write here in july 2025
Fireworks writing prompt, and 50+ bookish and writing events happening in the Greater Cincinnati literary community this month
Happy July, Cincy Writer Friend!
Summer is here with all its heat and adventures. I hope you’re staying cool, relaxing in the sun, reading some great words, and writing things that make you proud. Around the city this month, there are lots of book fairs, writing workshops, and great author readings (over 50 events this month!). And if you’ve got little ones in your life, there are lots of youth readings and activities too!
Wishing you a joyous and adventure-filled July, full of ice cream and stories that whisk you away and fireflies and words on the page!
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.
To celebrate the Fourth of July, write a piece that contains the spirit of fireworks. You might write literally about watching fireworks and perhaps a scene of what that moment is like. Or, you might interpret this more metaphorically. What would happen if you wrote a character who has a firecracker personality? How might a story or poem or essay be structured like a firework, something that explodes with light and/or fades to black? What would it mean if something in the piece burst into tiny fireballs in the sky? How might you create a boom that shakes your words? Feel free to be creative and flexible with how you include the spirit of fireworks in your story, but use the idea of fireworks to inspire something new.
If something interesting comes from this prompt, write into it with curiosity. And please let me know! I’d love to hear about your words.
Silent Book Club with the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Downtown Main Library
Tuesday, July 1 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Downtown Main Library, 1 South 4C Suite, 800 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
Welcome to the Silent Book Club, a cozy place where all you need is a book to read. Any book, any format, any chapter. No discussions, no suffering that book, no worries about not having enough copies for everyone, no pressure to speak; just the enthralling act of reading. One hour of silent reading time, then a half an hour to get to know your fellow bookworms if you feel like staying.
Writers' Group at the Kenton County Public Library, Erlanger Branch
Tuesday, July 1 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 Night at Sitwell’s with Roberta Schultz and Christopher McCurry
Tuesday, July 1 at 7:00 pm at Sitwell’s Coffee Shop, 324 Ludlow Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220.
Mark your calendars for our next featured poets, Roberta Schultz & Christopher McCurry. As always, we'll have an open mic, too.
Tales to Tails with Ella
Tuesday, July 1 and July 15 from 12:00 to 1:00 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.
Tales to Tails with Eoin
Thursday, July 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 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.
Peregrine Haiku Society with The Mercantile Library
Thursday, July 3 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.
Writing Workshop — Structuring a Novel: For Pantsers, Plotters, and Everyone In Between
Thursday, July 3 from 7:10 to 8:40 pm at Tome Books and Novelteas, 6089 Salem Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45230.
Whether you map out every scene or discover your story as you go, finding the right structure can elevate your novel from a draft to something truly compelling. In this workshop, writers Sarah Wilson Gregory and J.M. Clark will share approaches to story structure that support your unique process.
We’ll begin with a writing prompt to get the ideas flowing, then explore how to shape momentum, deepen tension, and guide your narrative without losing creative freedom. You’ll learn adaptable tools and techniques that work for planners, discovery writers, and those who fall somewhere in the middle.
Bring your current project or a fresh idea. All genres and experience levels are welcome.
Bring the Noise Poetry Slam by Def Poets Society
Thursday, July 3 from 8:00 to 11:00 pm at Gallery Off Vine, 6819 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45216.
Bring The Noise Poetry Slam | Every First Thursday @ Gallery Off Vine
Get ready to bring the noise at the most electric Poetry Slam in the City
📍 Gallery Off Vine, 6819 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH
Whether you're a poet ready to shake the mic or a fan there to cheer your favorite wordsmith to victory, this slam is louder, bolder, and realer than the rest. Audience reaction (measured by a decibel meter!) determines who takes home the crown — so come loud, come proud, and bring the noise.
🎙 Open to all poets
🎟 All vibes welcome
🏆 Winner takes the spotlight
Doors open at 8PM | Open Mic starts at 9PM | Mini-Slam Starts at 10pm
Local Author Spotlight at Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Saturday, July 5 at 1:00 pm at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208.
Join us for Local Author Spotlight. Optional RSVP, but not required to attend the event.
Join us for a special signing with local authors! See below for the local authors being featured at this event:
* Randy Freking and Grant Freking
* Dr Lawrence (Mitch) Mieczkowski
* Christie Motz
* Amy Tobin
July Reading Party at Northwood Cider Co.
Sunday, July 6 from 1:30 to 4:00 pm at Northwood Cider Co., 2075 Mills Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45212.
Summer is for reading good books in cozy little nooks.
In this digital age, we understand the value of reading time, and we're delighted to provide a cozy space for our book-loving community.
Bring a book, read an hour, and chat with new book friends over a drink about what you just read. Enjoy curated soft music in the reserved reading area. The RSVP is free and will help us prepare appropriate space.
1:30p: Arrive early to settle into your seat, grab a drink or chat
2-3p: Reading time
3-4p: Mingle and chat (or keep reading)
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!
Writing in Community
Monday, July 7 and July 21 at 12:00 pm at the Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut St #1100 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
Seeking to start or build a consistent writing practice? Join us.
Each gathering begins with a brief prompt to stir creativity, followed by shared quiet time for individual projects. Whether you identify as a writer (any genre) or are simply dabbling, all are welcome.
