Cambridge Common Writers

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.

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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.

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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.

Intro to Memoir - 4 weeks (with Celia Jeffries) - ONLINE
2023-02-07 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Online Zoom Event
We all have memories that stay with us. Somewhere inside them is usually a story. It may be highly subjective, but more often than not, it holds a universal truth. How do you get to that truth? How do you create a story that has energy and depth and speaks to the reader? This workshop will focus not only on WHAT is being written but also on HOW it is written. Through writing exercises, readings, and discussions of both nonfiction and fiction, we will explore techniques to awaken the personal story on the page. While writers will not be submitting work to the group for feedback, there will be lots of opportunities after in-class writing to share with the group for brief, supportive, on-the-spot feedback.

Limited to 10 writers.

WHEN: 4 Weeks: Tuesdays, February 7 – 28 (1 – 3pm EST)

WHERE: Online, via Zoom video conference (live)

Poetry Writing Workshop with L Scully
2023-02-17 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Laconia Gallery, 433 Harrison Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States
Join L Scully (Nonfiction, January 2023) for a free, generative writing workshop at the Laconia Gallery in Boston.

Writers LIVE! Adrian Matejka with Jason Reynolds
2023-03-02 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, United States
Join the Enoch Pratt Free Library for an evening with award-winning authors Adrian Matejka (MFA Writing Faculty, Poetry) and Jason Reynolds (MFA Writing Faculty, WFYP).

You Can't Kill a Poet: March 2023
2023-03-08 19:30 - 22:30 (America/New_York) | Tattooed Mom, 530 South Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19147, United States
You Can’t Kill a Poet returns with queer and trans poets from Philadelphia sharing their work in a free event at Tattooed Mom. The doors will open at 7:30pm and the reading will begin at 8:00pm.

The event is for those 21 and older and is free to attend.

Mask-wearing is welcome. Please sit this one out if you are feeling sick.

Reader’s list TBA.

This reading is offered in partnership with the Free Library of Philadelphia with support from The Pennsylvania Department of Education.

AWP Book Signing - Naomi Mulvihill
2023-03-09 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Seattle Convention Center, 705 Pike St, Seattle, Washington, 98101, United States
Naomi will be signing copies of The Knife Thrower’s Girl at the AWP Conference in Seattle, WA, at the Word Works table T411 on Thursday, March 9, from 2:00-3:00.

AWP Offsite Reading with Naomi Mulvihill
2023-03-10 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1113 6th Avenue, Seattle, Washington, 98101, United States
Friday night, Naomi Mulvihill (Poetry, 2011) will be reading from The Knife Thrower’s Girl at the Word Works Offsite Reading. It will be from 5:30-7:00 in the Yellowstone Room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Seattle-Downtown, 1113 6th Avenue, a 10 minute walk from the Convention Center.

The Long Field with Pamela Petro in Conversation with Annie Garthwaite
2023-03-12 15:00 - 16:00 UTC | St Chad’s Church Hall, 1 St Chad's Terrace, Shrewsbury, SY1 1JL, United Kingdom
Celebrate the publication of the paperback of Pamela Petro (MFA Writing Faculty, Nonfiction & Comics & Graphic Novels)‘s memoir, The Long Field. Refreshments will be provided.

Elizabeth Shick, author of The Golden Land, with Michael Lowenthal
2023-03-16 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Porter Square Books, 1815 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02140, United States
Porter Square Books will welcome Elizabeth Shick (Fiction, January 2019), author of The Golden Land, for an event with Michael Lowenthal (MFA Writing Faculty, Fiction)! This event will take place on Thursday, March 16 at 7pm at Porter Square Books (25 White St. Cambridge, MA 02140). RSVP below to let the bookstore know you’re coming and to receive event updates.

Cynthia Platt Storytime and Book Signing
2023-04-01 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Charter Books, 8 Broadway, Newport, Rhode Island, 02840, United States
Prolific children’s author Cynthia Platt joins Charter Books for a special Easter storytime and a signing of her new book Easter Starring Egg. Kids of all ages welcome!

Others may get picked first at the Easter egg hunt, but Egg has sparkle on the outside, confidence on the inside, and the patience to wait for his perfect kid. This glittery, rhyming book includes sheets of egg-decorating stickers.The big Easter egg hunt may be a time to hide, but Egg wants to stand out! Bedazzled in glitter, and fancied up for his big rendezvous with the perfect kid, Egg knows deep down in his yolk that a special friendship is about to be hatched with the kid who will see him for him. This perfect Easter basket stuffer features rhyming text, colorful illustrations, a sparkly cover, and egg-decorating stickers.

Cynthia Platt is the author of books for young readers for all ages, ranging from board books to young adult fiction. Her picture books include Easter Starring Egg, Grow, A Little Bit of Love, and Panda-monium. She’s also the author of the young middle grade novel Parker Bell & the Science of Friendship, the YA novel Postcards from Summer, and numerous Curious George books. Cynthia is on faculty at Lesley University’s MFA in Creative Writing program and teach undergraduate liberal arts courses at Montserrat College of Art. You can learn more about her at cynthiaplattbooks.com, or can find her on social media at: Twitter: @cynplatt; Instagram: @cynthiaplattbooks.

IN-PERSON: Poetry Night with DeWitt Henry, Caitlin Krause, and Adam Scheffler
2023-04-03 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Wellesley Books, 82 Central Street, Wellesley, Massachusetts, 02482, United States
April is National Poetry Month and Wellesley Books will be hosting events throughout the month. First up is an evening with poets DeWitt Henry, Caitlin Krause (Poetry, June 2007), and Adam Scheffler.

Caitlin Krause is a virtual reality experience designer teaching about digital well-being at Stanford. She is the author of two nonfiction books, Mindful by Design (2019) and Designing Wonder (2021). Her latest book of poems is Digital Satori (2023). She founded the consultancy MindWise in 2016, and she develops experiences and events in extended reality. She holds a BA from Duke University and an MFA in poetry from Lesley University.
