In the May 2023 edition of “Best of Boston,” we bring you our top Boston lit events this month, taking place virtually and in-person. See below for our list of local literary happenings.
Rory Power, author of In an Orchard Grown From Ash, in conversation with CL Herman
Monday, May 1 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to welcome Rory Power, author of In an Orchard Grown From Ash, in conversation with C. L. Herman. Learn more and register here.
Monday, May 1 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes David Sengeh — Obama Foundation Leaders Africa Fellow and Chairman of the Global Education Monitoring Report to UNESCO — for a discussion of his first book Radical Inclusion: Seven Steps to Help You Create a More Just Workplace, Home, and World. Learn more and register here.
WDtS Online: What We Don’t Say: Writing Great Dialogue
Tuesday, May 2 | 3:30pm ET | Workshop Fee: $0
A Virtual Workshop by GrubStreet’s Write Down the Street Program, in partnership with the Boston Public Library
The task of figuring out your characters’ voices–figuring out what they say and when they say it–in your screenplay can be a daunting one. But what about focusing on what your characters don’t say? In this fun and interactive workshop, participants will learn approaches to dialogue and subtext in dramatic writing through prompts and writing activities. Learn more and register here.
Summer 2023 Virtual Open House & Info Session
Tuesday, May 2 | 5:30pm ET | Event Fee: $0
A Virtual Event by GrubStreet
Love to write but don’t have anywhere to get feedback on your work? Want to meet fellow writers and work under the guidance of published authors? GrubStreet is here to help! We will be hosting a Virtual Open House to talk about upcoming summer 2023 classes, GrubStreet’s membership program, The Muse & The Marketplace Conference Series, GrubStreet’s Boston Writers of Color Group, and more! Learn more and register here.
Hanna Halperin, author of I Could Live Here Forever, in conversation with Allegra Goodman
Tuesday, May 2 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to present Hanna Halperin, author of I Could Live Here Forever, joined in conversation by Allegra Goodman. Learn more and register here.
Blair Hurley, author of Minor Prophets, in conversation with Courtney Sender and Ilyon Woo
Tuesday, May 2 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by GrubStreet and Porter Square Books: Boston Edition
PSB: Boston Edition and GrubStreet are delighted to welcome Blair Hurley, author of Minor Prophets. Courtney Sender and Ilyon Woo will join the author in conversation. Learn more and register here.
The Sun and the Star: A Conversation with Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
Tuesday, May 2 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $35 (Book Included)
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith and the Chevalier Theatre
Celebrate the release of The Sun and the Star with authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro. Learn more and register here.
Tuesday, May 2 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Maxim D. Shrayer — bilingual author, scholar, translator, and Professor at Boston College — for a discussion of his new memoir Immigrant Baggage: Morticians, Purloined Diaries, and Other Theatrics of Exile. Learn more and register here.
WDtS Online: Taking Up Space Multilingually 2.0 (Bilingual)
Starting Wednesday, May 3 | 5:00pm ET | Workshop Fee: $0
A Virtual, Multi-Week Workshop by GrubStreet’s Write Down the Street Program, in partnership with the Boston Public Library
What if your writing didn’t need to be explained or translated? What if you could bring all of your different intersections to the page? In these sessions we’ll allow ourselves to write for and to those who get it. We’ll step outside the box of what is deemed acceptable in writing. As multilingual contemporary writers, we will read, discuss, and dissect published works of multilingual authors, and write to prompts where our many languages will flow seamlessly to create deeper meaning and more poetry in our work. Learn more and register here.
Wednesday Writing “Date” Night
Wednesdays, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 | 6:30pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event Series by GrubStreet
For many of us, writing is a key component to our happiness, our fulfillment, and our aspirations. But how many of us make regular dates with our writing? Why does everyone and everything else come first? This year, make a regular date with your writing at GrubStreet’s Wednesday Writing “Date” Nights. Learn more and register here.
Wednesday, May 3 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $32
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Harvard Library
Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, and the Harvard Library welcome Chris Wiggins — associate professor of applied mathematics at Columbia University and the Chief Data Scientist at The New York Times — and Matthew L. Jones — professor of history at Columbia University — for a discussion of their new book How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms. Learn more and register here.
