write here in january 2026
transportation writing prompt, and over 50 literary and writing events happening in the Greater Cincinnati literary community this month
Happy New Year!
I hope you’ve had a wonderful holiday season and that you’re welcoming the new year with joy! In this season of reflection and intentions, I hope you take the time to honor the wonderful things you accomplished last year, as well as the things that didn’t quite get achieved. I hope you’re kind to yourself in setting new year’s goals/resolutions/intentions/values that inspire you to be a better you with curiosity, joy, and kindness to yourself.
In literary events this month, we have over 50 great events to attend around the city, including a few artsy events about envisioning a great year! In this edition of write here in cincinnati, you’ll find open mic nights, poetry readings, writing groups, author visits, and more.
Wishing you a great month of literary adventures, and a year full of joy for your writing ahead!
As writers, sometimes a little spark is all you need to create something new and unexpected. Whether you write a new piece or enhance your work in progress, and whether you’re writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or something in between, I hope this little prompt helps you connect with your words.
Your prompt this month is to write about a surprising method of transportation. What happens if your character flies via hot air balloon to work, or rollerblades their way to vacation, or rocketships to grandma’s house? This might be fantastical, an Icarus crafting wings sort of situation. Or it might be imagined, a playful mind experiment of leaping on each leaf through your garden to traverse the real world through a new perspective. Choose some kind of “vehicle,” used loosely here, to experiment with and see what happens. Some further vehicle possibilities to spark your thinking: bicycle, cloud, carriage, record, sled, ice skates, balance beam.
Consider, too, where this character is going, literally and figuratively. Where will they end up? Is it what they expected when they start out? How will the journey have changed them?
Weave this into something new, or something you’re already working on. Work it into your stories, your essays, your poems however you see fit.
If something interesting comes from this prompt, write into it with love. And please let me know! I’d love to hear about your words.
Amanda Newell sharing and signing Adventures with Nash Dog: Welcome Home
Saturday, January 3 at 10:30 am at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208.
Please join us for Amanda Newell sharing and signing Adventures with Nash Dog: Welcome Home.
Today is the day that Nash, a Pyrenees-tick hound mix, has always dreamed about: getting adopted As Nash sits and thinks about what his new family will be like, a nice-looking couple comes to him and sits next to him. He fits perfectly in the lady’s lap, and the man gives the best belly rubs Soon, Nash is on his way to his new home with his new mom and dad.
Adjusting to a new home isn’t as easy as it seems. From bathroom pee surprises to new chew toys to unexplored places, Nash’s adventures have only just begun.
Follow Nash over the course of his adoption day as he learns all about his new family and the fun and exciting journey life will take him on.
Amanda Newell is a mom of two, an avid traveler, a lover of books and learning, being in nature, matcha lattes, and animals. Her mom always encouraged her to write her stories down because she traveled so much and had so much to share. After losing her mom to cancer and then her beloved dog, Nash, she decided to share her love of adventure through the eyes of her late dog.
Meet Author Malynda Jordan
Saturday, January 3 at 11:00 am at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, Price Hill Branch, 970 Purcell Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45205.
Join us for a special event with local author Malynda Jordan, author of Crowned in Purpose and Art of Saying No. Malynda Jordan is dedicated to helping women and teen girls step into their confidence, overcome adversity, and embrace their purpose.
Book signing and Q&A to follow.
Local Author Spotlight at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Saturday, January 3 at 1:00 pm at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208.
Join us for a special signing with local authors! See below for the local authors being featured at this event:
Phineas Delgado
Robert Eden
Nick Greenberg
Sarah Gormley
Brian Westbrook
Mindful Open Mic at Roebling Books & Coffee
First Saturday of the Month: Saturday, January 3 at Roebling Books & Coffee, 601 Overton Street, Newport, Kentucky 41071.
Join us the 1st Saturday of every month for our new Mindful Mic Sessions!
This is our new monthly music focused open mic at our Newport location, hosted by Anna from Sing Anyway and local musician Nic Siemer. This open mic is for anyone who is nervous to sing or perform, has stage fright, or just doesn’t feel at home in the typical bar-based, often male-centered open mic scene.
What you can expect at these open mics:
Grounding exercises to start the night off
A warm, welcoming environment for marginalized folks
Lots of beautiful music + voices
Amazing N/A drinks and vibes!
This is a recurring event that will happen every month on the first Saturday at 6:30PM. We can’t wait to see you there!
Make a Personalized Book Ornament at the Book Bus Depot
Sunday, January 4 and Sunday, January 11 from 3:30 to 5:00 pm at Moonflower Collective, 10936 Reading Rd, Cincinnati, Ohio 45241. Registration required.
Bringing back our most popular event of 2024!
Come make an ornament stuffed with up to 25 “books” of your choice. Price includes house blend coffee or tea, scone and all supplies and directions needed to make the ornament.
