Creative Writing grad student Aylen Rounds has compiled a calendar of literary events taking place in the Ann Arbor/Detroit area. This weekly listing appears on the EMU Creative Writing listservs and here on the Creative Writing Blog. Check it out and see what strikes your interest!
Tuesday, April 26
6 p.m. – Open Mic night (music and poetry) at Solid Grounds Coffeehouse, 133 W. Main Street, Ste. 222, Northville http://www.solidgroundscoffeehouse.com
7-9 p.m. – Poetry Night at Lighthouse Coffee Company, 9 West Main Street, Milan. http://www.lighthousecoffeeco.com
Wednesday, April 27
7 p.m. – Reading with Jeff Kass, poet-in-residence for Ann Arbor Public Schools, founder/director of the VOLUME Youth Poetry Project at the Neutral Zone. Nicolas Books, 2513 Jackson Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, Ann Arbor. http://www.nicolasbooks.com
7 p.m. – Reading and book signing with mystery novelist Rhys Bowen. Aunt Agatha’s Book Shop, 213 S. 4th Ave., Ann Arbor. http://www.auntagathas.com/
Thursday, April 28
7–9:30 p.m. – An Evening of Poetry with with Daniel Kolos, Zilka Joseph, Christine Lord and musician Reka Zoltan (followed by a short open mic session.) Interfaith Center for Spiritual Growth, 704 Airport Blvd. Ann Arbor. http://www.interfaithspirit.org/
7 p.m. – Southeast Michigan Poetry Group: April meetup. A casual get-together for people who write and/or want to read poetry. Royal Oak, Michigan. ***note: this group’s information is from meetup.com, and they ask you to let them know in advance if you’d like to come hang out and share work. They meet up once a month, and this month it’s at a coffee shop. Check them out here: http://www.meetup.com/The-Southeast-Michigan-Poetry-Meetup-Group/***
Friday, April 29
6:30 p.m. – Griot Youth Story Slam (“the very best youth storytellers of Detroit”!) Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 E. Warren Ave. Warren. http://www.chwmuseum.org
7-9 p.m. – Wine and Poetry: National Poetry Month Reading featuring Randall Horton (current National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellow) and Detroit poet Daniel Ames, author of a debut collection about Detroit called Feasting at the Table of the Damned. Virgil Carr Cultural Center, 311 E. Grand River Ave, Detroit.
7 p.m. – Meet author John Pollack, whose books include “The Pun Also Rises: How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History and Made Wordplay More than Some Antics,” “Cork Boat: A True Story of the Unlikeliest Boat Ever Built,” and “The World on a String: How to Become a Freelance Foreign Correspondent.” Nicolas Books, 2513 Jackson Avenue. Ann Arbor. http://www.nicolasbooks.com
Saturday, April 30
10 a.m.-4 p.m. – Photography and Poetry Exhibit at Copper Colored Mountain Arts (CCMA): “India – A Light Within”. Photographs by Charlee Brodsky with writing and poetry by Neema Bipin Avashia and Zilka Joseph. Exhibit is open every Saturday from 10-4 now until June 15th. 7101 W. Liberty Rd, Ann Arbor. http://www.ccmarts.org
Monday, May 2
7:30–11 – Open Mic (poetry and music). Sign up begins at 7:30, performances start at 8. The Coffee Bean, 884 Penniman Avenue, Plymouth. http://www.plymouthcoffeebean.com
Ongoing
April 20–May 15th – “Working Class Heroes.” An all-media juried exhibition honoring the working class, inspired by ML Liebler’s book Working Words: Punching the Timeclock and Kicking Out the Jams, a compilation of writing from local, national and international poets and writers. Scarab Club Gallery, 217 Farnsworth St. Detroit. 313-831-1250. http://scarabclub.org.
Planning Ahead….
Registration is open now For The Metro Detroit Book and Author Society’s 78th Luncheon, being held on May 16th. Tickets are $30 and include lunch and author talks by novelists Sebastian Junger (The Perfect Storm), Diane Ackerman (A Natural History of the Senses), Erik Larson (Devil in the White City), and Karl Marlantes (Matterhorn). Nonfiction writer John Gallagher will also be featured, and arts grants will be presented. This will be held at Burton Manor Banquet and Conference Center in Livonia. http://www.bookandauthor.org/
If you have an event that you’d like to have added to next week’s list, message Aylen at aylen.rounds @ gmail.com by Sunday, May 1.