Drop in and bring whatever writing tools fit your fancy, and turn solitary writing into creative companionship. No registration required.
Contact hillary@mercantilelibrary.com for questions.
Virtual Author Talk: Raúl The Third- Drawing Your World (PK-2nd Grade)
Tuesday, July 8 from 4:00 to 4:30 pm virtually through the Campbell County Public Library. Registration required.
Join author and illustrator Raúl The Third as he discusses his book ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Read!. Meet Little Lobo and friends as they explore their library’s Libro Love Book Festival! From cookbook demonstrations and comics workshops to mask making and language classes, this library has something for everyone and Little Lobo can’t wait to show you.
Raúl the Third uses his culture and his experience growing up on the US and Mexico border to inspire his art and his storytelling. Students will be encouraged to explore their world through a creative lens. A draw along is planned, drawing supplies and paper are recommended.
Please note that we will be hosting Raúl the Third twice on this date, once in Spanish and in English. Be sure that you are registering for your preferred format.
About the Author: Raúl The Third is a New York Times bestselling and three-time Pura Belpre award-winning illustrator, author, and artist living in Boston. His work centers around the contemporary Mexican-American experience and his memories of growing up in El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. He is currently adapting his World of Vamos! books into an animated television series with Silvergate Media and Mercury Filmworks.
2025-2027 Cincinnati and Mercantile Library Poet Laureate Celebration with Richard Hague
Tuesday, July 8 at 6:00 pm at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street #1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
The Mercantile Library is thrilled to announce Richard Hague as the 2025-2027 Cincinnati and Mercantile Library Poet Laureate.
The two-year post includes a stipend underwritten by the City of Cincinnati and the Mercantile Library. Previously held by poets Pauletta Hansel, Manuel Iris, and Yalie Saweda Kamara, the Poet Laureate promotes poetry throughout the city, reads poems at events, and leads programming.
Richard Hague is a graduate of Xavier University whose work has appeared in Poetry, Smartish Pace, Appalachian Journal, Northern Appalachian Review, Birmingham Poetry Review, Nowhere Magazine, Hiram Poetry Review, Nimrod, Mid-American Review, Ohio Magazine, Still: The Journal, Gyroscope Review, The Cleveland Plain Dealer and Creative Nonfiction, among many others, and in dozens of anthologies. He is author or editor of 22 volumes of prose and poetry, most recently Continued Cases (Dos Madres Press, 2023), a collection of environmental, satirical, and political poems and the nonfiction collection Earnest Occupations: Teaching, Writing, Gardening, and Other Local Work (Bottom Dog Press 2018) listed as “Recommended” by the US Review of Books. A Katharine Bakeless Scholar at Bread Loaf, he studied with Scott Russell Sanders. He has taught writing and literature in Cincinnati and elsewhere for 54 years.
“Not only am I honored to be named Poet Laureate, but I look forward to supporting poets and the art of poetry in the city I have lived, studied, and taught in for sixty years,” said Hague. “I also hope to celebrate, among many other things, Cincinnati’s river heritage, being myself a native of another old Ohio River town, Steubenville, site of the original Land Office for the Northwest Territory. Finally, I am privileged to follow Pauletta Hansel, Manuel Iris, and Yalie Kamara in maintaining the vital and varied poetry scene they have created in their roles as Poets Laureate.”
6 pm reception/6:30 pm program
Free & open to the public.
Registration required.
YA Silent Book Club for Youth
Wednesday, July 9 and 23 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Household Books, 5854 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45224.
Join us for Youth Silent Book Club July 9 & 23 @householdbookscincy as part of Read Around the Block!
Friends of the Library Book Sale, Campbell County Public Library, Newport Branch
Thursday, July 10, Friday, July 11, and Saturday, July 12 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Campbell County Public Library, Newport Branch, 901 E 6th St, Newport, Kentucky 41071.
The Friends of the Library have a used book sale from 9 am-5 pm 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 $3 for select titles. Some books are free! A large selection of items are available, including books, CDs, DVDs and audiobooks. The sale runs Thursday-Saturday, July 10-12.
Tales to Tails with Winston
Thursday, July 10 and July 24 from 11:00 am to 12:00 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.
Reading on the River
Thursday, July 10, 17, 24, and 31 from 10:30 to 11:30 am at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Avondale Branch, 3566 Reading Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229.
Work toward your summer reading goals in a quiet, casual environment featuring a livestream of the Ohio River.
Poet Laureate Office Hours with Richard Hague
Saturday, July 12 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street #1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
Second Saturday of each month, 12 noon-2pm. We will begin each session with One Poem At A Time, a close reading of a classic, noting matters of form, figures of speech, diction, and other features relevant to both readers and writers of poetry. Then a poetry-writing prompt and discussion, followed by thirty to forty minutes of drafting. Each session will end with a voluntary read-around of drafts, with general pointers for revision. Richard will also entertain questions about any aspect of the poetry game: submitting, publishing, networking, reading, performing. Occasionally, participants can take the opportunity to recite from memory a poem of their choice for the general delight of the group, if they so desire.
Community Book Swap at Muse Cafe
Saturday, July 12 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at Muse Cafe, 3018 Harrison Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45211.
