The 2017 Connecticut Book Awards finalists are in!
Author: lcomstock
September is Library Card Sign-up Month!
September marks the 30th anniversary of Library Card Sign-up Month—a time when the American Library Association (ALA) joins public libraries nationwide to highlight the value of a library card. Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September to […]
Windham-Campbell Prizes Literary Festival 2017
The Windham-Campbell Prizes has published the full schedule for its fifth annual festival (September 13-15). Karl Ove Knausgård, whose newest book, Autumn (August 22, Penguin Press) begins a new autobiographical quartet based on seasons, will deliver the Windham-Campbell Lecture at […]
2017 National Book Festival
Books! Authors! Costumed characters! It was all that and much more at the 17th Library of Congress National Book Festival. Connecticut Center for the Book, a program of Connecticut Humanities and the state affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book, had […]
2017 CT Book Awards Registration
The 2017 Connecticut Book Awards are on! Register for this October 22 event and help pay tribute to Connecticut’s literary community.
Sponsor the 2017 Connecticut Book Awards!
The Connecticut Book Awards recognize the best literature produced in 2016 in the categories of Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, and Young Readers. By supporting the Connecticut Book Awards, you show your support for the written and spoken word throughout Connecticut. All donors […]
And now for a nice book selection from NPR…
Actually, there is a little something for everyone in these six selections. Mystery? Check. Memoir? You bet. Coming of age story? Yup. History? Um-hmm. So enjoy a good beach, or even a backyard, read.
Connecticut Authors Trail
The Connecticut Authors Trail is back! Twenty-five libraries will host twenty-five authors starting July 6 in Franklin and will wrap up September 14 at Mohegan Sun. Passports are available free at participating libraries throughout the summer as a guide to the […]
100 Years Since The War To End All Wars
It has been 100 years since the United States entered “The Great War” or the “War to End All Wars” and Connecticut played a role in the war effort with her residents serving in the armed forces and with Connecticut’s […]
Helen Sheehan Book Prize
Elephant Rock Books is accepting manuscripts for full-length YA novels for its Helen Sheehan Book Prize. The deadline is June 30, 2017, so if you have something suitable, now is the time! The 2018 Sheehan YA Book Prize is a […]
BROADSIDES: Writers’ Response to selected ENDWORKS Artworks
Historically broadsides were large sheets of paper printed on one side only announcing events or proclamations – like the Declaration of Independence – or simply advertisements. Today, broadside printing is done by many smaller printers and publishers as a fine art variant, […]
Summer Reading 2017
Reading well takes practice, practice, practice — especially for children! Summer is when reading loss often occurs. Other things are going on – sleep away summer camp, vacation with family or friends, cook outs, day camps for swim, soccer, computer, […]
Route 1 Reads
About Route One Reads Connecting the 2,369 miles of U.S. Route 1 from Ft. Kent, Maine, to Key West, Florida, the Route One Reads initiative is a partnership between 16 affiliate Centers for the Book to promote books that illuminate […]
We’re Moving!
In just a few more days we’ll be in our new headquarters off of Main Street in Middletown. We are sad to leave our old location, but excited to be closer to the restaurant scene downtown! (We’re all a bit […]
Book Voyagers
Every parent wants to see their child succeed and reading together at home is an important place to start. Book Voyagers programs are designed to promote the joy of reading and encourage families to create literature rich home environments. Our […]
National Library Week!
Did you know? April 9-15 is National Library Week! How cool is that? Do you remember your first library card? Your first hardcover book that you proudly checked out on your own? How about the first video cassette, audiobook, video […]
Guess What? It’s National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month and the Academy of American Poets offer lots of suggestions to celebrate, such as: The Dear Poet Project Poem-a-Day April 19: Poetry and the Creative Mind Gala April 27: National Poem in Your Pocket Day […]
Connecticut Book Awards Are Back!