After registration you will receive email about pre-work that must be completed so we can prepare your personalized materials.
Community Book Swap at Wiedemann Brewery
Sunday, January 4 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at Wiedenmann Brewery, 4811 Vine Street, Saint Bernard, Ohio 45217.
Bring a few books to swap with others. Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, History, whatever your genre, bring it and browse the table to find others while getting to know fellow bibliophiles and supporting a local business.
Wiedemann’s new brewery complex featuring a cozy tavern-like taproom, spacious sundeck and tree-lined beer garden, is located just five miles north of downtown Cincinnati in the quaint, historic village of St. Bernard. It’s a one-of-a-kind place where beer lovers get together and celebrate all the good things in life that great beer, great bars and great breweries have given us!
Tales to Tails with Hera Aurora
Tuesday, January 6 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, College Hill Branch, 1400 West North Bend Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45224.
Drop-in and read a story to our furry friend Hera Aurora, a certified therapy dog. Tales to Tails is a program that provides youth an opportunity to build on their literacy skills by reading to a licensed therapy dog.
Learn & Create - Gratitude Journal
Tuesday, January 6 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, North Central Branch, 11109 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45231. Registration required.
Join us for a time of learning and conversation as we consider the benefits of practicing gratitude, and craft journals to help cultivate gratitude in our daily lives. All materials will be provided. Registration required.
Writers Group at the Clermont County Public Library
First Tuesday of each month: Tuesday, January 6 at 6:00 pm at the Clermont County Public Library, Batavia Branch, Batavia Meeting Room, 180 S Third Street, Batavia, Ohio.
Hosted the first Tuesday of every month. Share your writing endeavors, generate ideas, hone your craft, and network with fellow writers.
Writers’ Group at the Kenton County Public Library, Erlanger Branch
Tuesday, January 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Kenton County Public Library, Erlanger Branch, Kentucky Conference Room, 401 Kenton Lands, Erlanger, Kentucky 41018.
Share your work and give feedback in this group for writers of all genres! New members always welcome!
Poetry at Artifact: Stefan Wasburn and Mechelle Kelly
Tuesday, January 6 at 7:00 pm at Urban Artifact, 1660 Blue Rock Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45223.
Come hear our featured (Poetry at Artifact faithful) poets, Stefan & Mechelle, & bring a poem to share in the open mic!
Dayton Poetry Slam Open Mic
First and Third Sunday at 7:00 pm at Yellow Cab Tavern, 700 E 4th St, Dayton, Ohio 45402.
One of Ohio’s longest-running poetry series at 24 years strong, the Dayton Poetry Slam offers open mic nights, feature poets and musicians, as well as the chance to compete for a little spending money. Come out, show out, and explore the Dayton art scene!
Tales to Tails with Ella
Tuesday, January 6 and 20 from 4:30 to 5:30 pm at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, North Central Branch, 11109 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45231.
Practice your reading skills in a calm, relaxed environment by reading a story to our furry friend Ella, a certified therapy dog.
No registration required. Children of all reading levels welcome.
Quills & Queers Writers Group
Every Tuesday at 6:00 pm at Roebling Books & Coffee, Newport Location, 601 Overton Street, Newport, Kentucky 41071.
Come share your words or listen to local authors share theirs!
Kids Silent Reading Club
Wednesday, January 7, 14, 21, and 28 from 2:15 to 3:30 pm at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Westwood Branch, 3345 Epworth Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211.
Read with a librarian and other kids after school. Candy is promised for every silent reader!
Friends of the Library Book Sale
Thursday through Saturday January 8 to 10 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Campbell County Public Library, Newport Branch, 901 East 6th Street, Newport, Kentucky 41071.
The Friends of the Library host a used book sale in the Friends Room on the lower level of the Newport Branch.
The cost is 25 cents for paperbacks, 50 cents for hardcovers and up to $4 for select titles. Some books are free! A large selection of items are available, including books, CDs, DVDs and audiobooks.
Come browse the great selection of books and take advantage of incredible prices!
Peregrine Haiku Society with The Mercantile Library
Thursday, January 8 at 12:00 pm at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut St #1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
This haiku workshop – named for the peregrine falcons that live in downtown Cincinnati and nest at The Mercantile Library – is open to all aspiring poets.
The workshop begins with a review and discussion of an anthology of classic haiku, revealing that day’s theme. The last part of the session is spent writing haiku prompted by the theme of the day.
Led by Patti Niehoff, who has spent four decades writing, studying, and working on haiku.
Forget 5-7-5, this group is for anyone interested in focusing on those tiny moments of illumination, honing their craft, or just curious about the art form.
Free and open to the public. The in-person session includes lunch. To register or for more information, email Kara Willis.
