Alabama Writers' Forum

Third Thursday Poetry Series to feature Poet Joe Wilkins
2025-11-20 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities, 101 S. Debardeleben St., Auburn, AL, 36849-5637, United States
Joe Wilkins will be guest poet at the Third Thursday reading on November 20, at Pebble Hill in Auburn. Book sales and refreshments will be available beginning at 6:00. The program will begin at 6:30 with a brief open mic reading followed by Wilkins’s presentation. Those wishing to read a brief poem in the open mic segment should arrive early and sign up.
Wilkins teaches creative writing at Linfield University in Oregon. He has published two novels, a memoir, and five collections of poetry, the most recent of which is Pastoral, 1994.

The Third Thursday Literary Series is sponsored by the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities, the Department of English and Southern Humanities Review in the College of liberal Arts at Auburn University, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University, and the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

All Third Thursday readings are free and open to the public.

Sim Butler talk about "And the Dragons Do Come: Raising a Transgender Kid in Rural America"
2025-11-20 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Our country stands at a critical cultural crossroads, with a wave of anti-trans legislation emerging at unprecedented levels targeting trans children, in particular, who face increasing stigmatization and erasure. In recent years, the Sim Butler family faced an impossible reality in their home state of Alabama, where trans rights are increasingly under attack. Sim Butler’s And the Dragons Do Come is a poignant account of one family’s experience of parenting and supporting a trans child in these perilous times. His book provides a firsthand perspective on the human cost of anti-trans sentiment and a strong argument for keeping the humanity in our hearts and our communities. Meet Sim Butler on Thursday, November 20 at 5:30pm at The NewSouth Bookstore. Co-sponsored by Prattville Pride.

Ink & Insight at Bellingrath Gardens with Author Joe Cuhaj
2025-11-14 10:30 - 11:30 | Bellingrath Gardens and Home, 12401 Bellingrath Gardens Rd., Theodore, AL, 36582, United States
Join author Joe Cuhaj at the fabulous Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Theodore, AL, Friday November 14th, for a fun morning as Joe reads some of his favorite little known, obscure, off-beat, and forgotten stories from his nonfiction history books. Books will be available for purchase with a signing after the reading.

Scott Ellsworth joins us for a talk about "Midnight on the Potomac"
2025-11-13 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Prepare to be transported back to the Civil War in a program featuring historian Scott Ellsworth, author of the newly released Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America. Midnight on the Potomac is a page-turner which has won many fine reviews. Focusing on the last, desperate months of the war, when the outcome was far from certain, this is a story of titanic battles, political upheaval, and the long-forgotten Confederate terror war against the loyal citizens of the North. Dramatically paced and passionately told, the book has been called a new kind of history of the Civil War. Don’t miss author Scott Ellsworth at The NewSouth Bookstore on Thursday, November 13, at 5:30pm.

7 Points Press Book Release Celebration
2025-11-06 18:00 - 19:00 | The Kennedy-Douglas Center for the Arts, 217 East Tuscaloosa Street, Florence, AL, 35630, United States
7 Points Press presents: A Book Release Celebration at The Kennedy-Douglas Center for the Arts, 217 East Tuscaloosa Street, Florence, Alabama 35630. Reading begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025.
Featured readers will be: Donna Geise, J. D. Manders, Jeanie Thompson, and Wayne Sides. The authors will read and discuss their work. Books will be available for sale. Admission is free.

Sign up here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1463289858121621/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22home%22%7D%2C%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22attachment%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22newsfeed%22%7D]%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3Anull%7D

An In-conversation and Signing with author William Webster at The Haunted Book Shop
2025-11-06 17:30 - 19:30 | The Haunted Book Shop, 9 S JOACHIM ST, MOBILE, AL, 36602-2707, United States
Join us at The Haunted Book Shop on November 6, 2025, at 5:30pm for an evening with thriller author William Webster. Rockets’ Red Glare, Webster’s debut terrorism thriller has been referred to as “thriller writing at its most creative and suspenseful.”
Webster will be in conversation with fellow adventure thriller author Jodie Cain Smith. They will discuss Webster’s writing process, his ability to create action scenes that make readers hold their breath and turn the pages, and how his own professional experiences in the political arena influence his writing. A book signing will follow the in-conversation and audience Q&A.