The Connecticut Book Awards – on hiatus since 2011 – are back because the need for them exists! So Zen. Or something. But through what other avenue can we recognize outstanding Connecticut-based authors? Nowhere. There is a void in the […]
Studio 170
This is soooo cool. Danbury Public Library has developed a brand-new recording studio called Studio 170 with the support of the Friends of the Danbury Library. What could you do with it? Record your own podcast Record a music or […]
Application Open for Yale Writers’ Conference
‘Tis the season – the season to apply or register for writers’ conferences that is… The Yale Writers’ Conference kicks it off – applications opened on January 19, 2017 and will close on April 30, 2017. The message here is: […]
Finding Books In Your Library From Almost Anywhere
Did you know that if you use Chrome as your browser, you can add an extension that will help you find books in your local library? Well, if you didn’t, now you do! Naturally, any library patron can go to […]
Volunteers Needed for New Haven Reads
New Haven Reads is seeking volunteers to help tutor children in New Haven. Can you help? There are over 120 below grade-level readers on their waiting list, so they could really use the assistance. Here is why: Literacy tutoring helps […]
Wesleyan Bookstore Moving Downtown
Wesleyan University’s bookstore, as probably anyone from Middletown knows, is moving downtown this year and will be managed by R. J. Julia of Madison. In the event you are one of the few book purchasers who doesn’t know, R. J. […]
Connecticut Book Awards
The Connecticut Center for the Book at Connecticut Humanities is very proud and excited to announce the return of the Connecticut Book Awards! These awards recognize the best titles of 2016 written by authors who reside in Connecticut. Book award […]
The Winners Are In! 2016 National Book Awards
Fiction Colson Whitehead The Underground Railroad Non-Fiction Ibram X. Kendi Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in Amerca Poetry Daniel Borzutzky The Performance of Becoming Human Young People’s Literature John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell March: […]
Storybook Trail in East Lyme
What a cool idea! East Lyme’s new Storybook Trail combines reading with physical fitness. Launched in September, the trail is a walking path around the perimeter of Samuel M. Peretz Park in Bridebrook with pages from a picture book laminated […]
Little Free Library
You may be wondering: What’s a Little Free Library? Very simply, it is what it says on the box: A tiny free neighborhood library. These libraries are colorful, and usually imaginative, little structures, set up on a pole in a […]
Submissions Being Accepted for the Tassy Walden Awards
Are you an unpublished writer or illustrator of children’s books? Have you dreamed of a chance to have your writing or portfolios reviewed by a literary agent or book publisher? Shoreline Arts Alliance is presenting the seventeenth annual New Voices […]
Letters About Literature
Letters about Literature is a wonderful opportunity for students to read a piece of literature and tell us what it means to him or her. It’s a competitive process so there are prize opportunities, too! This contest is offered by […]
Maritime Literature of North America
It’s not all Herman Melville and Moby Dick or Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea, you know. Tons of other maritime material has been written and there is a website devoted to works by North American authors, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and […]
Stephen King to Open Main Stage at National Book Festival
The Library of Congress announced today that Stephen King will open the Main Stage of the 2016 Library of Congress National Book Festival with a presentation and recognition by the Library of his lifelong work promoting literacy. Tickets will be […]
Finale at Mohegan Sun with Kristan Higgins
Kristan Higgins is the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of more than a dozen novels and a two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages and received […]
Finale at Mohegan Sun with Kristan Higgins
Kristan Higgins is the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of more than a dozen novels and a two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages and received […]
Far Country with Timothy Kenny
Timothy Kenny is a former USA Today foreign editor, non-‐profit foundation executive, Fulbright scholar and associate professor of journalism at the University of Connecticut. In 2002-‐03 Kenny lived for a year in Kosovo, working as a senior media advisor and […]
Norwich and the Civil War with Patricia Staley
Patricia Staley is president of the Friends of Slater Museum and a member of the Norwich Historical Society, Guns of Norwich, Connecticut Society of Genealogists and Mystic Seaport Museum.
Eat Well to Live Well with Becky Brown
Rebecca Brown is a Culinary Instructor, Certified Integrative Health Coach, chef, and author. After earning her culinary degree she worked at The Zeppelin Ristorante in Orvieto, Italy, as well as Burton’s Grill and Six Main Restaurant in Connecticut, all of […]
The Doomsday Book of Medicine with Ralph LaGuardia, MD
Ralph LaGuardia, MD has been in private practice in Connecticut for over 25 years. He is triple specialized in Internal Medicine, Bariatrics and Geriatrics. In addition to which he practices Integrative Medicine, which is the combination of the best of […]
Brass Valley with Emery Roth II
Emery Roth II has been shooting photographs since childhood. He studied both design and language arts at Carnegie-Mellon University, simultaneously earning degrees in architecture and literature. His photographic passions lead him to careful compositions under natural light only, but no […]
Becoming Josephine with Heather Webb
As a former military brat and traveling addict, it was tricky choosing a landing pad. At last, Heather Webb settled in a rural town in New England. For a decade she put her degrees in French and Cultural Geography to good use […]
Tough Love with John-Manuel Andriote
