and Ashley Soden (Fiction). This event is open to the public both in-person and on Zoom.

Lesley MFA Graduating Student Readings
2023-01-13 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | University Hall Amphitheater, 99 Brattle St, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States
Join the Lesley MFA community for a series of graduating student readings from Erin Doppes (WFYP), Jeanne Foley (Nonfiction), Staci Hopkin (Poetry), Adria Karlsson (WFYP), Veronica Reilly-Granich (Fiction), L. Scully (Nonfiction), and Erin Thomas (Fiction). This event is open to the public both in-person and on Zoom.

IAWA-Boston Presents Lisa DeSiro & Diane Josefowicz
2023-01-21 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | I Am Books, 124 Salem Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02113, United States
The Italian American Writers Associate presents Lisa DeSiro (Poetry, June 2010) and Diane Josefowicz as part of their Boston Literary Series January 2023.

Lisa DeSiro is both a writer and a musician. Her collections include Simple as a Sonnet (Kelsay Books, 2021), Labor (Nixes Mate Books, 2018), and Grief Dreams (White Knuckle Press, 2017). She is a professional accompanist and also does freelance editorial work. Read more about her at thepoetpianist.com.

A novelist, historian, and editor, Diane Josefowicz grew up outside Providence, where she now lives with her family. Ready, Set, Oh is her first novel. Her second, L’Air du Temps (1985) is forthcoming in 2024 from Regal House. She serves as reviews editor at Necessary Fiction, associate fiction editor at West Trade Review, and director of communications for Swing Left Rhode Island, a progressive organization focused on electoral work.

Lily Book Launch: 'Arboretum in a Jar' by Frances Donovan
2023-01-29 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Online Event
Join Lily Poetry Review Books as they celebrate Frances Donovan’s ‘Arboretum in a Jar’ with special guest Martha Collins.

Frances Donovan’s (Poetry, June 2019) chapbook Mad Quick Hand of the Seashore was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. Donovan’s poems have appeared in Lily Poetry Review, Solstice, Heavy Feather Review, SWWIM, and elsewhere. Her interviews of other poets can be found at The Rumpus and on her website. Donovan holds an MFA in poetry from Lesley University and is a certified Poet Educator with Mass Poetry. In 2019, Boston Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola selected one of her poems to be displayed at Boston City Hall. Donovan’s work deals with themes of home, family, intergenerational trauma, and sexual and gender identity. She remembers fondly the summer of 1998, when she drove a bulldozer in a Pride parade while wearing a bustier.

Boston.com Book Club Discussion: "A Fractured Infinity" with Nathan Tavares
2023-01-31 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Online Event
Join the virtual discussion with Alex Schaffner of Brookline Booksmith and author of A Fractured Infinity, Nathan Tavares (Fiction, June 2011).

Book Party & Open Mic with Frances Donovan
2023-02-04 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Create Art in Community, 11A Corinth St, Roslindale, Massachusetts, 02131, United States
Join Frances Donovan (Poetry, June 2019) to celebrate her first book, Arboretum in a Jar, from Lily Poetry Review. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments available.