Woven Branches: Animal Spirit
Thursday, January 8 at 6:30 pm at Roebling Books & Coffee, 601 Overton Street, Newport, Kentucky 41071.
A shared platform for writers and visual artists that allows for spontaneous invention, story exchanges, and creative project development inspired by interpretations of homeplace and heritage.
Tales to Tails with Winston
Thursday, January 8 and 22 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Green Township Branch, 6525 Bridgetown Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45248.
Read a story to our furry friend Winston, a certified therapy dog!
For children of All Ages, no registration required.
A Cozy Night In with the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library and the Bookery
Friday, January 9 from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, Main Library, 800 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Tickets required.
Select ONE book to be included in your ticket price of $25. Your book will be available for pickup at the library the night of the event!
Settle in for a cozy evening after hours at the Downtown Main Library.
A Cozy Night In will take place on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and feature a panel and signing with authors Abby Collette / Abby Vandiver, Heather Webber, and Kerry Winfrey.
Each ticket includes a book of your choice from one of our featured authors, a tote bag, cookies, warm beverages, crafts, and also supports The Library Foundation.
More books from all three panel authors will be available for purchase the night of the event. Each guest will leave with a tote bag of goodies to help them get started with Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s Winter Checkout Challenge.
Tickets are limited! Buy yours now and join us for A Cozy Night In!
Collage Your Becoming: A New Year Collage Workshop
Saturday, January 10 at 1:00 pm at Outsiders, 301 6th Avenue, Dayton, Kentucky 41074.
Step into the new year with scissors, glue, and a vision. In this workshop we’ll gather images, words, and textures to craft collages that serve as blueprints for the selves we’re growing toward! (free to attend)
The location for this event is Outsiders by Roebling (3016th Ave, Dayton KY)
iNK Zine Squad
Second Saturday of the Month: Saturday, January 10 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at Indie Northern Kentucky, 507 Sixth Avenue, Dayton, Kentucky 41074.
We’ll see you the 2nd saturday of every month to make, talk, and swap zines. read what the cool kids are reading.
Young Writers Society
Monday, January 12 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the Kenton County Public Library, Covington Branch, 502 Scott Boulevard, Covington, Kentucky 41011.
A social network for teens to share their creative works and learn new writing skills, techniques, and habits!
All skill levels welcomed!
Refreshments will be provided! Registration is encouraged, but not required!
Best for teens ages 11-18!
Make sure to bring your preferred writing medium (laptop, tablet, notebook and pencil, etc.) and any creative works you may want to share!
Silent Book Club
Second Monday of each month: January 12 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208.
Silent Book Club is a global community of readers and introverts, with more than 500 chapters in 50 countries around the world. SBC members gather in public at bars, cafes, bookstores, libraries, and online to read together in quiet camaraderie.
Create Your Own Zine!
Tuesday, January 13 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, Downtown Main Library, 3 South Room D, 800 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
Do you like art? Have you ever wanted to create a zine of your own? Join us to learn about the art of zine making and design your own to take home! All materials will be provided. Adult Education In-Person Class.
Virtual Author Talk: David Brooks
Tuesday, January 13 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm virtually through the Campbell County Public Library. Registration required.
Join us for an online discussion with David Brooks, legal political commentator and author, on his book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply.
In his book, David Brooks asks essential questions: If you want to know a person, what kind of attention should you cast on them? What kind of conversations should you have? What parts of a person’s story should you pay attention to?
Driven by his trademark sense of curiosity and determination to grow as a person, Brooks draws from the fields of psychology and neuroscience and the worlds of theater, philosophy, history and education to present a welcoming, hopeful, integrated approach to human connection. How to Know a Person helps readers become more understanding and considerate toward others while finding the joy that comes from being seen. Along the way, it offers a possible remedy for a society that is riven by fragmentation, hostility and misperception.
The act of seeing another person, Brooks argues, is profoundly creative: How can we look somebody in the eye and see something large in them and, in turn, see something larger in ourselves? How to Know a Person is for anyone searching for connection and yearning to be understood.
Register now to take part in a riveting and timeless conversation on how to connect with people from all walks of life, and why doing so is paramount to our individual and communal growth.
About the Author: Brooks is one of the nation’s leading writers and commentators. He is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times, a writer for The Atlantic and appears regularly on PBS Newshour. He is the bestselling author of The Second Mountain, The Road to Character, The Social Animal, Bobos in Paradise and On Paradise Drive.
Silent Book Club with the Book Bus Depot and Moonflower Coffee Collective
Second Tuesday: Tuesday, January 13 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at Moonflower Coffee Collective, 10936 Reading Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45241.
Join us for an evening of quiet reading and cozy vibes at our Silent Book Club! There’s no assigned book, no pressure to discuss—just you, your book, and fellow book lovers enjoying the peace.