Brendan Ballou presents Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America
Wednesday, May 3 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
A Virtual Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Brendan Ballou — federal prosecutor who also served as Special Counsel for Private Equity in the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division — for a discussion of his new book Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America. He will be joined in conversation by Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Sloan School at MIT, Simon Johnson. Learn more and register here.
Transnational Literature Series: Shubha Sunder with Grace Talusan
Wednesday, May 3 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $29.95
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith for an in-store event with author Shubha Sunder to discuss and celebrate the release of her new short story collection Boomtown Girl. She will be in conversation with author Grace Talusan. Learn more and register here.
Angeline Boulley: Warrior Girl Unearthed
Wednesday, May 3 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $29.99
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith and the Public Library of Brookline
Celebrate the release of Warrior Girl Unearthed with Firekeeper’s Daughter author Angeline Boulley. Learn more and register here.
Emily Franklin presents The Lioness of Boston
Wednesday, May 3 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Emily Franklin — poet and award-winning author who has appeared in the New York Times and the Boston Globe — for a discussion of her new book The Lioness of Boston. She will be joined in conversation by Jessica Shattuck — award-winning author of The Women in the Castle. Learn more and register here.
Cleyvis Natera in Conversation with Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Thursday, May 4 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Boston Writers of Color Group, GrubStreet
Join the Boston Writers of Color Group for an evening of discussion with author of Neruda in the Park, Cleyvis Natera. Learn more and register here.
Katie Cotugno with Karen McManus: Liar’s Beach
Thursday, May 4 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $28.99
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Celebrate the release of Liar’s Beach with author Katie Cotugno, in conversation with Karen McManus. Learn more and register here.
Philip Zelikow presents Lessons from the Covid War: An Investigative Report
Thursday, May 4 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
A Virtual Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Philip Zelikow — White Burkett Miller Professor of History at the University of Virginia and member of the American Academy of Diplomacy — for a discussion of his new book Lessons from the Covid War: An Investigative Report. He will be joined in conversation by Chief Executive Officer of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Dr. Richard J. Hatchett and Assistant Professor at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Kendall Hoyt. Learn more and register here.
Maria Sansone presents Oh $#!% What’s for Dinner?: No-Fuss Weeknight Recipes You’ll Swear By
Thursday, May 4 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $6 – $26.75
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store and the Brattle Theatre
Harvard Book Store welcomes Emmy award-winning television host Maria Sansone for a discussion of her new book Oh $#!% What’s for Dinner?: No-Fuss Weeknight Recipes You’ll Swear By. She will be joined in conversation by Emmy award-winning journalist Colton Bradford of NBC10 Boston. Learn more and register here.
Authors Elizabeth Graver and Aaron Hamburger in Conversation
Thursday, May 4 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Graver, author of Kantika, and Aaron Hamburger, author of Hotel Cuba. Learn more and register here.
Thursday, May 4 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Morra Aarons-Mele — founder of Women Online and The Mission List and host of The Anxious Achiever, a top-10 management podcast — for a discussion of her new book The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears Into Your Leadership Superpower. She will be joined in conversation by Moshe Cohen, founder of The Negotiating Table and senior lecturer at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. Learn more and register here.
The Massachusetts Poetry Festival
Friday, May 5 – Sunday, May 7 | Event Fee: Starting at $30
An In-Person Event by Mass Poetry
This year’s Festival will feature headline poets Cameron Awkward-Rich, Andrea Cohen, Mahogany L. Browne, Franny Choi, Katie Farris, Kimiko Hahn, Ilya Kaminsky, Matthew Olzmann, January Gill O’Neil, Mosab Abu Toha, and more. The Festival will offer poetry readings, workshops, panels, multi-genre performances, and a special performance by the Boston Typewriter Orchestra. Learn more and register here.
Writing to Heal Immersive Graduation Reading 2023
Friday, May 5 | 6:30pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by GrubStreet’s Writing to Heal Immersive Program
Come celebrate the newest batch of Writing to Heal Immersive graduates as they finish off their year-long involvement in GrubStreet’s competitive immersive program! Current students and program alumni will read excerpts of their projects. This event is free, and food and refreshments will be provided. Learn more and register here.
Becky Albertalli, author of Imogen, Obviously, in conversation with Sara Farizan
Friday, May 5 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to welcome Becky Albertalli, author of Imogen, Obviously. Sara Farizan will join the author in conversation. Learn more and register here.
