Scrooge! The Musical at Bean-Brown Theatre, Tuscaloosa
2025-12-18 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-12-20 14:00 - 16:30, 2025-12-21 14:00 - 16:30, 2026-02-19 19:30 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Bean- Brown Theatre, 600 Greensboro Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35405, United States
Scrooge! is a 1992 stage musical with book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. Its score and book are closely adapted from the music and screenplay of the 1970 musical film “Scrooge” staring Albert Finney and Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol. Bricusse was nominated for an Academy Award for the song he wrote for the film, and most of those songs were carried over to the musical.

Scrooge! The Musical
2025-12-18 19:30 - 22:30, 2025-12-19 19:30 - 22:30, 2025-12-20 14:00 - 17:00, 2025-12-21 14:00 - 17:00 | Bean- Brown Theatre, 600 Greensboro Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35405, United States
Scrooge! is a 1992 stage musical with book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. Its score and book are closely adapted from the music and screenplay of the 1970 musical film Scrooge starring Albert Finney and Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. Bricusse was nominated for an Academy Award for the song score he wrote for the film, and most of those songs were carried over to the musical.

Writer's Fellowship on Martha's Vineyard
2025-12-22 08:00 - 2026-01-19 17:00 | The Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, 215 Upper Main Street, Edgartown, MA, 02539, United States
Our 2026 Fellowships include full tuition & lodging to our Summer Writers’ Conference on Martha’s Vineyard, and we’d love to support your authors and poets! Our Emerging Writer Fellowships are open to all writers ages 18+ who have yet to publish a book/chapbook. And this year we also have full fellowships for Writers of Color, Queer Writers, Parent Writers, Teachers & Educators and a brand new fellowship for Full-time Caregivers. We are offering over $20,000 in Fellowships to attend, and the deadline for application is Jan 19th, 2026.
Alexander Weinstein
Director
THE MARTHA’S VINEYARD INSTITUTE OF CREATIVE WRITING
954-242-2903 | mvicw.com

Alabama State Poetry Society Online Open Mic
2025-12-22 18:30 - 19:30, 2026-01-26 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

Geminga Contest 2026
2025-12-31 - 2026-01-31 | Online, NC
Authors and artists can submit to Sunspot Lit’s Geminga contest, which honors the power of micro works in all genres/categories. Opens January 1, closes January 31. Entry fee: $5. Prize: $100 cash and publication. See guidelines and entry form, along with the journal’s other open calls, here: https://sunspotlit.submittable.com/submit.

Author Joe Cuhaj Book Signing
2026-01-10 13:00 - 15:00 | Page and Palette, 32 South Section St., Fairhope, AL, 36532, United States
Author Joe Cuhaj will be signing copies of his latest book, “Notable Women of Alabama,” Saturday, January 10th from 1 to 3pm at Page & Palette, 32 S. Section Street, Fairhope, AL.

In-conversation & Book Signing with Gabriella Saab!
2026-01-11 16:30 - 18:30 | The Haunted Book Shop, 9 S JOACHIM ST, MOBILE, AL, 36602-2707, United States
Join us on January 11, 2026, 4:30pm at The Haunted Book Shop for an exclusive afternoon with Gabriella Saab as she presents her latest historical novel, The Star Society. This in-conversation event will offer an intimate look at the inspirations behind the novel along with a signing line and photo op with Gabriella.
In The Star Society, the captivating tale of two extraordinary sisters will transport readers from the shadows of the Dutch Resistance to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Inspired by the indomitable spirit of Audrey Hepburn, this gripping story follows Ada and Ingrid as they reunite after World War II, embarking on a journey of justice, survival, and secrets amid the backdrop of the Red Scare in Hollywood.
Gabriella Saab will share insights into the creation of her characters, Ada and Ingrid, highlighting their distinct paths from war-torn Europe to the charged atmosphere of Cold War America. Following the discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to get their copies of The Star Society signed by the author herself. Whether you’re a history buff, a lover of compelling women’s narratives, or simply a fan of beautifully crafted fiction, this event promises to engage and inspire.
Jodie Cain Smith, event coordinator with The Haunted Book Shop, praises Gabriella’s work, “Beautifully crafted historical fiction that weaves a rich and tense narrative with moments of history that fascinate us. I’ve loved each of her previous books and cannot wait to read The Star Society!”
Don’t miss the chance to explore the complex layers of justice, identity, and reconciliation in an era marked by political paranoia and cinematic dazzle. Please join us at The Haunted Book Shop for a memorable evening steeped in the intrigue and emotional depth of Gabriella Saab’s remarkable storytelling.
Book purchase from The Haunted Book Shop is required for attendance.

Nora's Playhouse reads from “Back Porch Play” at The NewSouth Bookstore!
2026-01-15 19:00 - 20:30 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
We are excited to host Nora’s Playhouse again, this time a reading of a play by Montgomery’s own Adrian Lee Bush, titled “Back Porch Play.” Come discover the pleasure of these intimate salons — there are only front rows at The NewSouth Bookstore.