Cincy Book Swap is a community gathering for any and all readers who have books they would like to swap with other readers to find their new favorite book. Bring 2-3 books to swap with others. Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, History, whatever your genre, bring it and find others while getting to know fellow bibliophiles and supporting a local business.
Muse Café has become a cornerstone of the Westwood Arts and Entertainment District by providing a forum for conversation, ideas, art and good cheer. We believe our true product is serving as a catalyst for community connections and self expression. We facilitate this by providing a relaxing environment as well as high quality refreshments and foods. By locally sourcing our products, we show pride and dedication to our city and our local community.
Come get a drink and get a new (to you) book!
Tales to Tails with Poppy
Saturday, July 12 and Wednesday, July 30 from 2:00 to 2:45 pm at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Walnut Hills Branch, 2533 Kemper Lane, Cincinnati, Ohio 45206.
Read a story to our furry friend, Poppy, a certified therapy dog.
For youth of all reading levels.
Streetside Bookery Summer Book Fair
Saturday, July 12 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at Streetside Brewery, 4003 Eastern Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226.
Join us at Streetside Brewery, just down the street from the shop, for a book fair for grown ups! We'll have all new books in every genre, including books for kids too. A perfect day to browse books and sip a cold drink!
Down the Rabbit Hole: A Reading Experience with Rabbits at the Kenton County Public Library
Sunday, July 13 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and Tuesday, July 22 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the Kenton County Public Library, Independence Branch, 1992 Walton-Nicholson, Independence, Kentucky 41051. Registration required.
Join us on our “Down the Rabbit Hole” adventure to wonderland with our favorite library mascots: Luna and Lola. Show up to your scheduled time slot with your favorite book and read to our rabbits! Sessions will be a total of 15 minutes. Library staff will email you a specific time slot a week before the program. At that time, you will be expected to confirm your reservation. Registration required!
Silent Book Club
Second Monday of each month (July 14) 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.
Young Writers Society
Monday, July 14 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!
Refreshments will be provided! Registration is encouraged, but not required!
Best for teens ages 13-18!
Make sure to bring your preferred writing medium (laptop, tablet, notebook and pencil, etc.) and any creative works you may want to share!
Writer-in-Residence Workshop: Nonfiction Young Author Alert!
Tuesday, July 15 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Madeira Branch, 7200 Miami Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45243.
There’s a nonfiction writer inside kids of all ages and backgrounds. Find out how to help young people put their thoughts, feelings, knowledge, and ideas on paper. This workshop invites both teachers and students to find out how good nonfiction writing happens step by step, from choosing topics and research techniques to vetting sources and revising with no mercy. Join the Library's 2025 Writer-in-Residence, Mary Kay Carson, as she shares her real-life book-writing experiences and in-the-trenches anecdotes of how she follows three simple steps (Get Ready, Write, and Make It Better) to breakdown the writing process into a navigable process that attendees can apply to their own writing. Attendees work through a 3 Steps to Write worksheet for their own writing topic and practice writing prompts.
A Preponderance of Starry Beings: An Evening with Samantha Edmonds
Tuesday, July 15 at 6:00 pm at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street #1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
Genre-bending stories of the cosmos and the worlds within our own skin
Blending fairy tale and science fiction with the otherworldliness of adolescence, A Preponderance of Starry Beings is a collection for anyone preoccupied with looking skyward. These stories probe the experience of coming of age on the outskirts of the universe, whether that be a small Midwestern town or a distant galaxy, and of weighing earthly obligations against the vast promises of space.
In a sleepy Ohio neighborhood, two girls seek refuge from their homophobic schoolmates in an antiques shop filled with Star Trek memorabilia. On a generation spaceship, children revolt against their parents’ plans to colonize a distant world. Deep in the Florida Everglades, seven sisters must protect their otherworldly mythology when two men arrive to fix the family automobile.
A Preponderance of Starry Beings invites us into a mundane and whimsical world of night islands, small towns, and faith lost and found, where a safe landing matters less than taking the leap.
6 pm reception/6:30 pm program
Free & open to the public.
Registration required.
Copies of A Preponderance of Starry Beings will be available for sale & signing courtesy of Joseph-Beth Cincinnati.
About Samantha Edmonds: SAMANTHA EDMONDS is the author of the short story collection A Preponderance of Starry Beings as well as the chapbooks The Space Poet and Pretty to Think So. Her work appears in the New York Times, Fourth Genre, Ninth Letter, Mississippi Review, and The Rumpus, among others. She is an assistant professor in the creative writing program at Berry College and lives in Rome, Georgia.
Linda Castillo discussing and signing Rage
Tuesday, July 15 at 7:00 pm at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208.
Join us for Linda Castillo discussing and signing Rage. OPTIONAL RSVP, but not required to attend the event.
In this gripping installment of the Edgar Award winning series, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates a brutal double murder that takes her into the dark underbelly of society and exposes the dangers of Amish lives gone wrong.
Summer has arrived with a vengeance in Painters Mill, and a macabre discovery by three Amish children brings the quiet to a grinding halt. Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives on scene to find the dismembered body of 21-year-old Samuel Eicher, a local Amish man who owned a successful landscaping business. What twisted individual murdered him in such a sadistic way?