Cassandra Khaw with Paul Tremblay: The Salt Grows Heavy
Friday, May 5 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $31.99
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Celebrate the release of The Salt Grows Heavy with author Cassandra Khaw, in conversation with Paul Tremblay. Learn more and register here.
Aaron Sachs presents Stay Cool: Why Dark Comedy Matters in the Fight Against Climate Change
Friday, May 5 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Aaron Sachs — author and Professor of History and American Studies at Cornell University — for a discussion of his new book Stay Cool: Why Dark Comedy Matters in the Fight Against Climate Change. He will be joined in conversation by writer and historian Megan Kate Nelson. Learn more and register here.
Saturday, May 6 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books: Boston Edition
Porter Square Books: Boston Edition hosts another Open Mic Night! Join us for a night of poetry, stand up comedy, storytelling, and performance. This event is free and open to all. Sign up here or at the door to perform a set of 5-10 minutes, or just come to spectate and cheer everybody on! If you sign up in advance, check in with a bookseller when you arrive. Learn more and register here.
Transnational Literature Series: In the Hour of War – Poetry from Ukraine
Saturday, May 6 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith for an in-store event with a showcase of poets, translators, and artists from four new books that consider what it means to be Ukrainian during unthinkable times. Learn more and register here.
Sarah Prager, author of A Child’s Introduction to Pride
Sunday, May 7 | 10:00am ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to welcome Sarah Prager, author of A Child’s Introduction to Pride: The Inspirational History and Culture of the LGBTQIA+ Community! Learn more and register here.
Steven Wright, author of Harold
Sunday, May 7 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books: Boston Edition
Porter Square Books: Boston Edition is thrilled to welcome iconic stand-up comedian Steven Wright for his first book, Harold. Learn more and register here.
Writing the Family Odyssey 2.0
Monday, May 8 | 4:00pm ET | Workshop Fee: $0
An In-Person Workshop by GrubStreet’s Write Down the Street Program, in partnership with the Boston Public Library – Grove Hall Branch
Have you or a family member made the leap from one country, one culture, one language to another? Has a particular immigration story in your family been told at every reunion you can remember, and you’d like to write it down? Join us for this session in which we’ll read writers like Jamaica Kincaid and Edwige Danticat, recall the stories that make up our family mythology, and write to prompts designed to help you tell these stories in compelling ways. Learn more and register here.
Isabella Hammad presents Enter Ghost
Monday, May 8 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Isabella Hammad — award-winning writer and National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree — for a discussion of her new novel Enter Ghost. She will be joined in conversation by Andrew Martin, author of Early Work — a New York Times notable book of 2018. Learn more and register here.
The Wilbur: Sasha Velour “The Big Reveal Live Show!”
Monday, May 8 | 8:00pm ET | Event Fee: $45 – $100
An In-Person Event by the Wilbur Theatre and Brookline Booksmith
Sasha Velour presents an immersive evening of drag, storytelling, and live art, in celebration of her forthcoming book The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag (Harper Books, April 4, 2023). Learn more and register here.
Memoir Incubator Graduation Reading 2023
Tuesday, May 9 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by GrubStreet’s Memoir Incubator Program
Come hear the newest batch of Memoir Incubator graduates as they finish off their year-long involvement in GrubStreet’s competitive memoir-writing program. Each of our ten students will read five-minute excerpts of their books. If you’ve wanted to know what all the hubbub is about, here’s your chance! This event is free, and refreshments will be provided. Learn more and register here.
Holly Goldberg Sloan, author of Pieces of Blue, in conversation with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Tuesday, May 9 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is thrilled to welcome Holly Goldberg Sloan for her adult debut, Pieces of Blue. Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. will join her in conversation. Learn more and register here.
Tuesday, May 9 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $40
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Celebrate the release of The Ferryman with author Justin Cronin. Learn more and register here.
Tuesday, May 9 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Melissa Hope Ditmore — freelance consultant for the United Nations, the US Agency for International Development, and the Hilton Foundation — for a discussion of her new book Unbroken Chains: The Hidden Role of Human Trafficking in the American Economy. Learn more and register here.
Racquel Marie with Jake Maia Arlow: You Don’t Have a Shot
Tuesday, May 9 | 8:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $50
A Virtual Event by Brookline Booksmith
Celebrate the release of You Don’t Have a Shot with author Racquel Marie, in conversation with Jake Maia Arlow. Learn more and register here.