The Book Bus Depot will be open for purchases, and Moonflower Coffee Collective will have their full drink and treat menu.
Tales to Tails with Nanny
Tuesday, January 13 from 5:00 to 6:00 pm at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Harrison Branch, 10398 New Haven Road, Harrison, Ohio 45030.
Drop- in to read a story to our furry friend, Nanny, a certified therapy dog. Nanny is a super sweet dog who loves listening to stories that you can either bring with you or pick off the shelf to share with her.
For youth of all reading levels.
No registration required.
Rough Draft Collab Writer’s Club at the Campbell County Public Library, Cold Spring Branch
Tuesday, January 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Campbell County Public Library, Cold Spring Branch, 3920 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, Kentucky 41076. Registration required.
Struggling with your work in progress? Wanting to connect with other area writers for advice? Join us at the new Cold Spring Writer’s Club led by local published author Cherie Dawn Haas. This club will meet bi-monthly so bring your current work, or just come to get inspiration! Registration required.
About Cherie Dawn Haas: CherieDawn Haas is a writer and maker who loves all things that involve creativity. She lives with her husband and two sons in Kentucky, where they manage a small vineyard and take care of their three dogs, Dangit Rusty, Hazel and Delia, and a small flock of chickens. CherieDawn is the author of Ashes for William, Girl on Fire (novel) and Personified (poetry), and a co-author of the From Meditation to Creation series.
She was a finalist in the 2020 Poetry Unites Kentucky competition, has contributed to WritersDigest.com and by day, is the Editor for three Streamline Publishing art newsletters and websites. She is currently working on her third novel.
Daniel Hurley discussing and signing Crossing Borders, Expanding Boundaries
Wednesday, January 14 at 8:00 pm at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208.
Please join us for Daniel Hurley discussing and signing Crossing Borders, Expanding Boundaries.
Through 720 letters home, Irwin Hurley created a remarkable record documenting the personal impact of service in the World War II U.S. Army. He commented on military campaigns but, more importantly, reflected on the way military service challenged him to mature as a person.
Irv grew up in a middle-class Catholic family in a Northern Kentucky suburb of Cincinnati. After graduating from college and law school, he secured a job and married before being drafted in September 1942. The army challenged him in many ways to expand his horizons, especially after being assigned as a lieutenant to the 3659th Quartermaster Truck Company.
Composed of 130 African Americans from the deep South led by a Jewish Captain, this was the first time Irv came face-to-face with the crushing legacy of American segregation and racism. It culminated in a brutal murder of a uniformed enlisted African American who dared to sit in the “wrong” seat on a city bus.
Once in Europe, Irv became very aware of the way the French and Germans puzzled over the way multiracial and multiethnic American units fought effectively together. On two occasions, he commented on the irony that surrendering Nazi troops found themselves guarded by “American colored boys” in a unit commanded by a Jewish captain.
At the end of fighting in May 1945, the 3659th helped liberate the Dachau Concentration Camp, forcing Irwin to confront the horrors of the Holocaust.
Dan Hurley founded Applied History Associates, a public history consulting firm, in 1985. Dan contracts with museums and corporations to produce research reports, books, exhibits and video documentaries. He is best known locally as a producer and on-air reporter for Local 12 News (CBS affiliate) for 36 years.
He worked as a columnist for the Cincinnati Post and Cincy Magazine from 2005 to 2020. He also served as the original project manager from 1994 to 1997 for what became the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Since retiring as director of Leadership Cincinnati in 2016, Dan has stepped in as the interim President of the Freedom Center and as host of Cincinnati Edition on 91.7 WVXU (NPR affiliate).
Erotic Poetry Open Mic Night
Wednesday, January 14 at 8:00 pm at Somerset Bar, 139 E McMicken Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
“Don’t Be Nice, Be Nasty...”
Somerset transforms into an intimate sanctuary for the curious, the bold, and the lovers of sensual expression. Erotic Poetry Night, hosted by the magnetic Ty Victoria, invites you to explore the depths of passion through spoken word, storytelling, and raw creative energy.
Sip. Listen. Feel.
Doors 8pm | Show 9pm (ish lol)
Tales to Tails with Eoin
Thursday, January 15 and 29 from 10:30 to 11:30 am at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Maderia Branch, 7200 Miami Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45243.
Read a story to our furry friend Eoin, a certified therapy dog.
Children of all reading levels welcome, no registration required.
Open Mic Night: January
Thursday, January 15 at 5:30 pm at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, 2950 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45206. Tickets required.
The world needs your words! Join new and experienced poets in a space that honors world-changing words and rooted community.
Bring a poem or song to share in the relaxed and welcoming historic Edgemont Inn tavern space at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House museum.
Hosted by poet and storyteller Zeda Stew. Light refreshments included.