The investigation has barely begun when, miles away, a second body is found, stuffed into a barrel and dumped in a ravine. The deceased is 21-year-old Aaron Shetler, Samuel Eicher’s best friend. What could these two young Amish men have been involved in that led to such violent ends?
With a heat wave bearing down, Kate learns quickly that, for reasons she doesn’t understand, no one is willing to talk about what happened to the men. Just as she begins to fear the case may be hopeless, a mystery woman comes forward and reveals that fun-loving Aaron and Samuel had recently befriended some very unsavory characters—individuals who may have ties to a larger, more sinister, black market.
To solve the case, Kate must delve into the most sordid corners of her community, but when she gets too close, the killers target Kate herself. Will the secrets simmering beneath the surface of Painters Mill take another life before she can expose the truth? Or will Kate be the final victim?
About the Author: Linda Castillo is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Kate Burkholder mystery series, set in the world of the Amish. The first book, Sworn to Silence, was adapted into a Lifetime original movie titled An Amish Murder starring Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder. Critically acclaimed as “the master of the genre” (People magazine), Castillo is the recipient of numerous industry awards including an Edgar Award, the Sue Grafton Memorial Award, a nomination by the International Thriller Writers for Best Hardcover, a nomination for an Audie Award for best mystery audiobook, and an appearance on the Boston Globe’s shortlist for best crime novel. Her books have sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide.
In addition to writing, Castillo’s other passion is horses. She lives in Texas with her husband and a menagerie of animals, and is currently at work on her next book.
Blackout Poetry Book Art Event at The Bookmatters
Wednesday, July 16 at 6:00 pm at The Bookmatters Bookstore, 6 Main Street, Milford, Ohio 45150.
$10 per person | Limited Seating
Get creative with us at The Bookmatters for a night of literary-inspired art!
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll transform old book pages into beautiful blackout poetry—where hidden words become powerful poems and the rest becomes visual art.
No experience needed—just bring your imagination. We'll provide all the materials (and some inspiration) to help you craft your own one-of-a-kind piece of art.
Gordon Korman discussing and signing Snoop
Wednesday, July 16 at 7:00 pm at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208.
Join us for Gordon Korman discussing and signing Snoop. OPTIONAL RSVP, but not required to attend the event. Gordon will sign and personalize Snoop and sign up to four additional books.
From Gordon Korman, the bestselling author of Restart, the story of a boy who's stuck at home with two broken legs... and who starts using cameras and a drone to spy on his classmates, neighbors, and a possible criminal who's come to town.
If Carter hadn't been checking his phone, he might have seen his brother coming down the ski slopes in his direction. And if Carter had seen his brother in time and avoided the crash, he might not have two broken legs right now.
Oops.
Now Carter is stuck at home for weeks, with both his legs in casts. Bored, he starts checking out the live feeds from police cams around his town. Before he knows it, he's obsessed -- watching his classmates when they don't know he's looking, and discovering some other VERY STRANGE things going on that no one else is noticing.
But what happens when Carter is found out... and the people he's watching know where he lives?
About the Author: Gordon Korman is the beloved author of over one hundred novels for young readers, including hilarious middle-grade classics such as the Macdonald Hall series, I Want to Go Home, and Slacker. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Gordon grew up in Thornhill, Ontario, and now lives in New York with his family.
Virtual Author Talk: Marie Lu- Discerning the Truth (9th-12th Grade)
Thursday, July 17 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm virtually through the Campbell County Public Library. Registration required.
Explore the intricate world of Legend with Marie Lu as she encourages readers to look beyond the surface and reveal hidden secrets. Explore the depths of deceit, battle for power, and the lengths characters will go to unmask the Truth.
Legend is a dystopian novel where two unlikely characters, June and Day, cross paths in search for the Truth. Can they set aside their differences and preconceptions for the greater good? Readers will devour Marie Lu’s words as they are challenged to think critically about the world around them and reminded to never judge a book by its cover. Register now for an event you don’t want to miss!
About the Author: Marie Lu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legend trilogy and The Young Elites trilogy. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, working for Disney Interactive Studios as a Flash artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing Assassin’s Creed, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California (see above: traffic), with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis.
Bestselling Author Vanessa Miller
Thursday, July 17 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the Dayton Metro Library, Northwest Branch, 2410 Philadelphia Drive, Dayton Ohio 45406.
Vanessa Miller is a USA Today Bestselling author. Her writing has been centered on themes of redemption and books about strong Black women in pivotal moments of history.
Miller’s book, The American Queen won the prestigious Christy Award, the Audie Award and was the 2024 American Fiction Award winner for Historical Fiction. The American Queen is a North Carolina Reads pick for 2025.
Her novel, The Filling Station, has received starred reviews from Library Journal and Booklist. It is a Positively Charlotte book club pick and a USA Today Bestseller.
Writing Workshop — Hooking the Reader: Making Your Opening Pages Shine
Thursday, July 17 from 7:10 to 8:40 pm at Tome Books and Novelteas, 6089 Salem Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45230.
First impressions matter. In this workshop, writers Sarah Wilson Gregory and J.M. Clark will guide you through the art of crafting powerful opening pages that grab attention and keep readers turning the page.
We’ll begin with a writing prompt to get your creativity warmed up, then dive into what makes a compelling start—from tone and character introduction to tension, voice, and stakes. You’ll learn how to set the right expectations for your story while building intrigue and momentum from the very first sentence.