One Hour/One Poem: Discover the verse of Emily Dickinson
2025-11-04 17:30 - 18:30 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Make a date with a poem and Dr. Susie Paul. In an exciting program hosted by The NewSouth Bookstore, titled One Hour/One Poem, Dr. Paul will teach one great nineteenth-century poem in each of four monthly sessions of an hour or less. The program will be a deep dive into the work of four significant American writers, all giants of the poetic form: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson. Paul is a master educator with a deep love of poetry, who is thrilled to have an opportunity to teach these works. She has selected “After great pain, a formal feeling comes” by Emily Dickinson, written in 1862, as the subject of her fourth session.

Poetry in the Park with Poet Laureate Ashley Jones
2025-11-01 11:00 - 12:30 | Center Point Public Library, 533 Sunhill Road, Center Point, AL, 35215, United States
Join Center Point Public Library for Poetry at the Park with Poet Laureate of Alabama Ashley Jones. Listen to Ms. Jones read from her collection of poetry, get signed copies of her latest book, and meet our state’s Poet Laureate!
Bring the entire family, lawn chairs, and blankets as we enjoy poetry under the blue skies!
Light hors d’oeuvres will be provided. Please register via QR link in image.

A Halloween Special with Karren Pell and the Old Alabama Revue
2025-10-30 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Karren Pell and the Old Alabama Revue return to The NewSouth Bookstore for Halloween. They’ll conjure up a fiendishly fun program of spooktacular songs — original tunes and old favorites you love. Join us at The NewSouth Bookstore on Thursday, October 30 at 5:30pm. Halloween costumes optional but encouraged. There will be devilishly good snacks and drinks served and music to raise the spirits. There’s not a ghost of a chance this won’t be fun!

Alabama State Poetry Society Online Open Mic
2025-10-27 18:30 - 19:30 | Zoom
Join us for online poetry open mics the 4th Monday of each month!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85693609367
Meeting ID: 856 9360 9367

The Haunted Book Shop Halloween Challenge!
2025-10-25 11:00 - 2025-10-31 20:00 | The Haunted Book Shop, 9 S JOACHIM ST, MOBILE, AL, 36602-2707, United States
At The Haunted Book Shop, we love Halloween! This year we want to celebrate spooky season with you during The Haunted Book Shop Halloween Challenge from October 25-31, 2025. This BRAND NEW activity challenges Halloween revelers to dash around downtown Mobile in search of ten locations connected to ten books that haunt us.
Participants of the Halloween challenge will be entered into the grand prize drawing to win the BIG SPOOKY SEASON BOOK BUNDLE. But beware, the challenge starts on October 25th and ends on October 31!
The Halloween Challenge Rules:
Pick up your Halloween Challenge Clue Sheet and The Haunted Book Shop Halloween Challenge official placard from The Haunted Book Shop from October 25-31.
Give your name and contact information to a Haunted Book Shop associate for the BIG spooky book bundle PRIZE drawing.
Search for each location (answers to the 10 clues) around downtown Mobile.
When you arrive at each location, take a photo. (Gaining entry to the location or building is not required. Exterior shots are great!)
Include the Haunted Book Shop placard in your picture.
Once you take the ten pictures (or however many clues you complete), post the pictures in ONE post to either Instagram or Facebook AND tag The Haunted Book Shop on the post.
Include #thehauntedbookshopmobilehalloweenchallenge2025 in your post.
Posts must be made by MIDNIGHT, October 31st to be entered into the prize drawing. (Post will be matched to contact information provided to The Haunted Book Shop.)
A completed entry (social media post with tag and hashtag) will earn 1 entry into the BIG, spooky book bundle drawing.
Bonus entries opportunities: One bonus entry is given if the photos include a participant in costume. One bonus entry is given if participant signs up for the challenge on Eventbrite (search for The Haunted Book Shop Mobile Halloween Challenge on Eventbrite). One bonus entry is given if participant’s social media post includes 10 correct answers!
That’s right! You can earn up to FOUR chances to win!
So, are you brave enough to dare The Haunted Book Shop Halloween Challenge? Mr. Bingley, the world’s coolest bookstore cat, and all the haints of The Haunted Book Shop believe you’re ready for a Halloween adventure!

