Literary Events Around Indiana – April 2021
There are many great literary events around Indiana. Looking for something to do? Below are just a few ideas.
Many events are virtual. Please confirm with the venue for scheduled events.
To be featured in our “Literary Events Around Indiana” monthly events blog, email the details to mail@indianawriters.org.
Writers Guild Spoken Word Series
Wednesday, April 7, 6 p.m. ET
Presented by The Writers Guild at Bloomington
Virtual event
featuring:
Joan Hawkins, K.H. Bower, Abegunde
reading excerpts from the forthcoming book “Rape Escapes”
performance films by Valera DeCastro. Watch live on the Writers Guild at Bloomington Facebook page.
Women Warriors: A Solidarity Reading
Thursday, April 8, 7 p.m. ET
Presented by Asian American Writers Workshop
Virtual Event, RSVP
A marathon reading featuring a powerhouse collective of Asian American women. In the aftermath of the horrific murders in Atlanta, GA, we offer this space as one for grieving, healing, and empowering. During a time marked by tragedy, anger, and loss, we look to our artistry to find and celebrate the resilience and brilliance of each and every woman warrior.
Alison C. Rollins, author of Library of Small Catastrophes (Poetry Reading)
Wednesday, April 7, 7:30 p.m. ET
Presented by the University of Indianapolis Kellogg Writers Series
Free Virtual Event, RSVP
A Cave Canem and Callaloo fellow, Alison C. Rollins is also a 2016 recipient of the Poetry Foundation’s Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship. Rollins has most recently been awarded support from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and is a recipient of a 2019 National Endowment for the Arts Literature fellowship as well as a 2018 Rona Jaffe Writers’ Award. A 2020 Pushcart Prize winner, her debut poetry collection Library of Small Catastrophes (Copper Canyon Press) is out now.
Hanif Abdurraqib Reading
Thursday, April 8, 6 p.m.
Presented by Indiana University English Department
Free Virtual Event, RSVP
Reading and Q&A with author and poet Hanif Abdurraqib. Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio. His poetry and essays have been published in Muzzle, Vinyl, Pitchfork, and The New Yorker. His first poetry collection, The Crown Ain’t Worth Much, was released in 2016 by Button Poetry. His first collection of essays, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, was released in 2017 by Two Dollar Radio and named a book of the year by Buzzfeed, Esquire, NPR, and The Chicago Tribune. He released Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest with University of Texas press in 2019. His second collection of poems, A Fortune For Your Disaster, was released in 2019 by Tin House, and won the 2020 Lenore Marshall Prize. In 2021, he will release A Little Devil In America with Random House. He is a graduate of Beechcroft High School.
WHEN STARS RAIN DOWN Launch Day Celebration
Tuesday, April 13, 6 p.m. ET
Presented by Angela Jackson-Brown
Virtual Event
Come celebrate with me on April 13, 2021 as my book, WHEN STARS RAIN DOWN, is FORMALLY introduced to the world. Toast with a glass of champagne (or water or beverage of your choice). Get entered into a drawing for a gift certificate to buy books from Irvington Vinyl & Books and find out about all of the “groovy” things that will be happening over the next few months. I will also share with you a snippet from the book scheduled to be released in 2022! I hope to see you in the Zoom Room OR on the Facebook Live.REGISTER HERE: https://tinyurl.com/rxp4wbkk
Elizabeth Eslami Reading
Wednesday, April 14, 7:30 p.m.
Presented by Depauw University Kelly Writers Series
Virtual Event
Elizabeth Eslami is the author of the story collection, Hibernate (The Ohio State University Press, 2014), for which she was awarded the Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction, and the novel Bone Worship (Pegasus, 2010). Her essays, short stories, and travel writing have appeared most recently in The Sun and Witness, and her work is featured in the anthologies Tremors: New Fiction By Iranian American Writers, Writing Off Script: Writers on the Influence of Cinema, and Voices on the Move: An Anthology by and about Refugees.
She has taught at Manhattanville College and Indiana University, and is currently an Assistant Professor of English at DePauw University.
George Orwell: Political Tyranny and the Modern Surveillance State
Thursday, April 15, 6 p.m. ET
Presented by Greensburg – Decatur County Public Library
Free Virtual Event, RSVP
George Orwell’s official biographer, Michael Shelden, walks you through the author’s life and times and reveals the powerful lessons of Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and other enduring masterpieces.
Spring 2021 Visiting Writers Reading Series: Laura van den Burg Reading
Friday, April 16, 7:30 p.m.
Presented by Purdue University Creative Writing Department
Free Virtual Event
Purdue Creative Writing Department will be (virtually) hosting novelist Laura van den Burg on the evening of April 16th at 730 PM EST. The free zoom reading will be open to the public, but registration will be required. Here is the link to register: https://tinyurl.com/purduelvdb
The Extraordinary Life of Cyclist Major Taylor Author Talk
Tuesday, April 20th, 6:30 p.m. ET
Presented by the Center for Black Literature and Culture
Virtual Event, RSVP
The Center for Black Literature and Culture invites you to an online presentation of the life of Indianapolis native Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor. Judith Thomas, Indianapolis Deputy Mayor of Neighborhood Engagement, will introduce our speaker, Michael Kranish. He the author of, “The World’s Fastest Man: The Extraordinary Life of Cyclist Major Taylor, America’s First Black Sports Hero”. Mr. Kranish will talk about Taylor’s life in Indianapolis and the prejudice he faced on his journey to becoming a world-class athlete and will answer questions from the audience.
Adaptation: From Printed Page to Big Screen with author Susan Crandall
Saturday, April 24, 12 p.m. ET
Presented by Speed City Sisters in Crime
Virtual Event
Susan will discuss how her highly acclaimed, multi-award winning novel, Whistling Past the Graveyard, captured the attention of SKR Productions and how she is working with them to develop her novel as a film.
Contact sincspeedcity@gmail.com to get the video link for this meeting.
Jazz on the Avenue: Poetry & Jazz Appreciation Month Edition
Friday, April 30, 7 p.m. ET
Presented by Madam Walker Legacy Center and Indiana Writers Center
Free Virtual Event (registration info forthcoming)
Featuring poets Curtis L. Crisler, Lydian Johnson, Chantel Massey, Adrian Matejka, Nick Reading, and Manon Voice, with music by Clint Breeze and the Groove. More information coming soon! Free event. Registration details will be provided in the coming days. Save the date!