Celebration of Poets Laureate featuring Rita Dove, Emilia (Mia) Watka, and Richard Hague
Friday, January 16 at 6:00 pm at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street #1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
In celebration of Rita Dove’s original poem created for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s performance American Voices, join Rita Dove and Richard Hague as they discuss their journeys as Poets Laureate. Moderated by 2025-2026 Cincinnati Youth Poet Laureate, Emilia (Mia) Watka. Signing to follow.
6 pm reception/6:30 pm program
Free & open to the public.
Registration required.
About Rita Dove: Rita Dove, Pulitzer Prize winner and former U. S. Poet Laureate, is the only poet honored with both the National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. Her recent works include Playlist for the Apocalypse, Sonata Mulattica, and the National Book Award-shortlisted Collected Poems: 1974-2004. In 2021 she was awarded the Gold Medal for Poetry from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 2023 she received the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. She lives in Charlottesville, where she teaches creative writing at the University of Virginia.
About Richard Hague: Richard Hague is editor or author of 23 volumes, most recently the prose collection Earnest Occupations: Teaching, Writing, Gardening, & Other Local Work (Bottom Dog Press, 2018) and the poetry collection Continued Cases (Dos Madres Press, 2023). During The Recent Extinctions: New & Selected Poems 1984-2012 was winner of the 2012 Weatherford Award in Poetry. Alive in Hard Country won the 2003 Appalachian Writers Association’s Poetry Book of the Year, and Milltown Natural: Essays & Stories from a Life, was a National Book Award nominee. He is 2025-27 Poet Laureate of Cincinnati & the Mercantile Library.
Zine Workshop
Saturday, January 17 at 11:00 am at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street #1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
Learn how to make a zine, a fast, easy, un-censored form of expression!
Librarian Shannon Sloan will give you a a brief introduction to the history and types of zines, show you how to fold a zine and why that matters, and help you create your first zine.
The workshop will take about 90 minutes. Free and open to the public, but seats are limited. Registration required.
See the Story
Saturday, January 17 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm and Sunday, January 18 from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm at the Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
Do you love to read? Love art? Join librarians from the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, along with a museum docent, for this bi-monthly book club. See the Story combines authors’ works from around the world (both fiction and non-fiction) with artwork on view in the museum’s galleries. Participants meet in the library to discuss the book of the month then take a tour of related artworks. Join us and see the story!
Tales to Tails with Poppy
Saturday, January 17 from 2:00 to 2:45 pm at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Walnut Hills Branch, 2533 Kemper Lane, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206.
Drop-in to read a story to our furry friend, Poppy, a certified therapy dog. Poppy is a super sweet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who loves listening to stories that you can either bring with you or pick off the shelf to share with her.
For youth of all reading levels.
Author Appearance: Amy Tobin
Saturday, January 17 at Roebling Books & Coffee, 601 Overton Street, Newport, Kentucky 41071.
Local author Amy Tobin will be doing a reading and discussion for her book Food for Thought, a collection of daily inspirational reflections.
Virtual Author Talk: Julia Hotz
Tuesday, January 20 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm virtually through the Campbell County Public Library. Registration required.
Join us for a virtual chat with Julia Hotz, journalist and author, about her book, ‘The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging’.
The Connection Cure combines diligent science reporting, moving patient success stories and surprising self-discovery to help us discover the lasting and life-changing power of social prescribing. Traditionally, when we get sick, health care professionals ask, “What’s the matter with you?” But around the world, teams of doctors, nurses, therapists and social workers have started to flip the script and ask, “What matters to you?”
Science shows that social prescribing is effective for treating symptoms of the modern world’s most common ailments: depression, ADHD, addiction, trauma, anxiety, chronic pain, dementia, diabetes and loneliness. By integrating age-old medicines like art, nature, movement and volunteer service into patients’ daily lives, social prescriptions are radically changing health and healthcare in more than 30 countries. Julia Hotz travels around the world to survey them: sea-swimming lessons for depression, “culture vitamins” for anxiety, a fishing club for ADHD, a farm-based day-care for dementia, a phone-buddy program for social isolation and many more.
As the first book on social prescribing, The Connection Cure empowers you to find, experience and implement this revolutionary medicine in your own community. The success stories Julia finds bring a long-known theory to life: if we can change our environment, we can change our health. By reconnecting to what matters to us, we can all start to feel better.
Register today to find out how you can use the wisdom of social prescribing to live your best life!
About the Author: Hotz is a solutions-focused journalist based in New York. Her stories have appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, Scientific American, The Boston Globe, Time and more. She helps other journalists report on the big new ideas changing the world at the Solutions Journalism Network. The Connection Cure is her first book.
Moving Stories Writing Circle
Third Tuesdays from January to May 2026: January 20 from 6:00 to 7:45 pm at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, 2950 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206.
