Literary Events Around Indiana

April 2022

Updated 4/27/22

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 listed here.

To be featured in our “Literary Events Around Indiana” monthly events blog, email the details to mail@indianawriters.org.

Poetry Month Open Mic at Morgenstern’s

Poetry Month Open Mic at Morgenstern’s: Another April nearing its close, another year of poetry to celebrate. Join us, this upcoming Saturday, April 30th at 6:30pm, as we celebrate Independent Bookstore Day and the final day of National Poetry Month with an open mic invitation. All poets are welcome to share an original piece or a favorite reading from another poet. Hosted by Eric Brotheridge and Samantha Eads, this is a casual gathering where everyone is welcome. If you would like to be guaranteed a spot to read for the evening, please complete the sign-up form here:  https://forms.gle/d1q8uvR32eR54EZp6

Youth Poetry Slam presented by VOICES

Speed City Partners in Crime April Guest Speaker

April 23, 2022 1 – 2:30 EST

Dr. D.P. Lyle will talk about forensics—from fingerprint analysis to crime scene reconstruction — how the science works, how it helps in crime solving, and how you as a writer might use this technique in crafting your plot.

Lyle is an Amazon bestselling author and is an award-winning writer of 22 books, both fiction and non-fiction, including the SAMANTHA CODY, DUB WALKER, JAKE LONGLY, and CAIN/HARPER thriller series, and the ROYAL PAINS media tie-in novels.    

Register here

Virtual Talk with Alicia Ostriker

The IUPUI Arts & Humanities Institute is hosting poet Alicia Ostriker for a virtual talk on April 14^th at 6 PM as part of the 2021-22 Religion, Spirituality, & the Arts seminar. 

Alicia Ostriker has published 19 collections of poetry, been twice nominated for the National Book Award, and has twice received the National Jewish Book Award for Poetry, among other honors. As a critic she is the author of the now-classic Stealing the Language: the Emergence of Women’s Poetry in America, and other books on poetry and on the Bible, notably The Nakedness of the Fathers; Biblical visions and Revisions. Her most recent collections of poems are Waiting for the Light and The Volcano and After: Selected and New Poems 2002-2019. Her poems have been translated into numerous languages including Hebrew and Arabic. She was New York State Poet Laureate (2018-2021) and a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets (2015-2020).

Register HERE

“All the Stars” at Amp Indy

You do NOT want to miss this FREE, Ultra Black event honoring Maurice Broaddus’ newest book release “Sweep of Stars”

Good food, incredible celebration of Black Arts in Indianapolis (Black NAPaissance), an incredible afro futurism fashion segment full of handmade items will introduce our guest of honor, followed by a Cypher that’s open to your freestyles.

Cosplay is encouraged and celebrated. This will be an event that redefines how we celebrate Black Literary Arts.

Talk of the Town: “The 9th Best Storyteller” told by Anthony Sacre

April 9, 2022 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 PM EST

Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center
450 West Ohio St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
COST:$35 – $60

Click here for more information

Butler Visiting Writers Series: Ada Limon

Monday, April 11 @ 7:30PM Butler University’s Shelton Auditorium

NO TICKETS REQUIRED

ABOUT ADA LIMÓN
Ada Limón is the author of six books of poetry, including “The Carrying,” which won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. Her book “Bright Dead Things” was nominated for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. Her work has been supported most recently by a Guggenheim Fellowship. She grew up in Sonoma, California and now lives in Lexington, Kentucky where she writes, teaches remotely, and hosts the critically-acclaimed poetry podcast, The Slowdown. Her new book of poetry, “The Hurting Kind,” is forthcoming from Milkweed Editions in May 2022.

The Culture on 10th Street Teen Black Art Exhibition

The Culture on 10th Street event features visual artists, businesses, singers/music, and poets from all over Indiana. Our purpose is to highlight African American artists, of all forms, and businesses and give them a proper platform to show their craft. All are welcome to take part!

Sat, April 16, 2022 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM EDT

2301 E 10th St/Indianapolis, IN 46201

Register for The Culture on 10th Street

Indy Story Slam

April 20, 2022 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Virtual & Centerpoint Brewing Company
1125 E. Brookside Ave Indianapolis, IN 46202

Free

A fun night for storytellers of every skill level, designed as an after-work event to relax and unwind. There’s prizes!

Check out Storytelling Arts of Indiana for more information.

If you can’t make it to see the slam in person, watch the livestream on YouTube.com/StorytellingArts, our Facebook page and the Freetown Village Facebook page.

A Night of Poetry at The Spot

…readings by John Leo, Kristine Esser Slentz, and Devon Ginn

Saturday, April 23, 2022

7:00 PM  9:30 PM

Spot Tavern: 409 South 4th Street Lafayette, IN, 47901United States (map)

Google Calendar  ICS

*on the patio, weather permitting

Youth Poetry Slam

April 24th, 5:00pm-9:00pm 

Join us at the Fountain Square Theater for the City-Wide Youth Poetry Slam!  We’ll welcome lots of special guests and support our youth!  Are you a youth poet interested in participating?  Email Lauren Hall Riggins at LHall@voicescorp.org!

VOICES will be collecting paper products as a donation in lieu of tickets at this event.

Personal and Political Identities Through Writing with Ashley Mack-Jackson

Sun, April 24, 2022, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM EDT (online event)

Join Indy-local Ashley Mack-Jackson and the Heartland Society of Women Writers for a two-hour writing workshop. Identity, inclusion, marginalization. These are words we often hear in today’s public discourse. But, the conversation around identity (how we see ourselves and are seen by others) is often so politicized that it loses personal relevance. In this workshop, we will reconnect with our personal and political identities through writing about how we fit (or don’t fit) into the communities that have shaped us.

This workshop is open for all those who identify as writing women, This event is made possible with the support of Indiana Humanities and Glick Philanthropies. We are very thankful and excited about this workshop!

ASHLEY MACK-JACKSON is the co-founder of Word As Bond, Inc., an organization that provides free creative writing education to young writers. She is an assistant professor and assistant department chair of English for the Central Indiana region of Ivy Tech Community College and editorial assistant for The Indianapolis Review. Her work has appeared in The Indianapolis Anthology, Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, Callaloo, and elsewhere.

Brick Street Poetry

Poetry on Brick Street Series

We meet the first Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm at Sullivan Munce Cultural Center, 225 West Hawthorne Street, Zionsville, IN 46077.

The next month’s Guest Poet: Poets from the Haiku for Hikers anthology reading with accompanying PowerPoint.

Irving Theater Weekly Poetry Open Mic

Every Thursday night
7:00p – 9:00 PM EST
LOCAL POETS * ORIGINAL POETRY * COME READ OR LISTEN]

A completely nonjudgmental and safe space to share poetry! Every Thursday on the deck at the Irving Theater in the Summer, inside all Winter. Performances are broadcast live on our Facebook page (link below). Come enjoy original poetry and readings from local and regional artists, or present your own poetry.

This event is free.

FACEBOOK LIVE LINK  
For more information, visit the Irving Theater’s website

Books & Brews Open Mic