Auburn Witness Poetry Prize Event in Auburn
2025-10-23 17:00 - 19:30 | Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, 901 S. College St., Auburn, AL, 36849, United States
The annual Auburn Witness Prize program in the Third Thursday Literary Series, will be October 23 at the Jule Collins Smith Museum on South College Street in Auburn. The event is scheduled for 5 – 7 p.m.

Nicole Sealey, this year’s Witness Prize judge, and Hana Widerman, the Witness Prize winner, will both read from their work.

Nicole Sealey Hana Widerman

The Witness Prize reading is sponsored by the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Supporters of the Third Thursday Literary Series include The Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities, the Department of English and Southern Humanities Review in the Auburn College of Liberal Arts, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University, and the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

5:00 – A tour of Radical Naturalism: Lyric Birdscapes, a current museum exhibit combining Audubon prints and poetry
6:00 – Book signing by Sealey; auditorium seating opens
6:30 – Poetry reading begins
Events are free, and surely there will be plenty of auditorium seating, but if you want to be sure of a spot, you may RSVP to https://jcsm.auburn.edu/event/auburn-witness-poetry-prize/

"Notable Women of Alabama" Presentation
2025-10-23 16:00 - 17:00 | Fairhope Public Library, 501 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Author Joe Cuhaj will discuss his new book, Notable Women of Alabama, that profiles 50 women who made a difference in Alabama, the nation, and the world, at the Fairhope Public Library, October 23, 2025, at 4 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public. There will be a Q&A and a book signing following the presentation.

Jeanie Thompson and Larry Mitchell: poetry and music inspired by the life of Helen Keller
2025-10-21 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Master poet Jeanie Thompson teams up with Grammy Award-winning talent Larry Mitchell for special music project based on her award-winning collection of verse titled The Myth of Water. In the new work, The Myth of Water: Go Into Your Life, eight poems recast into songs tell the amazing story of author/activist Helen Keller and her native Alabama. This is a pairing of poetry and song to stir the soul, one which captures the love, loss, and longing of Keller’s experience. Larry Mitchell’s original compositions worked to Thompson’s verse is a magical combination. Come enjoy a tuneful evening of joy and reflection with Thompson and Mitchell at The NewSouth Bookstore on Tuesday, October 21 at 5:30pm.

The NewSouth Bookstore Harvest Festival
2025-10-18 15:00 - 18:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
The NewSouth Bookstore celebrates fall with its October 18 Harvest Festival from 3-6 p.m. Join us for candy, games, scares, and fun! In partnership with the City of Montgomery and Main Street Montgomery.

Poet Garrett Ashley returns for a reading from his new work, "A Field Guide to North American Trees"
2025-10-14 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Garrett Ashley returns to The NewSouth Bookstore for a reading from his newest collection of poems, A Field Guide to North American Trees. In this captivating new work, each poem is named after a tree, most of them native to the Southeast. Collectively, they form a rich landscape where roots, rings, and branches become a way of understanding our human connection. The book positively invites us to see ourselves within the world around us. Join us for this special event with Garrett Ashley on Tuesday, October 14 at 5:30pm at The NewSouth Bookstore.

