~From intern Katie Haggstrom
July is usually celebrated with fireworks and Independence Day events. But that doesn’t mean that the literary world comes to a halt, especially in the Fort Collins area.
There are some amazing literature-related events happening this month, including the release of a new book from English department professor Camille Dungy. Some amazing authors and poets will be here to share their work, so make sure to mark your calendars. If you find something exciting that we’ve missed, please share!
July 6 – Daryl Gregory will share from his latest book, Spoonbenders, at the Old Town Library in Downtown Fort Collins. Kirkus Review praised Gregory’s book as “a skillfully written family drama that employs quirk and magic with grace.” The reading begins at 6pm, visit the Facebook event for more information.
July 7 – The Poetry Slam at Wolverine Letterpress and Publick House is a great place to share your own work and hear other’s original work. The event starts at 8pm, visit their listing for more information on this and other events.
July 8 – Dana Leigh will be in Fort Collins to sign copies of her book at Old Firehouse Books, starting at 1pm. Visit Firehouse’s Facebook event for more details.
July 13 – Old Firehouse Books will host a Book Talk with the young adult author Sandhya Menon. She will she talking about her debut novel When Dimple Met Rishi. According to Publisher’s Weekly, the book surrounds “two intellectually gifted teens from traditional Indian families who meet at a summer tech conference in San Francisco. The twist: Dimple and Rishi’s parents have arranged their marriage.” For more information about her Book Talk, visit the Facebook event page.
July 14 – Famous poet and writer Roxanne Gay will visit the Tattered Cover in Fort Collins to share from her book Hunger. As Gay explains, “I ate and ate and ate in the hopes that if I made myself big, my body would be safe. I buried the girl I was because she ran into all kinds of trouble…I was trapped in my body, one that I barely recognized or understood, but at least I was safe.” The reading begins at 7pm, visit the event page for more information about this event.
July 19 – Camille Dungy, one of our CSU English department professors, will be sharing from her newest book Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys into Race, Motherhood, and History at Old Town Library. CSU’s SOURCE explains that Dungy’s “book is about the intersection of multiple identities, the convergence of various histories, and the rich diversity of place…Dungy says she writes about ‘what is happening around me, and has always been happening around me.’” The reading begins at 6:30pm. Learn more about Dungy and her new book from CSU’s SOURCE.
July 28 – I AM Open Mic at the Bean Cycle in downtown Fort Collins. This event brings together “musicians, poets, comedians, storytellers, [and] anyone with something to say or do.” Their page has more information on this and other events.
July 30 – Who doesn’t love a Book Club Mixer? Stop by Old Firehouse Books from 4-7pm to “mingle with other books lovers, learning about hot new book club picks and upcoming literary happenings.” To join the event or learn more information, visit their Facebook event.