August is my favorite month of the year for two reasons. One: it’s my birthday month! August is one of the few months that doesn’t have a major holiday in the US, so I’ve always liked to consider my birthday to be the holiday of the month. And two: back to school! Most students don’t get too excited about this, but as someone who grew up in the country, where my only neighbors were raccoons and coyotes, I was so happy to see my friends again! Of course, all that friend-free time in the summer also meant more writing and reading for me, but lucky for you, there are a few ways to keep up with fun writing and reading events through August—and there will be friends there too! Win win!!
Upcoming Events
Sat, 8/6, time TBA, at Dapper Owl (2412 E. Main St, Murfreesboro): Silent Book Club of Murfreesboro meetup - Enjoy some time reading books with your friends around! SBC will also meet at Dapper Owl on the 20th and 29th—which will be their one-year anniversary celebration! And on the 10th, they will be having an outdoor meetup as well, with time and place TBA. More info here!
Fri, 8/16, 6 PM, at MTSU Foundation House (324 W Thompson Ln, Murfreesboro): Poetry in the Boro Open Mic with Featured Reader Bryanna Licciardi - We can’t wait to celebrate our very own Bryanna and her new book of poetry, “Fish Love!” Come hear some of her work, have some snacks, listen to other local poets, and hey, maybe even share some of your own poetry! We’d love to hear it!
Sat, 8/17, 10:30, location TBA: Creative Writing Basics workshop from RAA - Join me—yes, little ole me!—to discuss what it takes to work your creative writing muscles going! This is geared for beginners, students, hobbyists, etc. so if you feel like a bit of a newbie to the writing life, come hang out with yours truly. Keep an eye on the RAA blog for more info! :)
Local Yays!
We have a lot of talented writers in Rutherford County, and we’ve seen a lot of success and recognition recently that need to be highlighted!
Adeli Brito has a new story, “Mad Love,” in The Raven Review
Debbie McClanahan recently started a Substack called “Debbie Does Digress”
Mary Leoson was interviewed by Kathryn Pendergrass on the MTSU In Process blog
Looking Ahead
Pre-registration is now open for the annual MTSU Write Fall Conference will be held September 27-28 this year with the theme Light & Shadow. The conference keynote will be acclaimed poet and novelist Darnell Arnoult. Darnell was a popular writing teacher and coach when she lived in middle Tennessee years ago, and many in the community are thrilled for her to be back to share her unique insights and encouragement. Friday, September 27, is the virtual component of the conference, and Saturday, September 28, is the in-person component. A reading and open mic conference kick-off with Poetry in the Boro will be held Friday evening, September 27. More info here
Arnoult is the author of a novel and three poetry collections, and her shorter works appear in many literary journals. Images courtesy darnellarnoult.net
And that’s about it for August! If you have any other events, news, or celebrations you’d like for us to know about, hit me up at taffetachimewrites@gmail.com. And don’t forget to check out your local libraries and bookstores for fun things they’ve got going on too—and that includes your school library too!
Banner image courtesy of @jessbaileydesigns