Wednesday, May 10 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books: Boston Edition
Please join us for the new Porter Square Books: Boston Edition Book Club! We’ll be meeting on the second Wednesday of each month at 6pm at Porter Square Books: Boston Edition (50 Liberty Dr. Boston, MA 02210). For details on this month’s book pick, visit this page. Please RSVP here to let us know you’re coming!
Wednesday, May 10 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $31
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store and the Cambridge Public Library
Harvard Book Store welcomes Mitchell Zuckoff — author, member of the Boston Globe Spotlight Team, and recipient of the Livingston Award for International Reporting — for a discussion of his new book The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan. He will be joined in conversation by writer, activist, educator, and recipient of the Malalai Medal, Homeira Qaderi. Learn more and register here.
Cognoscenti Presents Redefining Motherhood for the 21st Century
Wednesday, May 10 | 6:30pm ET | Event Fee: $5 – $25
An In-Person Event by Cognoscenti and WBUR CitySpace
Grab your parents, siblings, friends and mentors for an evening celebrating the power of mothers in honor of Mother’s Day. Cognoscenti, WBUR’s ideas and opinion page, presents an inspiring evening of readings, performances and conversations about the shifting perception of motherhood, from the invisible costs of caregiving to surviving the world of mommy influencers and more. Radio Boston host Tiziana Dearing emcees. Learn more and register.
Morgan Baker, author of Emptying the Nest, in conversation with Rebecca Steinitz
Wednesday, May 10 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to welcome Morgan Baker, author of Emptying the Nest, for an event in conversation with Rebecca Steinitz. Learn more and register here.
Katie Holten presents The Language of Trees: A Rewilding of Literature and Landscape
Wednesday, May 10 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Katie Holten — artist and activist who represented Ireland at the Venice Biennale in 2003 — for a discussion of her new book The Language of Trees: A Rewilding of Literature and Landscape. She will be joined in conversation by horticulturist, garden designer, and current Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Rebecca McMackin. Learn more and register here.
Alexandra Petri presents Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up)
Thursday, May 11 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $6 – $29.75
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store and the Brattle Theatre
Harvard Book Store welcomes Alexandra Petri — humorist and author of Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why — for a discussion of her new book Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up). She will be joined in conversation by Randall Munroe — author and illustrator of the best-selling What If? series. Learn more and register here.
Priscilla Gilman, author of The Critic’s Daughter, in conversation with Alysia Abbott
Thursday, May 11 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to present Priscilla Gilman, author of The Critic’s Daughter, for an event in conversation with Alysia Abbott. Learn more and register here.
Andrew Krivak presents Like the Appearance of Horses
Thursday, May 11 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Andrew Krivak — novelist and winner of both the Chautauqua Prize and Dayton Literary Peace Prize — for a discussion of his new novel Like the Appearance of Horses. Learn more and register here.
More than Words: The Art of Crafting Lists
Friday, May 12 | 12:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Workshop by GrubStreet
A good list is effective because it is selective! In this session, we’ll investigate the ways lists in their many forms can establish a point of view (perspective), generate power, add depth to a character or the “I” of an essay, and help develop abstract ideas, feelings, and subjects in a piece of nonfiction writing. We’ll look at examples of some of literature’s greatest lists to understand how they evoke a complex response in a reader through word choice, order, length, detail, rhythm, omission, and careful curation. Learn more and register here.
Friday, May 12 | 5:30pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Writing Session by GrubStreet
Looking to add some creativity to your day? Want to meet other local writers and get started on some new writing? Meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some frighteningly fresh writing exercises. Best of all, you’ll leave with some new ideas to ponder for the rest of your day and beyond. Please note that you must register ahead of time to attend this session. Learn more and register here.
Andrew McCarthy presents Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain
Friday, May 12 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $29.75
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store and the Brattle Theatre
Harvard Book Store welcomes Andrew McCarthy — actor, director, and award winning travel writer — for a discussion of his new memoir Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain. Learn more and register here.