An In-conversation & Signing with Author Eleanor Brindle a The Haunted Book Shop
2025-10-12 15:00 - 17:00 | The Haunted Book Shop, 9 S JOACHIM ST, MOBILE, AL, 36602-2707, United States
Join us at The Haunted Book Shop on October 12th for an afternoon with Eleanor Brindle, acclaimed crisis interventionist, humanitarian, and talented author and illustrator. Brindle will discuss her new children’s book, THE FIRST DAYS. This unique board book explores the thrilling and overwhelming early days of parenthood through poignant words and striking abstract black-and-white illustrations that are designed to engage and soothe both parent and child.
THE FIRST DAYS reflects Eleanor’s personal experiences and professional understanding of human emotions and crisis management, bringing a deep and empathetic perspective to the joys and challenges of bonding with a newborn.
During the event, Eleanor will discuss the inspiration behind her art and writing, delve into the themes of emotional resilience, hopes, and dreams entwined in the early stages of parenting, and understand the sensory impact of her illustrations on both adults and infants. Whether you’re a new parent, a seasoned caregiver, or simply a lover of unique literary and artistic expressions, this event is a perfect opportunity to enrich your parenting journey or find a special gift for expecting friends or family members.
Don’t miss your chance to meet Eleanor Brindle and celebrate the profound experience of new parenthood through the lens of art and literature.
Following the in-conversation and audience Q&A, Brindle will sign copies of THE FIRST DAYS.
Note: Book purchase through The Haunted Book Shop is required to enter the signing line. Ticket reservations for this event are highly encouraged.

Kentuck Festival of the Arts, Oct. 11-12, 2025 in Tuscaloosa
2025-10-11 09:00 - 2025-10-12 17:00 | Snow Hinton Park, 21 St. E., Tuscaloosa, AL, 35401, United States
Kentuck Art Center

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Meet the 2025 Spoken Word Performers!The Kathryn Tucker Windham Spoken Word Stage Schedule: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1110:00 am – University of Alabama Undergraduate Creative Writing Students11:30 am – Pure Products1:00 pm – Charlie “Tin Man” Lucas2:30 pm – Tom Franklin3:30pm – Ace Atkins SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12:10:00 am – University of Alabama Undergraduate Creative Writing Students11:30 am – Black Warrior Review1:00 pm – Trudier Harris2:00 pm – Sandy Knisely Barnidge3:00 pm – Ashley M. JonesThe Kathryn Tucker Windham Spoken Word Stage is sponsored by The Poarch Band of Creek Indians. For tickets and more info: https://buff.ly/x9Ds4py

It's Banned Books Trivia Night at NewSouth Books!
2025-10-10 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Join us for an evening of trivia fun — our first ever — at The NewSouth Bookstore! It’s Banned Books Trivia Night on Friday, October 10 at 5:30pm. Celebrate the power of stories and the right to read with our staff and the advocates of Read Freely Alabama. Angie Hayden emcees! Test your knowledge of the most challenged books throughout history – from classic novels to contemporary favorites – and learn more about the ongoing fight against censorship in our state, in our nation. Whether you’re a literary rebel or just love a good trivia challenge, this will be a fun night, with prizes for the winning team. Bring your own team or we can add you to one. Hope you’ll join us for this special event!

Bryan Jones Talk about "The Southern Fault Line: How Race, Class, and Region Shaped One Family’s History"
2025-10-09 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Bryan Jones gives us a highly original reinterpretation of how race and class shaped Southern history through the experience of four interconnected family lines in a new book titled The Southern Fault Line: How Race, Class, and Region Shaped One Family’s History. Join us for his talk about the book at The NewSouth Bookstore on Thursday, October 9 at 5:30pm. The Southern Fault Line offers a fresh — and disturbing — portrait of the South’s tragic political history. It’s a powerful and bracing work, which explores the deep political differences between what was the slaveholding region of the South, characterized by oligarchy, and the non-slaveholding areas with their more democratic ethos. Join us for what promises to be a most interesting evening.

Killer Cocktail Release Party for Freida McFadden's "The Intruder"
2025-10-07 18:00 - 20:00 | The Haunted Book Shop, 9 S JOACHIM ST, MOBILE, AL, 36602-2707, United States
Let’s celebrate the release of Freida McFadden’s latest thriller with a Killer Cocktail Release Party!
We will start the party on October 7, as soon as our store closes to the public at 6, so you will have free run of the store with other fans while we celebrate, play games, enjoy yummy snacks, and have themed cocktails from next door at The Alchemy (cocktails are not included and age 21+).
Attendees will receive:
A copy of THE INTRUDER
A Freida McFadden tote bag
A book-branded bookmark
A book-branded sticker
A bandana
Also, one lucky attendee will receive a special prize!