Be creative on third Tuesdays in a supportive creative writing circle led by Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum’s Artist-in Residence Sherry Cook Stanforth in collaboration with special guest artists.
The idea of “home place” reaches across generations and heritage identities, inviting diverse interpretations of history and personal experiences. In the questing spirit of novelist and activist Harriet Beecher Stowe, we will engage with a unique set of prompts designed to inspire powerful interpretations of heritage and community:
January 20 Kin, Friend, or Stranger? The People Along Our Paths
February 17 Home Gardens & Kitchen Table Traditions
March 17 Remembered Days of Work, Play, & Handed-Down Things
April 21 Wandering Landscapes & Waterways
May 19 Remedies, Healing, & Survival Wisdom
Open to new and experienced writers, these workshops will inspire rich reflection, creative invention, and supportive sharing.
Develop craft tips for your poetry, fiction and memoir practice
Find new ways to engage in family and community storytelling
Seed new writing projects inspired by surprising historical and cultural content
Enjoy camaraderie with supportive writing peers and talented featured guests
Learn about arts/cultural/writing opportunities happening in Greater Cincinnati and beyond
This MOVING STORIES program is offered in partnership with the Carnegie Center of Columbia Tusculum, Urban Appalachian Community Coalition, and Originary Arts Initiative.
Mindful Poetry Virtual Gathering
Wednesday, January 21 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm virtually at The Well. Registration required.
Join us for our first Mindful Poetry Moments Gathering during our Fall/Winter season!
We’ve invited members of our Mindful Poetry community to share a poem and a prompt for us. The format is simple. In each session, we meditate, consider a single poem, receive a prompt, write, and then share with the group.
Stay tuned for the selected poem for this Virtual Gathering! Michelle Bee will be serving as this Gathering’s Poetry Facilitator and Chris LaRue as our Mindfulness Facilitator.
Gathering is January 21st, 2026 from 3-4 PM Eastern Time (US).
Come with a pen, paper, and an open heart. And keep in mind that this is a family-friendly offering. Please arrive on time. We will hold a 10-minute grace period, if you arrive later than that time, we apologize but you won’t be able to get in. We create a very intentional beginning experience for our guests. If you miss it, we will share the recorded session and have more events to join throughout the year.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Fearless, Sleepless, Deathless: An Evening with Maria Pinto & Ross Gay
Friday, January 23 at 6:00 pm at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street #1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
A beautiful examination of nature and human connection
Naturalist, forager, and educator Maria Pinto offers a stunning debut book that uncovers strange and beautiful fungal connections between the natural and human worlds. She mingles reportage, research, memoir, and nature writing, touching on topics that range from Black farmers’ domestication of the unforgettable aroma of truffles to the possibility that enslaved people wielded mycological poisons against their enslavers.
Pinto brings a new perspective and a distinctive literary voice to this mix of environmental and lived history, and every page sings with her enthusiasm for the networks in which we are embedded: fungal, ecological, ancestral, and communal. Join her in pursuit of beautiful, perplexing, delicious, and deadly mushrooms as she explores this understudied kingdom’s awe-inspiring diversity and discovers how fungi have been used by people, especially those on the margins, for survival, pleasure, revelation, and revolution.
6 pm reception/6:30 pm program
Free & open to the public.
Registration required.
Copies of Fearless, Sleepless, Deathless will be available for sale & signing.
About Maria Pinto: Maria Pinto spent her feral childhood in the Jamaican hills and grassy waters of South Florida. She lives in the Boston area now, where she teaches for the literary arts nonprofit GrubStreet, serves on the board of Hale, an outdoor education and land conservancy organization, and leads mushroom walks independently and at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Her words have appeared or will appear in Orion,Longreads, Necessary Fiction, Peripheries, and Arnoldia. Her book of lyric essays inspired by mushrooms is called Fearless, Sleepless, Deathless: What Fungi Taught Me About Nourishment, Ecology, Poisons, Hidden Histories, Zombies, and Black Survival.
About Ross Gay
Ross Gay is interested in joy.
Ross Gay wants to understand joy.
Ross Gay is curious about joy.
Ross Gay studies joy.
Something like that.
~
Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding, winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. In addition to his poetry, Ross has released three collections of essays—The Book of Delights was released in 2019 and was a New York Times bestseller; Inciting Joy was released in 2022, and his newest collection, The Book of (More) Delights was released in September of 2023.
Ashley Winstead in conversation with Emily Jane discussing and signing The Future Saints
Friday, January 23 at 7:00 pm at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208. Ticket required.
Please join us for Ashley Winstead in conversation with Emily Jane, discussing and signing The Future Saints. This event is book = ticket. Please purchase the book below to attend the event. Books will be ready for pick up at the event.
Perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six and In Five Years—a beautiful, powerful, and transportive new novel about a music executive desperately trying to bring a rock band back from the brink, from bestselling author Ashley Winstead.
The best love stories are the ones you don’t expect.
When record executive Theo meets the Future Saints, they’re bombing at a dive bar in their hometown. Since the tragic death of their manager, the band has been in a downward spiral and Theo has been dispatched to coax a new—and successful—album out of them, or else let them go.
Immediately, Theo is struck by Hannah, the group’s impetuous lead singer, who’s gone off script by debuting a whole new sound, replacing their California pop with gut-wrenching rock. When this new music goes viral, striking an unexpected chord with fans, Theo puts his career on the line to give the Saints one last shot at success with a new tour, new record, and new start.
But Hannah’s grief has larger consequences for the group, and her increasingly destructive antics become a distraction as she and her sister Ginny—her lifelong partner in crime—undermine Theo at every turn. Hannah isn’t ready to move on or prepared for the fame she’s been chasing, and the weight of her problems jeopardize the band, her growing closeness with Theo, and, worst of all, her relationship with her sister—all while the world watches closely. The Future Saints’s big break is here—if only they can survive it.
A novel about sisterhood, friendship, and the ghosts that haunt us, The Future Saints is “a mesmerizing look at grief, love, and the music industry that’s so raw and emotional, you’ll want to play it on repeat.” (Laura Hankin, author of One-Star Romance).
Ashley Winstead is an academic turned novelist with a PhD in contemporary American literature. She lives in Houston with her husband, three cats, and beloved wine fridge.
Art to Ink: Love Letters
Saturday, January 24 at 1:00 pm at Roebling Books & Coffee, 301 6th Avenue, Dayton, Kentucky 41071.
Experience a unique collaboration that merges art with creative writing. Attendees will view three selected art pieces from the Cincinnati Art Museum and then receive a guided writing prompt to inspire a short piece of writing based on the artwork.
This workshop is free to attend. RSVP recommended.
Community Book Swap at Third Eye Brewing Co.
Saturday, January 24 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at Third Eye Brewing Company, 11276 Chester Road, Sharonville, Ohio 45246.
Bring a few books to swap and browse the table for new ones. Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, History, whatever your genre, bring it and find others while getting to know fellow bibliophiles and supporting a local business.
Located in Sharonville’s Northern Lights District, our original brewery features a large open taproom and lots of outdoor space including a covered patio with an upper deck.
Dry January Book Fair at The Green Door
Sunday, January 25 at 5:00 pm at The Green Door, 5 East 8th Street, Covington, Kentucky 41011.
Swap the booze for books and good vibes! Browse our curated selection of books and merch while enjoying the kava, kratom, cannabis, and other alternative beverages in this unique venue.
Read Between the Wines
Sunday, January 25 at 6:00 pm and Monday, January 26 at 7:00 pm at Rose Wine Bar, 110 S 2nd Street B, Loveland, Ohio 45140. Ticket required.
Join us for our next Read Between the Wines! We host this event at Rose Wine Bar in downtown Loveland (next to Graeter’s).
Read Between the Wines is one of our favorite events! Your ticket gets you into our private wine tasting, where each wine is paired with a book! We’ll describe the wine & the book - then at the end of the night pick which of the books you’d like to take home with you!
Books and wines are not announced in advance; part of the fun is seeing what we’ll be drinking & which books we’ll be featuring!
Includes:
4 pours of four different wines
Charcuterie & snacks
1 book of your choice
New Years Resolution Book Sale
Monday through Saturday, January 26 to 31 at various times at the Clermont County Public Library, Union Township Branch, Union Township Small Meeting Room, 4450 Glen Este-Withamsville Road, Cincinnati Ohio 45245.
Come to the Union Township branch library for our New Years Resolution Book Sale! Pick up gently used and pre-loved books for the new year and to help you meet that resolution to read more.
Monday, January 26 from 10:00 am to 6:45 pm
Tuesday, January 27 from 12:00 pm to 7:45 pm
Wednesday, January 28 from 10:00 am to 5:45 pm
Thursday, January 29 from 10:00 am to 5:45 pm
Friday, January 30 from 9:00 am to 4:45 pm
Saturday, January 31 from 9:00 am to 4:45 pm
Something Italian: An Evening with Annette Januzzi Wick
Tuesday, January 27 at 6:00 pm at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street #1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
For what is food but the greatest expression of joy and hurt in the world, Annette Januzzi Wick writes in this blending of history, memoir, and cooking. In response, readers are taken to the cherished place where her Italian ancestors and immigrant grandparents meet her mother’s recipe binders written by hand—the family table. Join her as she follows four Italian families from Abruzzo and Calabria who cross the ocean to America. There they toil on railroads and in coal mines, start shoe stores and bakeries, and face disease and injuries, poverty and tragedy, Mafia temptations and labor recruiters, knowing that forging ahead is their only means to survive. In Lorain, Ohio, all these dynamisms finally collide.