Brianna Holt presents In Our Shoes: On Being a Young Black Woman in Not-So “Post-Racial” America
Friday, May 12 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Brianna Holt — author, writer, and reporter who has been published in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Cut, The Atlantic and more — for a discussion of her new book In Our Shoes: On Being a Young Black Woman in Not-So “Post-Racial” America. She will be joined in conversation by Paris Alston — co-host of Morning Edition and The Wake Up podcast at GBH News. Learn more and register here.
Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP): Free Saturday Writing Sessions
Saturday, May 13 | 12:00pm ET | Workshop Fee: $0
In-Person/Virtual Workshops by GrubStreet’s Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP)
Teen writers – looking to keep busy with your writing on a weekend? Sign up for one of YAWP’s free Saturday writing sessions. Improve the voices of characters in your current project or create something new in “The Spoken and Unspoken: Writing Dialogue and Gestures”; Learn to write with authenticity, showcasing the full potential of your voice in “Empower Your Storytelling, Write for You!”; Or, practice finding shapes and letting short stories and essays live inside of them in “Writing Like a Hermit Crab: New Beginnings for Stories & Essays”. Learn more and register here.
Memory Work: How Memory Makes Character
Saturday, May 13 | 12:00pm ET | Workshop Fee: $0
An In-Person Workshop by GrubStreet’s Write Down the Street Program, in partnership with the Boston Public Library – Egleston Branch
“Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted.” So says Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan’s film Memento, and there’s a wealth of writing that agrees. Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, narration in our writing often deals with things remembered and mis-remembered. Learn more and register here.
Andy Cohen presents The Daddy Diaries: The Year I Grew Up
Saturday, May 13 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $45
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store and the Memorial Church
Harvard Book Store welcomes bestselling author and Emmy Award-winning television personality Andy Cohen for a discussion of his new book The Daddy Diaries: The Year I Grew Up. Learn more and register here.
Han Kang presents Greek Lessons
Monday, May 15 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $6 – $27.75
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store and the Brattle Theatre
Harvard Book Store welcomes Han Kang — award-winning author of The Vegetarian and recipient of the Yi Sang Literary Award — for a discussion of her new novel Greek Lessons. She will be joined in conversation by author and former editor of Eidolon, Yung In Chae. Harvard Professor of Classics, Emily Greenwood will introduce the speakers. Learn more and register here.
Yvette Ndlovu, author of Drinking from Graveyard Wells, in conversation with Marcella Haddad
Monday, May 15 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books: Boston Edition
Porter Square Books: Boston Edition is glad to welcome Yvette Ndlovu, author of Drinking From Graveyard Wells, for an event in conversation with Marcella Haddad. Learn more and register here.
Janika Oza: A History of Burning
Monday, May 15 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $39
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Celebrate the release of A History of Burning with author Janika Oza. Learn more and register here.
Annelise Orleck presents Storming Caesars Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty
Monday, May 15 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Annelise Orleck — author and professor of history at Dartmouth College — for a discussion of her revised and expanded book Storming Caesars Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty, the inspiration for the recent PBS documentary. Learn more and register here.
Tuesday, May 16 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $6 – $34
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store and the Brattle Theatre
Harvard Book Store welcomes Daron Acemoglu — Institute Professor of Economics at MIT — and Simon Johnson — Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Sloan School at MIT — for a discussion of their new book Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity. They will be joined in conversation by co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect and the Economic Policy Institute and former columnist for the Boston Globe, Robert Kuttner. Learn more and register here.
Anne Berest, author of The Postcard, with Audrey Schulman
Tuesday, May 16 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to welcome Anne Berest for the launch of The Postcard, now in a new English translation by Tina Kover called “phenomenal…powerful…[and] brilliant” in a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. Award-winning author Audrey Schulman will join the author in conversation. Learn more and register here.
Felicia Berliner with Tova Mirvis: Shmutz (Paperback Launch)
Tuesday, May 16 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $26.99
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Celebrate the paperback release of Shmutz with author Felicia Berliner, in conversation with Tova Mirvis. Learn more and register here.
Eileen Myles presents “Working Life”
Tuesday, May 16 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Eileen Myles — poet and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient — for a discussion of their new collection “Working Life”. Learn more and register here.
WBUR CitySpace: Living the good life with your anxiety
Wednesday, May 17 | 6:30pm ET | Event Fee: $5 – $25
A Hybrid Event by WBUR CitySpace
Morra Aarons-Mele, host of “The Anxious Achiever” podcast and Dr. Ksera Dyette, founder & CEO of Cup of Tea Counseling & Consulting, join Radio Boston host Tiziana Dearing for a conversation exploring how to approach anxiety productively in these extremely anxious times. Learn more and register.
