Notable Philadelphia: 2/25–3/2
Tuesday 2/25: Blue Stoop will present Rachel Vorona Cote, author of Too Much: How Victorian Restraints Still Bind Women Today, in conversation with Sarah Marshall. 6:30 p.m. at People’s Books and Culture.
The Free Library will host a reading by Gish Jen, author of The Registers. 7:30 p.m. at Free Library of Philadelphia.
Wednesday 2/26: The University of Pennsylvania Bookstore will celebrate Black History month with their 2020 African American Read-in featuring Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, author of The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games. 5 p.m. at University of Pennsylvania Bookstore.
Kelly Writers House will host “Sensible Nonsense,” a celebration of the humor, pathos, and enduring wisdom of children’s books. Featuring readings by Gabriela Alvarado, Yiwei Chai, Rodney Dailey, Kae Lani Palmisano, Rebecca Stuhr, and Eric Smith. 6 p.m. at Kelly Writers House.
Toho Journal will host a “Thousand-Word Workshop” at Win Win Coffee Bar. Bring 1,000 words of something you’re working on, read your work to the group, and have your piece critiqued. Limited to 16 participants. Advance registration required. 6 p.m. at Win Win Coffee Bar.
Wooden Shoe Books and Records will host a discussion with Branko Marcetic, author of Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden. 7 p.m. at Wooden Shoe Books and Records.
Moonstone Arts will present an evening of poetry featuring readings by Martin Jude Farawell and Ona Gritz, followed by an open mic. Hosted by Alina Macneal and Jennifer Hooks. 7 p.m. at Fergie’s Pub.
Thursday 2/27: The University of Pennsylvania Bookstore will present a book talk and musical performance by Stephen Tow, author of London, Reign Over Me: How England’s Capital Built Classic Rock. 6 p.m. at University of Pennsylvania Bookstore.
Kelly Writers House will present a poetry reading by Major Jackson, featuring an introduction by Herman Beavers. 6 p.m. at Kelly Writers House.
People’s Books and Culture will present Vikram Paralkar, author of Night Theater, in conversation with Nathaniel Popkin. 6:30 p.m. at People’s Books and Culture.
Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books will host a conversation with Zachary Norris, author of We Keep Us Safe: Building Secure, Just, and Inclusive Communities. 7 p.m. at Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books.
The February meetup of the fiction book club at A Novel Idea on Passyunk will feature a discussion of One Book One Philadelphia 2020 selection There There by Tommy Orange. 7 p.m. at A Novel Idea on Passyunk.
The Free Library will host a book release event for Here for It, Or, How to Save Your Soul in America by R. Eric Thomas. 7:30 p.m. at Free Library of Philadelphia.
Friday 2/28: A Novel Idea on Passyunk will host a party in honor of having sold one hundred copies of The Vampire Gideon’s Suicide Hotline & Halfway House for Orphaned Girls by Andrew Katz. Featuring a short reading by Andrew Katz, a book signing, a raffle, and light refreshments. 6:30 p.m. at A Novel Idea on Passyunk.
People’s Books and Culture will present an author talk, Q&A, and book signing with Margarita Montimore, author of Oona Out of Order. 6:30 p.m. at People’s Books and Culture.
Wooden Shoe Books and Records will present Malcolm Harris, author of Shit Is Fucked Up and Bullshit, in conversation with Patrick Blanchfield. 7 p.m. at Wooden Shoe Books and Records.
Saturday 2/29: Blue Stoop will present Brandon Taylor, author of Real Life, in conversation with Fajr Muhammad. 2 p.m. at People’s Books and Culture.
A Novel Idea on Passyunk will host “Frogs: A Leap-Year Reading and Live Podcast Recording” with Atticus Review, Mason Jar Press, and Dead Rabbits Books. Featuring readings by Brian Birnbaum, Darla Himeles, and Elizabeth Deanna Morris Lakes. 7 p.m. at A Novel Idea on Passyunk.
Sunday 3/1: A Novel Idea on Passyunk and Ground Up Coffee Shop will present “Brunch with a Book,” a special, private event where you can hang out in the bookstore while snacking on fresh baked goods and refreshments sourced by local partners. $25 admission includes food, refreshments, and one paperback book ($16 value). Tickets available online. 10:30 a.m. at A Novel Idea on Passyunk.
People’s Books and Culture will host an afternoon of readings featuring Isobel Bess, Patrick Blagrave, Jordan Davis, Ron Silliman, and Jason Zuzga. 2:30 p.m. at People’s Books and Culture.
Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books will present Ruha Benjamin, author of Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code, in conversation with Dorothy Roberts. 3 p.m. at Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books.
Wooden Shoe Books and Records will present AK Thompson, author of Black Bloc, White Riot: Antiglobalization and the Genealogy of Dissent, in conversation with Kim Kelly. 7 p.m. at Wooden Shoe Books and Records.
Monday 3/2: Kelly Writers House will present “Calle de la Resistencia: Narrative, Poetry, and Perreo Combativo from an Afrolesbian Boricua,” a discussion with Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro. 6 p.m. at Kelly Writers House.
The Monday Poets series will present a reading by David Ebenbach followed by an open mic. 6:30 p.m. at Free Library of Philadelphia.
Toho Journal will host a generative writing workshop at A Novel Idea. Limited to 18 attendees, advance registration required. 7 p.m. at A Novel Idea on Passyunk.
*
Philly Recommended Reading: Each week we’ll recommend work by a local writer featured in Notable. This week, it’s “He Was a Visitor” by Ron Silliman (Poetry, January 1969). Enjoy!
***
If you have a Philadelphia event listing you’d like us to consider for Notable Philadelphia, please contact notablePhiladelphia@therumpus.net as far in advance as possible, and include the date of the event in the subject line.
***
Logo art by Max Winter.