One Hour/One Poem: Discover the verse of Walt Whitman with Dr. Susie Paul
2025-10-07 17:30 - 18:30 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Make a date with a poem and Dr. Susie Paul. In an exciting program hosted by The NewSouth Bookstore, titled One Hour/One Poem, Dr. Paul will teach one great nineteenth-century poem in each of four monthly sessions of an hour or less. The program will be a deep dive into the work of four significant American writers, all giants of the poetic form: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson. Paul is a master educator with a deep love of poetry, who is thrilled to have an opportunity to teach these works. Dr. Paul has selected “Pensive on Her Dead Gazing” by Walt Whitman, written in 1867, as the subject of her third session. Join us on Tuesday, October 7 at 5:30pm.

The NewSouth Bookstore’s Third Annual Sidewalk Sale! October 1-4
2025-10-01 10:00 - 2025-10-04 16:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Our staff at The NewSouth Bookstore is preparing for it now! Our third annual Sidewalk Sale — bigger and even better this year — happens rain or shine starting on Wednesday, October 1 and running through Saturday, October 4. Thousands of books priced at an unbelievable $5, $3, and $1 are rolled out to our patio for your browsing pleasure. Come find treasures old and new! Mark your calendars!

Alabama Story
2025-09-28 14:00 - 16:30, 2025-09-27 14:00 - 16:30, 2025-09-26 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-09-25 19:30 - 21:30 | Bean- Brown Theatre, 600 Greensboro Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35405, United States
Set in Montgomery in 1959, this play delves into the heart of Alabama’s history, exploring themes of belonging, identity, and the fight to protect one’s home and heritage. When a state senator discovers The Rabbit’s Wedding, a children’s picture book, is about a black rabbit and a white rabbit getting married, he sets out to fire the state librarian protecting it. Meanwhile, a chance meeting between childhood friends, one white and one black, forces them to recall, confront, and reconcile their complicated past.

Author Speaker Series with Joe Cuhaj at the Fairhope Museum of History
2025-09-27 13:00 - 14:00 | Fairhope Museum of History, 24 N. Section St, Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Join author Joe Cuhaj as he takes you on a fun and unique dive into the little known, obscure, and forgotten history of Mobile and the Alabama Gulf Coast. He will also preview his new book, Notable Women of Alabama, which profiles the lives of 50 Alabama women who changed the state and the world. Admission is free to this event at the Fairhope Museum of History, September 27, at 1:00 p.m.

Thursday, September 25, at 5:30pm at The NewSouth Bookstore: Ashley M. Jones with Lullaby for the Grieving
2025-09-25 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
In her fourth poetry collection, Lullaby for the Grieving, Ashley M. Jones studies the multifaceted nature of grief: the personal grief of losing her father, and the political grief tied to Black Southern identity. How does one find a path through such deep sorrow? Jones, Alabama’s first Black Poet Laureate (2022-2026), has been much celebrated for her verse. Of this new collection, Imani Perry observes, “Ashley M. Jones’s poems are at once history, sermons, and soul songs. A truth-teller in verse, Jones reaches into the past to teach us courage in the present.” Jones will read from and talk about Lullaby for the Grieving at The NewSouth Bookstore on Thursday, September 25 at 5:30pm. Hope you can join us.

A “Voice Your Views” postcard-writing event led by Dr. Lee Farrow
2025-09-24 16:30 - 18:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Make your voice heard! Join us for a community postcard-writing event led by Dr. Lee Farrow. Let’s speak up about the issues that matter most. We’ll provide the postcards. You bring your passion and perspective. Write to your local, state, and federal representatives and take a stand for the policies you care about. Let’s write for change, together. Join us Wednesday, September 24 at 4:30-6pm.