You: The Story – An Evening with Ruta Sepetys
Wednesday, May 17 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by GrubStreet and Porter Square Books: Boston Edition
Peer through the lens of memory and discuss creative writing with #1 New York Times bestselling author, Ruta Sepetys. Sepetys will present her new book on writing, You: The Story: A Writer’s Guide to Craft Through Memory, and also discuss the approach to her novels. The presentation will be followed by a Q & A and book signing. The first 50 copies sold of You: The Story will come with a complimentary custom writing journal. Learn more and register here.
Daphne Kalotay, author of The Archivists, in conversation with Julie Rold
Wednesday, May 17 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is pleased to welcome Daphne Kalotay, author of The Archivists, for an event in conversation with Julie Rold. Learn more and register here.
Wednesday, May 17 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Peter Grinspoon — primary care physician and cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School — for a discussion of his new book Seeing through the Smoke: A Cannabis Specialist Untangles the Truth about Marijuana. He will be joined in conversation by Marion McNabb — President of the Cannabis Center of Excellence, Inc. Learn more and register here.
Ilyon Woo in Conversation with Christian Walkes
Wednesday, May 17 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Belmont Books, The Museum of African American History and GBH Forum Network
Embark on one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in American history, the journey to freedom of Ellen and William Craft, told by author Ilyon Woo in her latest book, Master Slave Husband Wife. Ilyon Woo will be in conversation with Christian Walkes, Associate Director of Education and Interpretation Museum of African American History — Boston | Nantucket. A Q&A session will follow the conversation. Learn more and register here.
Chasten Buttigieg with Casey McQuiston: I Have Something to Tell You – For Young Adults
Wednesday, May 17 | 7:30pm ET | Event Fee: $35
An In-Person Event by Arts at the Armory | The Wilbur
Join author Chasten Buttigieg, husband of former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, as he discusses his young adult adaptation of the moving, hopeful, and refreshingly candid memoir, I Have Something to Tell You – For Young Adults. Author Casey McQuiston will join the author in conversation. Learn more and register here.
Nicole Chung, author of A Living Remedy, in conversation with Nicole Cliffe
Thursday, May 18 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books: Boston Edition
Porter Square Books is delighted to welcome Nicole Chung, author of A Living Remedy, in conversation with Nicole Cliffe. Learn more and register here.
Margaret Owen with Robin Brenner: Painted Devils
Thursday, May 18 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $30.99
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith and the Public Library of Brookline
Celebrate the release of Painted Devils with author Margaret Owen, in conversation with librarian Robin Brenner. Learn more and register here.
Brad Fox presents The Bathysphere Book: Effects of the Luminous Ocean Depths
Thursday, May 18 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Brad Fox — author of the novel To Remain Nameless — for a discussion of his new book The Bathysphere Book: Effects of the Luminous Ocean Depths. He will be joined in conversation by Sadia Quraeshi Shepard — assistant professor of Film Studies at Wesleyan University. Learn more and register here.
E.B. Moore in Conversation with Randy Susan Meyers
Thursday, May 18 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Belmont Books
E.B. Moore launches her new novel Loose in the Bright Fantastic. Learn more and register here.
Jonathan Eig discusses King: A Life, with Randall Kennedy
Friday, May 19 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $45
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith and the Brookline Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee
Celebrate the release of King: A Life with author Jonathan Eig, in conversation with Professor Randall Kennedy. Learn more and register here.
Olivia Wolfgang-Smith presents Glassworks
Friday, May 19 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Olivia Wolfgang-Smith — fiction writer whose work has appeared in Salamander, Ninth Letter, and The Common — for a discussion of her debut novel Glassworks. She will be joined in conversation by Hanna Halperin, award-winning author of Something Wild. Learn more and register here.
Brinda Charry: The East Indian
Saturday, May 20 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $38
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Celebrate the release of The East Indian with author Brinda Charry. Learn more and register here.
E.B. Goodale: The Moon Remembers
Sunday, May 21 | 10:30am ET | Event Fee: $0 – $29.99
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Join Brookline Booksmith for an all-ages storytime with author-illustrator E.B. Goodale, reading her new book The Moon Remembers. Learn more and register here.