What does food signify on their journeys? To the immigrant son who sends money back home, so his aging parents avoid becoming beggars? To the first-generation Italian American mother who holds tight to tradition in annotating all her recipes? To her daughter who one day lands in Italy to share a meal with newly discovered Italian cousins? When ancestors disappear, die, or declare themselves missing, food is the impetus for subsequent generations to gather at the family table and become something Italian again.
6 pm reception/6:30 pm program
Free & open to the public.
Registration required.
Copies of Something Italian will be available for sale & signing.
About Annette Januzzi Wick: Annette Januzzi Wick is the author of I’ll Be in the Car and I’ll Have Some of Yours. With a focus on Italy and food, writing and connections, cities and memory, her work has appeared in Writers Digest, Creative Nonfiction, Edible Ohio Valley, Soapbox Media, Cincinnati Neighborhood Guidebook, Ovunque Siamo, Italian Americana, and numerous other publications. Born, raised and educated in northern Ohio, she’s made Cincinnati her home, though often yearns for Italy or Oregon (and yes, Cleveland). If you’re awake early enough, you might spot her out for morning walks in Over-the-Rhine. Something Italian is her latest memoir.
Silent Book Club
Tuesday, January 27 from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Clifton Branch, 3400 Brookline Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220.
You’re invited to the Clifton Branch Library’s first Silent Book Club! Spend an evening in quiet company with your book of choice. All readers and book formats are welcome! We’ll have 45 minutes of silent reading and then an optional discussion for the remaining time together. Attendees can come and go as they please throughout the evening. We hope to see you there!
Virtual Author Talk: Liz Moore
Tuesday, January 28 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm virtually through the Campbell County Public Library. Registration required.
We are thrilled to welcome Liz Moore to discuss her latest work, The God of the Woods, an instant The New York Times best seller.
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara is not just any 13-year-old: she is the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this is not the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished 14 years ago, never to be found.
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.
Join us in conversation with Moore as we embark on a tale of thrilling twists and disturbing disappearances. Register today to “enter the woods,” if you dare!
About the Author: Moore is the author of five novels: The Words of Every Song, Heft, The Unseen World, The New York Times bestselling Long Bright River and The God of the Woods. A winner of the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature, she lives in Philadelphia and teaches in the MFA program in Creative Writing at Temple University.
SOLD OUT - The Modern Novel Lecture: Ocean Vuong in conversation with John Brooks
Thursday, January 29 at 6:00 pm at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street #1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
SOLD OUT - Please email michael@mercantilelibrary.com to be added to the waitlist.
The Modern Novel Lecture with Ocean Vuong in conversation with John Brooks
In partnership with The Weston Art Gallery
The instant New York Times bestseller • Oprah’s Book Club Pick • Ocean Vuong returns with a bighearted novel about chosen family, unexpected friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive
“Stunning . . . A heartfelt and powerful examination of those living on the fringes of society, and the unique challenges they face to survive and thrive.” —Oprah Winfrey
“Magnificent . . . In writing this book, Vuong may have joined the ranks of an elite few great novelists.” —Leigh Haber, Los Angeles Times
The hardest thing in the world is to live only once…
One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to transform Hai’s relationship to himself, his family, and a community on the brink.
Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Ocean Vuong’s writing—formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness—are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life’s most fleeting mercies: a second chance.
Ocean Vuong is the author of the critically acclaimed poetry collections Night Sky with Exit Wounds and Time Is a Mother, as well as the New York Times bestselling novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and the American Book Award, he was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and currently splits his time between western Massachusetts and New York City. The Emperor of Gladness is his latest novel.
Meet Author Donna Brown Benton
Saturday, January 31 from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, Cheviot Branch, 3711 Robb Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211.
Join us for a special event with local author Donna Brown Benton, author of Illuminating the Alzheimer’s Path: Living in the Light While Walking in the Darkness of Dementia. Through a collection of stories and lived experience of caring for her husband, Doug, for sixteen years, Donna Brown Benton raises awareness of how we view, respond to, companion, and care for loved ones with dementia.
Meet & greet and book signing.
Light refreshments provided
This project is a labor of love, one that I truly believe is worthwhile. All of our writing grows when we share in community together and learn from each other. I hope you find this monthly newsletter useful to your practice and your creative writing journey. I hope you attend events that bring joy, inspiration, and commitment to your writing!
If you know of any upcoming events that I should feature, send them my way! Whether you’re hosting it or just know about it, I’d love to include any ways to further support and connect our community. You can email me and/or comment on this post any time!
And if you find this newsletter helpful, feel free to share it with a friend! We all grow when we support each other.
With love and cheer for your writing!
—Rachel