Whether you're polishing a draft or starting something new, this session offers practical strategies to help your story stand out. All genres and experience levels welcome.
WordPlay Thursday's Open Mic Night
Thursday, July 17 from 8:00 to 11:00 pm at Gallery Off Vine, 6819 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45216.
8-9PM NETWORKING AND OPEN MIC SIGN UP
9PM OPEN MIC STARTS
10PM FEATURE POET PERFORMANCE
1030PM-UNTIL FINISH OPEN MIC
11PM-UNTIL CLOSE MUSIC X VIBES
See the Story
Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm at the Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
Do you love to read? Love art? Join CHPL and CAM staff for this bi-monthly book club at the Cincinnati Art Museum. 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 at the Cincinnati Art Museum to discuss the book of the month then take a tour of related artworks. Join us and see the story!
July 19: You Are My Sunshine: A Story of Love, Promises, and a Really Long Bike Ride by Sean Dietrich
Boozy Book Fair with Roebling Books & Coffee at Fretboard
Saturday, July 19 from 2:00 to 7:00 pm at Fretboard Brewing Company, 2750 Park Avenue, Suite O, Norwood, Ohio 45212.
📚✨ Boozy Book Fair at Fretboard Brewing Co. ✨🍻
Join us on Friday, July 19th from 2–7 PM at Fretboard Brewing Company inside Factory 52 for an afternoon of literary love and local brews! We’re bringing you the newest bestsellers, mind-bending puzzles, quirky merch, stickers, pins, and more.
Browse the stacks, sip on something cold from Fretboard, and treat yourself (and your bookshelf) to an afternoon of bookish bliss. Whether you’re a casual reader or a full-blown bibliophile, this is your happy place.
Come for the books, stay for the beer. 📖🍺 See you there!
American Scare: An Evening with Robert W. Fieseler
Tuesday, July 22 at 6:00 pm at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street #1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
A vital story for both our history and our present day, American Scare is a riveting exposé of how the Florida government became determined to destroy the lives of Black and queer citizens in the 1950s.
In January of 1959, Art Copleston was escorted out of his college accounting class by three police officers. In a motel room, blinds drawn, he sat in front of a state senator and the legal counsel for the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee. His crime? Being a suspected homosexual. And the government of Florida would use any tactic at their disposal—legal or not—to get Copleston to admit it.
Using a secret trove of primary source documents that have been decoded for the first time in history, award-winning journalist Robert Fieseler unravels the mystery of what actually happened behind the closed doors of the Johns Committee. In this fast-paced true crime story, Fieseler places readers in the center of the action, illustrating the shocking techniques the government would use to intimidate and break those who they saw as a threat to Florida’s white, conservative identity.
The state of Florida would prefer if its history remained buried. But for almost a decade, the Florida Legislature founded, funded, and supported the Johns Committee—an organization using the cover of communism to viciously attack members of the NAACP and queer professors and students. Fieseler describes the heartbreaking ramifications for the citizens of Florida whose lives were imperiled, profiling marginalized residents with compassion, curiosity, and a determination to bring their devasting experiences into the limelight at last. A propulsive, human-centered drama, with fascinating insight into Florida politics, American Scare is a page-turning reckoning of our racist and homophobic past—and its chilling parallels to today.
Fieseler describes the heartbreaking ramifications for citizens of Florida whose lives were imperiled, profiling marginalized residents with compassion and a determination to bring their devasting experiences to light at last. A propulsive, human-centered drama, with fascinating insight into Florida politics, American Scare is a page-turning reckoning of our racist and homophobic past—and its chilling parallels to today.
6 pm reception/6:30 pm program
Free & open to the public.
Registration required.
Copies of American Scare will be available for sale & signing courtesy of Joseph-Beth Cincinnati.
About Robert W. Fieseler: Robert W. Fieseler is a journalist investigating marginalized groups and a scholar excavating forgotten histories. A National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Journalist of the Year and recipient of the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship, his debut book Tinderbox won seven awards, including the Edgar Award, and his reporting has appeared in Slate, Commonweal, and River Teeth, among others. Fieseler graduated co-valedictorian from the Columbia Journalism School and is pursuing a PhD at Tulane University as a Mellon Fellow. He lives with his husband on the gayest street in New Orleans.
Author Talk: Rex Ogle- Illuminating Hope and Grace in the Face of Hardship (5th-8th Grade)
Wednesday, July 23 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm virtually through the Campbell County Public Library. Registration required.
You’re invited to join us online with award-winning author Rex Ogle as he talks to viewers about his struggles to navigate sixth grade as written about in his book Free Lunch.
Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex’s mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he’s on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout.
Free Lunch is the story of Rex’s efforts to navigate his first semester of sixth grade—who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, Halloween in a handmade costume, classmates and a teacher who take one look at him and decide he’s trouble—all while wearing secondhand clothes and being hungry. His mom and her boyfriend are out of work, and life at home is punctuated by outbursts of violence. Halfway through the semester, his family is evicted and ends up in government-subsidized housing in view of the school. Rex lingers at the end of last period every day until the buses have left, so no one will see where he lives.
Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Rex’s voice is compelling and authentic, and Free Lunch is a true, timely, and essential work that illuminates the lived experience of poverty in America. Register now to join the conversation!
About the Author: Rex Ogle is the author of Free Lunch, winner of the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award; Punching Bag, a New York Public Library Best Book; Abuela Don’t Forget Me, finalist for the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award; and Road Home, which received a Printz Honor and a Stonewall Book Award Honor. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Friends of the Library Thursday Book Sale, Campbell County Public Library, Newport Branch
Thursday, July 24 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Campbell County Public Library, Newport Branch, 901 E 6th St, Newport, Kentucky 41071.
The Friends of the Library hosts a book sale from 9 am to noon on the fourth Thursday of the month from January through October. The book sale is in the Friends Room on the lower level of the Newport Branch. Come browse the great selection of books and take advantage of incredible prices.
Rebecca Kenney discussing and signing Ruthless Devotion
Thursday, July 24 at 7:00 pm at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208. Ticket required via book purchase.
Join us for Rebecca Kenney discussing and signing Ruthless Devotion. This event is book = ticket. Please purchase the book to attend the event. Book will be ready for pick up at the event.
**SPECIAL DELUXE EDITION WITH STAINED EDGES, CHARACTER ART, AND MORE.**
He was the other half of my soul—the mirror to my every dark desire. My destruction, my redemption, my salvation: my Heathcliff.
Cathy Earnshaw's got the devil inside her—or at least that's what the small, cultish community she's spent her whole life trapped inside would say. She can sense death coming, and every loss sends her spiraling into a violent, uncontrollable episode of grief, wailing like a banshee across the swampy forests of the Lowcountry. With a secret as dark as hers, there's no hope of relief, or escape, or finding someone with a chance of understanding.
Until she meets him.
Heathcliff's got his own trauma, and a secret just as dangerous as Cathy's. Stolen as a child, raised by necromancers, he's the most forbidden sin she could ever imagine…and the most desperately tempting. Violent in his passions, tender in his affection, he feels like the other half of her soul, but even as they claw desperately to be together, the world seems just as determined to keep them apart.
Because it turns out their little Southern community was built long ago on a graveyard of lies…and every cult needs its sacrificial lamb.
An addictive and truly original spicy New Adult retelling of Wuthering Heights with a magical twist.
RICH BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:
Sprayed edges
Gorgeous b&w interior art
Additional scenes
And more!
About the Author: Rebecca F. Kenney writes contemporary fantasy, paranormal romance, and spicy fantasy romance. She lives in upstate South Carolina with her handsome blue-eyed husband and two smart, energetic kids.
When I See Me BIPOC Children's Book Fair
Saturday, July 26 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Dayton Metro Library, West Branch location, 300 Abbey Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45417.
Children need to see themselves reflected in the stories they read. This need is especially true for children of color. According to research conducted by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), only 39% of children’s books published in 2022 featured Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) children as the main character. In 2018, BIPOC representation was only 23%.
In an effort to bridge the gap, When I See Me BIPOC Children’s Book Fair was created to pique children’s curiosity, boost their confidence, and enhance their ability to connect with the world around them by featuring books with characters that look like them.
The second annual book fair is Saturday, July 26, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio. The day includes
Author signings
Fun activities that encourage reading and writing
Giveaways
Panel discussions for aspiring children’s book authors
And more!
Writer's Club
Saturday, July 26 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Kenton County Public Library, Covington Branch, Truist Meeting Room, 502 Scott Boulevard, Covington, Kentucky 41011.
Come enjoy a community of writers! Learn how to world build and create characters within your own writing projects! Light refreshments will be provided.
Registration is encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome!
Make sure to bring your preferred writing medium (laptop, tablet, notebook and pencil, etc.)
Writer's Club is 18+
Today's Key Book Publishing Paths: What's New, What's Old, and What's Right for You?
Saturday, July 26 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Downtown Main Library Location, 800 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
Join industry expert Jane Friedman and learn how the book publishing industry works! Better understand the pros and cons of every major publishing path available to writers, including: New York traditional publishing and what projects are well-suited to being represented by literary agents; the capabilities of midsize publishers and independent publishers; how to evaluate small presses, micro-presses, and digital-only presses; what "hybrid" publishing is and how to evaluate such companies; and all forms of self-publishing practiced today. You’ll learn not just the foundational principles of book publishing, but you’ll also gain expert insight into the changing industry landscape, and how you can navigate your own path toward success.
Don Tassone and Jane Rytel sharing and signing Clara’s Big Discovery
Saturday, July 26 at 10:30 am at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208.
Join us for Don Tassone and Jane Rytel sharing and signing Clara’s Big Discovery. OPTIONAL RSVP not required to attend the event.
Clara is a happy little girl - until one day a friend tells her she has a big nose. This makes Clara feel bad. She thinks there's something wrong with her.
At school the next day, Clara is worried her classmates might be staring at her, so she pays extra close attention to them. One by one, she sees them in a new way. In the process, Clara discovers something wonderful.
Children form images of themselves that can last a lifetime. Clara's Big Discovery conveys an important lesson about self-acceptance through a delightful and unforgettable story.
Wicks and Words: Candle Pouring and Open Mic
Saturday, July 26 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Wild-N-Wicks, 2835 Cincinnati Dayton Road, Middletown, Ohio 45044. Ticket required.