Sunday, May 21 | 4:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to welcome Elaine Dimopoulos, author of The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow. Gregory Maguire will join the author in conversation. Learn more and register here.
Kay Redfield Jamison presents Fires in the Dark: Healing the Unquiet Mind
Monday, May 22 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $32
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store and the Cambridge Public Library
Harvard Book Store welcomes Kay Redfield Jamison — author and professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine — for a discussion of her new book Fires in the Dark: Healing the Unquiet Mind. Learn more and register here.
Monday, May 22 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Please join us for the new Porter Square Books Book Club, led by bookseller Wendy! We’ll meet on the fourth Monday of every month at 7pm at Porter Square Books in Cambridge (25 White St. Cambridge, MA 02140). For details on this month’s book pick, visit this page, and to participate in an ongoing online discussion and see what other members have to say, visit this page. Learn more and register here.
Serhii Plokhy presents The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History
Monday, May 22 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Serhii Plokhy — Mykhailo S. Hrushevs’kyi Professor of Ukrainian History and director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University — for a discussion of his new book The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History. Learn more and register here.
R.F. Kuang presents Yellowface
Tuesday, May 23 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $35
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store and First Parish Church
Harvard Book Store welcomes R.F. Kuang — #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the Poppy War trilogy and Babel — for a discussion of her new novel Yellowface. Learn more and register here.
Miel Moreland, author of Something Like Possible, in conversation with Marisa Kanter
Tuesday, May 23 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
A Virtual Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to present a virtual event with Miel Moreland, author of Something Like Possible. Marisa Kanter will join her in conversation. This event takes place virtually via Crowdcast. Learn more and register here.
Rachel Louise Snyder presents Women We Buried, Women We Burned: A Memoir
Tuesday, May 23 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Rachel Louise Snyder — award-winning author and Professor of Creative Writing and Journalism at American University — for a discussion of her new memoir Women We Buried, Women We Burned: A Memoir. She will be joined in conversation by New York Times bestselling author Andre Dubus III. Learn more and register here.
Wednesday, May 24 | 12:30pm ET | Event Fee: $0
A Virtual Writing Session by GrubStreet
Looking for some virtual midweek writing community? Or do you have a little time during your lunch break for a chat and guided writing? Join our FREE Grubby Desk Lunch Series live via easy-to-use video conferencing. For 45 minutes, you’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some cool writing exercises. Learn more and register here.
Abraham Verghese: The Covenant of Water
Wednesday, May 24 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $8 – $42
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Celebrate the release of The Covenant of Water with Abraham Verghese. Learn more and register here.
Hannah Wunsch, author of The Autumn Ghost, in conversation with Anupam B. Jena
Wednesday, May 24 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Porter Square Books is delighted to welcome Hannah Wunsch, author of The Autumn Ghost: How the Battle Against a Polio Epidemic Revolutionized Modern Medical Care. Anupam B. Jena will join the author in conversation. Learn more and register here.
George Lakey presents Dancing with History: A Life for Peace and Justice
Wednesday, May 24 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes lifelong activist George Lakey for a discussion of his new memoir Dancing with History: A Life for Peace and Justice. Learn more and register here.
Maya Kaimal – Indian Flavor Every Day
Thursday, May 25 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Belmont Books
Introduce rich, complex Indian flavors to your everyday cooking with 80 easy recipes and ingenious guidance from Julia Child Best First Book Award winner Maya Kaimal. Learn more and register here.
Friday, May 26 | 7:00pm-8:00pm ET | Reservation Fee: $50
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
Take a friend on a book buying binge. Enjoy the quiet of a bookstore all to yourself. (Well, all to yourself plus a few great booksellers.) Reserve Porter Square Books after it closes to the general public from 7:00pm-8:00pm ET on May 26 for a group of 5-10 people. The $50 reservation fee can be applied to a purchase that night. After purchasing your reservation a bookseller will be in touch to confirm. Learn more and register here.
Saturday Signing with Lawrence Millman
Saturday, May 27 | 2:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books
On Saturday, May 27, Lawrence Millman, author of At the End of the World, will be at Porter Square Books (25 White St. Cambridge, MA 02140) to sign and personalize copies of his books. Learn more and register here.
