Celebrate Spring by Supporting Authors: March 31 -- April 6

How did three months flash past so quickly? Later today I will be posting a round-up my favorite reads of the 2014 so far. The author of one of the books on that list, Brian Stavely who wrote The Emperor's Blades, will be at Towne Book Center on Saturday and I hope to get there to meet him and ask a few questions about how the series will evolve.

Tuesday marks the beginning of National Poetry Month and various venues around the region are celebrating by hosting readings by local and national poets. Live poetry readings are a great way to encounter this rich art form. I say that, but I'm pretty poetry phobic. I plan on putting my money where my mouth is this month by attending some readings and hopefully break down my resistance!

Onto to the action:


Monday, March 31

Debbie Wasserman Schultz | For the Next Generation: A Wake-Up Call to Solving Our Nation's Problems 

Location: Free Library, Central Library

Cost: Free

7:30 pm

Tuesday, April 1

Max Brooks | The Harlem Hellfighters | Illustrated by Caanan White
Location: The Doylestown Bookshop, 16 Main Street, Doylestown PA
Cost: Free
2:00 pm

Max Brooks | The Harlem Hellfighters | Illustrated by Caanan White 

Location: Free Library, Central Library

Cost: Free

7:30 pm

Reading the listings for these two events has made me eager to read this new graphic novel about the 369th Infantry Regiment—the first African American regiment mustered to fight in World War I. From the enlistment lines in Harlem to the training camp at Spartanburg, South Carolina, to the trenches in France, bestselling author Max Brooks tells the thrilling story of the heroic journey that these soldiers undertook for a chance to fight for America. Based on true events and featuring artwork from acclaimed illustrator Caanan White, this promises to be an action-packed and powerful story of courage, honor, and heart.

Wednesday, April 2

Josh Fattal | A Sliver of Light: Three Americans Imprisoned in Iran
Location: Melrose B'nai Israel Emanu-El, 8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park
Cost: $3 in advance, $5 at the door
7:00 pm

Thursday, April 3

Walter Kirn | Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery and a Masquerade 

Location: Free Library, Central Library

Cost: Free

7:30 pm

Friday, April 4

Beth Coulton | Goldie Rocks and the Three Bears

Location: Newtown Bookshop, 2835 South Eagle Road, Newtown, PA

Cost: Free

4:15 pm

Violet Kupersmith |  The Frangipani Hotel -- Book Release Party
Location: The Doylestown Bookshop, 16 Main Street, Doylestown PA
Cost: Free
6:30 pm

One of the most anticipated literary debuts of the year! Based on traditional Vietnamese folk tales told to Kupersmith by her grandmother, these fantastical, chilling, and thoroughly contemporary stories are a boldly original exploration of Vietnamese culture, addressing both the immigrant experience and the lives of those who remained behind. Lurking in the background of them all is a larger ghost—that of the Vietnam War, whose legacy continues to haunt us.

Violet is a Pennsylvania native and a graduate of Mount Holyoke College.

Abigail Perkiss | Making Good Neighbors: Civil Rights, Liberalism, and Integration in Postwar Philadelphia

Location: Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane 

Philadelphia, PA

Cost: Free
7:00 pm

Iain Halley Pollock | Poetry Reading
Location: Musehouse, 7924 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: Free
7:00 pm

Saturday, April 5

James Cambias | A Darkling Sea, Brian Staveley | The Emperor's Blades, and Ramona Wheeler | Three Princes
Location: Towne Book Center, 220 Plaza Drive, Suite B-3, Collegeville, Pennsylvania
Cost: Free
3:00 pm
RSVP 610-454-0640

Matthew Algeo | Pedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport

Location: The Doylestown Bookshop, 16 Main Street, Doylestown PA
Cost: Free
1:00 pm

Chris Bullard | Poetry Reading
Location: Musehouse, 7924 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: Free
7:00 pm

This event will also feature an open mic reading for local poets and writers. To register, please email musehousecenter@gmail.com

Young, Brown & Gifted | A Night of Poetry with: Shane Book, Edward Garcia, Raina Le�n, Patrick Rosal, F. Omar Telan, Rich Villar, Yolanda Wisher

Location: Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane 

Philadelphia, PA

Cost: Free

Time: 7:00 pm

Sunday, April 6

National Poetry Month Reading with Barbara Crooker | Gold

Location: Big Blue Marble Bookstore, 551 Carpenter Lane 

Philadelphia, PA

Cost: Free

Time: 7:00 pm

P.S. If you know of events or venues with regularly scheduled events that I've missed, please let me know in the comments or via email at abudner (at) comcast (dot) net.