🌙 Wicks & Words 🕯
A summer evening of scent, story, and soul.
Join us for a one-of-a-kind experience where scent meets sentiment. Wicks & Words blends the meditative art of candle making with the spark of live poetry. It's the perfect cozy summer date or a meaningful night out with friends.
🎟️ Your ticket includes:
– One 8.5 oz candle, hand-poured by you with summery, literary-inspired scents
– A custom label for your candle
– Relaxing music & a welcoming atmosphere
– Light bites & refreshments
– A themed take-home bag of goodies
– The chance to listen—or share your own poem or a favorite piece
🎤 Open Mic Poetry | Hosted by The Starburned Quill
As the candles cool, let words warm the room. Whether you're a seasoned poet or trying it for the first time, all voices are welcome. I’ll share a few gentle tips to ease nerves and help your words shine.
Want to read?
Sign up early: tsqcollective@yahoo.com
Or, feel free to add your name at the event.
✨ More than an event—it’s a night to create, connect, and be inspired.
🕯 Make a candle | 📖 Share a story | 💫 Leave with a heart full of words
From Ideas to Ink for Teens
Tuesday, July 29 from 3:30 to 4:30 pm at the MidPointe Library, Liberty location, Liberty Board Room, 6716 Yankee Road, Liberty Township, Ohio 45044.
Explore creative writing with a supportive group of peers. You will learn new writing skills, share your stories, and meet other writers just like you. Open to all experience levels.
Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar: An Evening with Katie Yee
Tuesday, July 29 at 6:00 pm at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street #1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
“A light and nimble debut novel about some of life’s most devastating events...this a novel that crackles with heartfelt intelligence and wit....A funny, stirring novel about resilience.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A Chinese American woman spins tragedy into comedy when her life falls apart in a taut, wry debut novel that grapples with grief, motherhood, and myths—perfect for fans of Joan Is Okay and Crying in H Mart.
A man and a woman walk into a restaurant. The woman expects a lovely night filled with endless plates of samosas. Instead, she finds out her husband is having an affair with a woman named Maggie.
A short while after, her chest starts to ache. She walks into an examination room, where she finds out the pain in her breast isn’t just heartbreak—it’s cancer. She decides to call the tumor Maggie.
Unfolding in fragments over the course of the ensuing months, Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar follows the narrator as she embarks on a journey of grief, healing, and reclamation. She starts talking to Maggie (the tumor), getting acquainted with her body’s new inhabitant. She overgenerously creates a “Guide to My Husband: A User’s Manual” for Maggie (the other woman), hoping to ease the process of discovering her ex-husband’s whims and quirks. She turns her children’s bedtime stories into retellings of Chinese folklore passed down by her own mother, in an attempt to make them fall in love with their shared culture—and to maybe save herself in the process.
In the style of Jenny Offill and the tradition of Nora Ephron’s hilarious and devastating writing on heartbreak and womanhood, Maggie is a master class in transforming personal tragedy into a form of defiant comedy.
6 pm reception/6:30 pm program
Free & open to the public.
Registration required.
Copies of Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar will be available for sale & signing courtesy of Joseph-Beth Cincinnati.
About Katie Yee: Katie Yee is a writer from Brooklyn. She has received fellowships from the Center for Fiction, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, and Kundiman. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, No Tokens, The Believer, the Washington Square Review, Triangle House, Epiphany, and Literary Hub. By day, she works at the Brooklyn Museum. By night, she writes, usually under the watch of her judgmental rescue dog, Ollie.
On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports: An Evening with Christine Brennan
Wednesday, July 30 at 6:00 pm at The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut Street #1100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. Registration required.
A news-making and electrifying portrait of sports phenomenon Caitlin Clark, whose dramatic ascendance in college basketball and now in the WNBA has captured the attention of media and fans unlike any other female team-sport athlete in history—by award-winning USA TODAY columnist and television commentator Christine Brennan.
America has never seen an athlete quite like Caitlin Clark. Attracting record-shattering attendance and TV ratings, she has riveted the nation with her famous logo threes and thrilling passes and changed how fans across the country view women’s sports. Drawing on dozens of extensive interviews and exclusive, behind-the-scenes reporting, veteran journalist Christine Brennan narrates Clark’s rise—including the formative experiences that led to her scoring more points than any woman or man in major college basketball history—and delivers fascinating new details about Clark’s Olympic snub by USA Basketball, the safety concerns around her that led to charter flights for all players, the WNBA’s lack of preparation for heightened national scrutiny, and troubling outbreaks of jealousy and resentment as a white player became the top story in a predominantly Black league.
The 2024 season was a watershed. Always taking the high road in the face of criticism, Clark proceeded to write herself into WNBA record books as one of the league’s most talented rookies ever. And her winning persona—on full display whether surrounded by children begging for autographs or reporters hanging on her every word—made Clark such a fan favorite that increasingly larger arenas needed to be found to accommodate the hordes who traveled hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of miles to watch her play.
Clark arrived as a sports and cultural icon a little more than fifty years after the passage of Title IX, the 1972 law that opened the floodgates for girls and women to play sports in America. On Her Game is a sports story, certainly, but it’s also the story of a nation falling in love with what it has created because of that law—millions of new athletes, led by the magical Caitlin Clark.