John-Manuel Andriote is the author of Victory Deferred: How AIDS Changed Gay Life in America (University of Chicago Press); Hot Stuff: A Brief History of Disco (HarperEntertainment); and Wilhelmina Goes Wandering, a 2014 indie-published children’s book based on the true […]
Tough Love with John-Manuel Andriote
John-Manuel Andriote is the author of Victory Deferred: How AIDS Changed Gay Life in America (University of Chicago Press); Hot Stuff: A Brief History of Disco (HarperEntertainment); and Wilhelmina Goes Wandering, a 2014 indie-published children’s book based on the true […]
At The Garden’s Gate with Judith Dreyer
Judith Dreyer, MS, BSN, is a Master Gardener and teacher with over 20 years’ experience developing workshops and classes, speaking and writing about holistic health, edible and medicinal plants, dreams and more. She has degrees in Nursing and Nutrition Science […]
We Had A Ball with Nancy Hoehl Shapiro
Nancy Hoehl Shapiro is currently a university adjunct professor developing and facilitating self -awareness courses for first year students. She earned her Masters Degree in Counseling from the University of Rochester, where she researched the impact of youth sports on […]
George Washington at War 1776 with George Koopman III
George Koopman III was born and raised in the Boston area. His passion for military history began at an early age. He became involved in Revolutionary War re-enacting in 1998 and since 2006 has been portraying General Washington at reenactments […]
The Great Siege of Malta with Bruce Ware Allen
Bruce Ware Allen was born in the greater New York Metropolitan Area and grew up there, in the Netherlands, and in Italy. The son of a navy veteran and shipping executive (and first cousin to naval historian Gardner Weld Allen), […]
City on Fire with Cassandra Giovanni
Cassandra Giovanna doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then […]
It Runs in the Family with Frida Berrigan
Friday Berrigan serves on the board of The War Resisters League, a 90-year-old pacifist organization, and helped to found Witness Against Torture, a nonviolent direct action group focused on shutting down Guantánamo and ending torture. She long served as a […]
It Runs in the Family with Frida Berrigan
Friday Berrigan serves on the board of The War Resisters League, a 90-year-old pacifist organization, and helped to found Witness Against Torture, a nonviolent direct action group focused on shutting down Guantánamo and ending torture. She long served as a […]
His Father Still with Tim Hollister
On December 2, 2006, Timothy Hollister‘s seventeen-year-old son, Reid, the driver, died in a one-car accident. On a three-lane Interstate highway that he probably never had driven before, on a dark night just after rain had stopped, and apparently traveling above […]
Mysteries on Main Book Discussion
Join the discussion of Emma Healey’s novel “Elizabeth Is Missing.” Though suffering from dementia and unsure who she can trust, Maud will stop at nothing to find her best friend who seems to have gone missing. Curated from Mysteries […]
Mysteries on Main Book Discussion
Join the discussion of Emma Healey’s novel “Elizabeth Is Missing.” Though suffering from dementia and unsure who she can trust, Maud will stop at nothing to find her best friend who seems to have gone missing. Curated from Mysteries […]
I Almost Forgot About You
In I Almost Forgot About You, Dr. Georgia Young’s wonderful life—great friends, family, and a successful career—aren’t enough to keep her from feeling stuck and restless. When she decides to make some major changes in her life, she finds herself […]
A Passion for Children’s Literature
Just after the turn of the twenty-first century, a group of striving Connecticut writers and illustrators sat around a kitchen table, hatching a brand-new idea. Grateful for each other’s support as they sent their work to countless literary agents and […]
Burgundy Books
Copy TBD.
Tony Abbott
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Poetry Out Loud
Poetry Out Loud is a nationwide contest that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation. Students who participate in Poetry Out Loud practice public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. […]
The Most Challenged Books of 2015
Every year, the American #Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles a list of the ten #books that are most regularly challenged in libraries—in other words, the books that, for various reasons, have been the target of the most censorship efforts. […]
A Clash Of Manners And Monsters In Edna O’Brien’s ‘Little Red Chairs’ : NPR
O’Brien was told by the technician there that in terms of her hearing, “she’s a broken piano.” That dismissive phrase haunted O’Brien and, somewhat in defiance, she wrote what turned out to be a spectacular memoir. Perhaps that phrase is […]
Robert Tougias
Robert Tougias is an established nature writer and author. Tougias contributes nature articles to newspapers throughout New England and writes several outdoor columns for newspapers in #Connecticut. His articles on cougars have appeared in many magazines, including Appalachian Trailways and […]
Lisa Lucas Takes The Reins At The National Book Foundation : The Two-Way : NPR
“It has just been an ecstatic joy to be able to do work in service of readers,” Lucas tells NPR. “And it just feels like an extraordinary opportunity to build on the work they’ve done, and to keep figuring out […]
Meet Beth Lovell Illustrator for THE GREAT CONNECTICUT CAPER | Katie L. Carroll Observation Desk
Have you check out chapter three of THE GREAT CONNECTICUT CAPERyet? You’ll definitely want to after #reading this interview to see what Beth Lovell has created as an illustration for the Caper. All the beautiful artwork on this post was […]
Evelyn Atreya to read at The Institute Library | Guilford Poets Guild
The Poetry Institute in New Haven is featuring Evelyn Atreya on Thursday, January 21, 2016. Evelyn is president of the Guilford Poets Guild. She is on the board of the #Connecticut Poetry Society. Her first #book, Regarding Rock, was recently […]
Literature Comprises 1.5% Of Iceland’s GDP – The Reykjavik Grapevine
The literary arts are a big enough deal in Iceland to have contributed significantly to the country’s economy. See full story on Literature Comprises 1.5% Of Iceland’s GDP – The Reykjavik Grapevine