Grown Up Book Fair: Summer 2023
Sunday, May 28 | 2:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books and Aeronaut Brewing
Remember getting the book fair flyers at school? Seeing if the next book in your favorite series was coming out, comparing lists with your friends, checking off the books you want, and planning how you’ll totally convince your parents that yes, in fact, you definitely need all those books because don’t they want you to get into a good college or whatever? And then the thrill when the books arrive and you see a pencil set you absolutely need and stickers for your trapper keeper and one of those friendship necklaces? Think you would never get to experience that rush again? Join us at Aeronaut Brewing for our Summer ’23 Grown Up Book Fair. The Grown Up Book Fair will have everything you love about school book fairs, plus beer! Learn more and register here.
Tuesday, May 30 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
A Virtual Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Stephen Vladeck — Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas School of Law and CNN’s Supreme Court Analyst — for a discussion of his new book The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic. He will be joined in conversation by Jack Goldsmith — Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. Learn more and register here.
Curated Cuisine: Food waste feast with Perfectly Good Food cookbook authors Margaret and Irene Li
Tuesday, May 30 | 6:30pm ET | Event Fee: $5 – $25
An In-Person Event by WBUR CitySpace
Before you throw out almost-expired milk, wrinkly fruit, or squishy vegetables, learn all the ways you can use those ingredients in delicious stir-fries, smoothies and pancakes. Margaret and Irene Li, the acclaimed chef-sisters behind Mei Mei Dumplings, have written Perfectly Good Food: A Totally Achievable Zero Waste Approach to Home Cooking. They’ll discuss how to cook flexibly and fight food waste. WBUR environment and climate correspondent Barbara Moran moderates the conversation, featuring an onstage demonstration of how to make a food waste feast. In-person guests will enjoy a bite from the book after the conversation. Learn more and register here.
Grubbie Debut: Kate Fussner, author of The Song of Us, in conversation with Rajani LaRocca
Tuesday, May 30 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
A Hybrid Event by GrubStreet and Porter Square Books: Boston Edition
GrubStreet and PSB: Boston Edition are delighted to welcome Kate Fussner, author of The Song of Us for the latest installment of the Grubbie Debut event series! Rajani LaRocca will be joining the author in conversation. RSVP here to let us know you’re coming and to receive event updates. Or, click here to register to attend virtually via Crowdcast.
Transnational Literature Series: Nguyen Ba Chung and Martha Collins with Fred Marchant
Tuesday, May 30 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $28
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Join the Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith for an in-store event with translators Nguyen Ba Chung and Martha Collins to discuss and celebrate the release of Dreaming the Mountain by Tuệ Sỹ. They will be in conversation with poet Fred Marchant. Learn more and register here.
Susan Rubin Suleiman presents Daughter of History: Traces of an Immigrant Girlhood
Tuesday, May 30 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes Susan Rubin Suleiman — author of the acclaimed memoir Budapest Diary: In Search of the Motherbook — for a discussion of her new memoir Daughter of History: Traces of an Immigrant Girlhood. She will be joined in conversation by Gish Jen, award-winning author and Visiting Professor at Harvard University. Learn more and register here.
Kids’ Story Hour: Boston Edition
Wednesday, May 31 | 4:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Porter Square Books: Boston Edition
PSB Bookseller Kendall will be in our Boston store on the last Wednesday of every month to read to the community. Children of all ages welcome, no RSVP required! Learn more.
Tegan & Sara: Junior High with Tillie Walden
Wednesday, May 31 | 6:00pm ET | Event Fee: $20 – $24.99
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith and the Coolidge Corner Theatre
Celebrate the release of Tegan and Sara: Junior High with authors Tegan Quin and Sara Quin, and illustrator Tillie Walden. Learn more and register here.
Wednesday, May 31 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0 – $30
An In-Person Event by Brookline Booksmith
Join us for a conversation between Daphne Kalotay (The Archivists) and John Fulton (The Flounder). Learn more and register here.
Allyson McCabe presents Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters
Wednesday, May 31 | 7:00pm ET | Event Fee: $0
An In-Person Event by Harvard Book Store
Harvard Book Store welcomes writer, reporter, and producer Allyson McCabe for a discussion of her new book Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters. She will be joined in conversation by Geoff Edgers, national arts reporter for The Washington Post. Learn more and register here.
