Events for Writers–January 2020
Writers Room
January 7, 2020, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Writers receive constructive feedback at these sessions, during which participants read their work and members offer suggestions. Works read are usually less than 15 minutes long, so there is time to discuss a number of pieces during each session. Participants range from published authors to those looking to improve their skills. The group is led by Loretta and Fred Wish.
Workshop: A Few Kind Words (Embracing the Power of Writing Unexpected Letters of Appreciation)
January 11, 2020, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Imagine a world where “Kindness can be the norm, not the exception.”
Begin 2020 with a new tradition as Life coach Tracey Gates leads a workshop where participants will write a letter of appreciation and praise to a deserving person in their life.
Through conversation, guidance and a written exercise at the end of the workshop you will have the opportunity to share a few kind words, in written form, with someone deserving in your life. Participants will not be asked to share their letters. Give yourself the gift of feeling empowered, energized and uplifted, one letter at a time!
Click here for a more detailed description of the workshop.
Workshop with Illustrator/Author Chen Jiang-Hong
January 14, 2020, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Illustrator and author Chen Jiang-Hong leads a workshop featuring a craft/maker activity based on the technique of Chinese painting. Chen won the 2019 Prix Albertine Jeunesse for his book “The Tiger Prince,” a tale about a tigress, a seer, a King, and the prince, who must leave his family and learn the ways of the tigers so that the war between humans and animals can end.
A Chinese-born French painter, Chen has illustrated 22 books, 12 of which he also wrote. His work combines traditional Chinese techniques with a modern conception of storytelling. Book sale and signing to follow. For children 8 and older with an adult.
Writing Workshop
January 14, 2020, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Writers who are working on book-length works are invited to receive constructive critique from peers. The group is designed so that writers can help other writers of fiction and book-length non-fiction to strengthen characters and story structure. Participants range from published authors to those looking to improve their skills. Don Donato leads the workshop.
Scheherazade and tales from The Thousand and One Nights
Princeton Public Library
The exotic tales in The Thousand and One Nights, also known as the Arabian Nights, caused a sensation when first translated for Western audiences—and captivated composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. The collection inspired him to compose his famous work Scheherazade, conjuring the spellbinder whose tales of adventure, heartbreak, and romance beguiled a vengeful king into sparing her life and the lives of her imaginary kingdom’s women. Storyteller Maria LoBiondo, in a program designed to be of interest to adult audiences, will present selections from those legendary tales as a preview for Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s concert featuring Rimsky-Korsakov’s masterpiece.
Tickets & Events PSO Soundtracks is presented in partnership with Princeton Public Library. The series is sponsored in the 2019-20 season by VelocIT.
Urban Bush Women’s Legacy + Lineage + Liberation
Join the acclaimed Urban Bush Women as they rehearse various works in Legacy + Lineage + Liberation, their touring program that celebrates the company’s 35th anniversary and the power of Women(+). This collection of classic works, all choreographed by UBW Founder and Visioning Partner Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, transcend genres and amplify the voices of Women(+) of color and give multiple dimensions of life that are timely and relevant and continue to resonate especially in this era of #MeToo and Black Lives Matter.
Author Jeffrey Colvin: “Africaville: A Novel”
January 29, 2020, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, Princeton Public Library
The author gives a talk about his debut novel, a family saga set in a small Nova Scotia town settled by formerly enslaved people. Publisher’s Weekly calls “Africaville: A Novel,” which explores concepts of racial identity, passing, interracial relationships and the meaning of home, “a penetrating, fresh look at the indomitable spirit of black pioneers and their descendants.”
Colvin served in the United States Marine Corps and is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Harvard University and Columbia University where he received an MFA in fiction. His work has appeared in Narrative, Hot Metal Bridge, Painted Bride Quarterly, Rain Taxi Review of Books, The Millions, The Brooklyn Rail and elsewhere. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and is an assistant editor at Narrative magazine. He lives in New York City.
The snow date for this event is Feb. 4.
African American Read-In
February 1, 2020, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm, Princeton Public Library
The African American Read-In, an event dedicated to diversity in literature, is presented in partnership with Princeton Public Schools. Please check back for updates and more events as the month approaches.
11 a.m.: Poet: Khalil Murrell
Noon : Performance: ACT-SO
1:15 p.m. : Books Transform | An Inter-generational Presentation on the books that have been meaningful and/or transformative to members of our community.
The Toni Morrison Conversations
February 4, 2020, 7:30 PM
Reading by Sheila Heti and Joy Harjo
February 12, 2020, 7:30 PM. Donald G. Drapkin Studio
Historical Fiction Book Group: “The Fortunes” by Peter Ho Davies
February 12, 2020, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
The Historical Fiction Book Group features scholar-led book discussions about the fictional elements and nonfictional historic and regional context of selected books.
In this session, Princeton University Associate Professor of History Beth Lew-Williams discusses “The Fortunes” by Peter Ho Davies. The book explores a century of American history through the lives of four Chinese Americans: a 19th-century laundry worker, a Chinese film star, a friend of someone killed in a hate crime and a half-Chinese man looking to adopt a Chinese baby.
Registration is requested but not required through the Historical Society of Princeton website.
Book Brunch Featuring Kelly Simmons, Amy Impellizzeri and Kate Moretti
February 16, 2020, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, Princeton Public Library