6 pm reception/6:30 pm program
Free & open to the public.
Registration required.
Copies of On Her Game will be available for sale & signing courtesy of Joseph-Beth Cincinnati.
About Christine Brennan: CHRISTINE BRENNAN is an award-winning national sports columnist for USA TODAY; a commentator for ABC, CNN, and PBS NewsHour; and the bestselling author of Inside Edge, named one of the top 100 sports books of all time by Sports Illustrated. She has been selected as one of the country’s top ten sports columnists multiple times by the Associated Press Sports Editors and has covered the last twenty-one Olympic Games, summer and winter. A trailblazer, she was the first woman sportswriter at The Miami Herald, the first woman to cover Washington’s NFL team for The Washington Post, and the first president of the Association for Women in Sports Media. https://christinebrennan.com/
Karen Scholl discussing and signing Surviving Soccer – A Chill Parent’s Guide to Carpools, Calendars, Coaches, Clubs, and Corner Kicks
Wednesday, July 30 at 7:00 pm at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, OH 45208.
Join us for Karen Scholl discussing and signing Surviving Soccer – A Chill Parent’s Guide to Carpools, Calendars, Coaches, Clubs, and Corner Kicks. OPTIONAL RSVP, but not required to attend the event.
“A much-needed, hilarious take on life as a soccer parent in today's often too stressful youth sports environment. Surviving Soccer will keep you laughing from cover to cover.” —Skye Eddy, Founder of the Soccer Parenting Association
Being a soccer parent isn’t easy. Blankets, battery life, and bottled water are at a constant deficit, while group texts, gossip, and last-minute location changes never cease.
The surest means of survival is laughter, and Surviving Soccer: A Chill Parent's Guide to Carpools, Calendars, Coaches, Clubs, and Corner Kicks is the gentle nudge in the ribs soccer parents need to release the breath they didn't even realize they were holding.
This endlessly relatable guide delivers a brief respite from the chaos through lists, quizzes, and vignettes including:
So You Think That’s Your Schedule: A Game of Chutes and Ladders
Is Your Kid Ready for Club Soccer...or the Mob?
Road Rules Need Not Apply: Lessons from the Sports Multiplex Parking Lot
21 People to Avoid at the Game
Surviving Soccer is the perfect gift for those devoted, frenzied parents who still wouldn't trade the experience for a lifetime of unscheduled Saturdays.
About the Author: Karen Scholl is a seasoned soccer parent. She is also a copywriter and creative director who has created campaigns for top brands including Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Wendy’s, Sirius XM, Trident, Quaker Oats, and Scotts Miracle-Gro.
On the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains with Pria Anand
Tuesday, July 31 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm, virtually through the Campbell County Public Library. Registration required.
You’re invited to a fascinating conversation with neurologist and author Pria Anand to chat about her new book The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains.
The Mind Electric speaks to the stories we tell ourselves about our brains, and the stories that our brains tell to us.
A girl believes she has been struck blind for stealing a kiss. A mother watches helplessly as each of her children is replaced by a changeling. A woman is haunted each month by the same four chords of a single song. In neurology, illness is inextricably linked with narrative, the clues to unraveling these mysteries hidden in both the details of a patient’s story and the tells of their body.
Stories are etched into the very structure of our brains, coded so deeply that the impulse for storytelling survives and even surges after the most devastating injuries. But our brains are also porous—the stories they concoct are shaped by cultural narratives about bodies and illness that permeate the minds of doctors and patients alike. In the history of medicine, some stories are heard, while others—the narratives of women, of Black and brown people, of displaced people, of disempowered people—are too often dismissed.
In The Mind Electric, neurologist Pria Anand reveals—through case study, history, fable, and memoir—all that the medical establishment has overlooked: the complexity and wonder of brains in health and in extremis, and the vast gray area between sanity and insanity, doctor and patient, and illness and wellness, each separated from the next by the thin veneer of a different story.
Moving from the Boston hospital where she treats her patients, to her childhood years in India, to Isla Providencia in the Caribbean and to the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, she demonstrates again and again the compelling paradox at the heart of neurology: that even the most peculiar symptoms can show us something universal about ourselves as humans. Register now to join this intriguing virtual conversation!
About the Author: Pria Anand is a neurologist at the Boston Medical Center and an Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine. She is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford Medical School, and she trained in neurology, neuro-infectious diseases, and neuroimmunology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital.
The Art of Editing: Making Your Prose Shine
Thursday, July 31 from 7:10 to 8:40 pm at Tome Books and Novelteas, 6089 Salem Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45230.
You’ve finished your first draft, now the real work begins. Join writers Ian Sykes, Sarah Wilson Gregory, and J.M. Clark for a deep dive into the editing process and what comes next after typing “The End.”
We’ll begin with a writing prompt to get you into a creative headspace, then explore how to revise with clarity, intention, and confidence. Learn how to identify what’s working, trim what’s not, and polish your prose until it shines. The session will also cover what to do once your draft is complete, including tips on beta readers, submissions, and moving forward with new work.
This workshop is ideal for anyone looking to refine their writing and take the next step. All experience levels welcome.
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