Black Clouds Launch Party with Jodie Cain Smith
2026-01-16 17:30 - 19:30 | The Haunted Book Shop, 9 S JOACHIM ST, MOBILE, AL, 36602-2707, United States
Join us on January 16th at The Haunted Book Shop for a book launch party with Jodie Cain Smith as she presents her latest novel, Black Clouds, the second installment in her Brackish Waters Series. Guests will enjoy a meet-and-greet with the author, light refreshments, and a one-night-only Jodie Cain Smith-themed cocktail menu available next door at Alchemy Tavern. Guests (21+) may grab a to-go cocktail at Alchemy then join the party in the bookstore. (You know you want to sample a Boozy Bellefontaine, a Saucy Swamp Water, or whatever else Jodie and the Alchemy bartenders will concoct!)
As a special treat, a one-night-only popup shop featuring Maragild jewelry will be onsite. Maragild was born on the beaches of Fort Morgan, Alabama, where local artist Amanda Gibson picked up a few shells and bones and imagined them gleaming in gold. Each piece is foraged, crafted, and gilded by hand. A portion of every sale supports Alabama coastal conservation nonprofits working to protect the waters and wildlife that inspire us all.
But at this party, the real star of the show is Jodie’s new book. Black Clouds continues the harrowing tale of Jules, whose brief respite is upended by the resurgence of old adversaries and the emergence of new dangers that target the heart of her family.
About Black Clouds:
When monsters come for your kid, you go after the monsters.
Jules wants nothing more than to recover from the injuries sustained during her captivity and to live peacefully with her family, but in Bellefontaine, wishes are rarely granted. With her former captor missing and new threats on the horizon, Jules’ sense of peace and relief is shattered. The Knights may be down, but they are heading back up to come for Jules through the ones she loves. And they are aiming directly at the one she loves the most…
Book two of Jodie Cain Smith’s Brackish Waters Series goes back to Bellefontaine and back into the storm’s mouth in Black Clouds.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get your copy of Black Clouds signed and to meet the mind behind the monsters of Bellefontaine. Book purchase from The Haunted Book Shop required to attend.

John K. Bollard with Protesting with Rosa Parks: From Stagecoaches to Driving While Black
2026-01-20 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
In a first event co-sponsored by the Freedom Rides Museum, The NewSouth Bookstore is proud to announce a talk by historian John K. Bollard about his new book, Protesting with Rosa Parks: From Stagecoaches to Driving While Black. The work details the history of the intersections between Black activism and travel, over a span of nearly two hundred years. Deeply informed and powerfully written, this new work reveals Rosa Parks’s refusal to move from her seat on the bus as part of the long Black protest tradition. Join us for this special event on Tuesday, January 20 at 5:30pm.

James B. Conroy - The Devils Will Get No Rest: FDR, Churchill, and the Plan That Won the War @ Alabama Booksmith
2026-01-21 17:00 - 18:00 | Alabama Booksmith, 2626 19th Pl S Homewood, AL, 35209, 2626 19th Pl S, Homewood, AL, 35209, United States
Come meet one of America’s most respected historians, James Conroy as he signs copies of his deeply researched book about the secret plan to win World War Two.
You may purchase signed copies of THE DEVILS WILL GET NO REST (34.00) to pick up at the event, at the store later, or have them carefully wrapped and mailed worldwide by Clicking Here.

Barbara Wiedemann reading from Following the Snow Leopard
2026-01-22 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Publication of Barbara Wiedemann’s next chapbook is reason to celebrate. Join us for a reading by the poet from Following the Snow Leopard on Thursday, January 22 at 5:30pm, with book signing to follow. Wiedemann’s work is a profound exploration of our connection with the natural world expressed through solitude and stillness — generously human, gorgeously vivid. Importantly, it urges us to cherish the wilderness in the world and ourselves.

Killer Cocktail Release Party for Frieda McFadden's "Dear Debbie!" at The Haunted Book Shop
2026-01-27 18:00 - 19:30 | 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!
NOTE: THIS IS AN IN-PERSON EVENT. WE WILL NOT BE SHIPPING BOOKS TO TICKET HOLDERS. TO GET THE SIGNED COPY YOU MUST ATTEND THE EVENT OR PICK IT UP AT OUR STORE AFTERWARD
We will start the party 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 SIGNED copy of DEAR DEBBIE
Themed swag (TBA)
Also, one lucky attendee will receive a special prize (TBA)!

A “Voice Your Views” postcard-writing event led by Dr. Lee Farrow
2026-01-28 16:30 - 18:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Join us for a half an hour at The NewSouth Bookstore for a special postcard-writing event. Let your voice be heard about the social reforms you’d like to see most — in the areas of healthcare, immigration policy, public schooling, voting rights, hunger and food insecurity, senior care, and more. Don’t suffer alone. Our elected officials need to hear from us! There’s no better time!

Amrita Chakrabarti Myers with The Vice President’s Black Wife: The Untold Story of Julia Chinn
2026-01-29 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Award-winning historian Amrita Chakrabarti Myers joins us on Thursday, January 29 at 5:30pm for a talk about The Vice President’s Wife: The Untold Story of Julia Chinn, the enslaved wife of Richard Mentor Johnson, Martin Van Buren’s vice president. In conversation with Professor Zanice Bond of Tuskegee University Myers will discuss her impressive biography, beautifully written, in which she explores the intersection of race, gender, power, and property in eighteenth-century America. Critics are calling the book an important work of historical recovery.

The Quorum Poets present Featured Poet Jennifer Horne
2026-02-01 19:00 - 20:30 | True Story Brewing, 5510 Crestwood Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35212, Birmingham, Alabama, 35212
Jennifer Horne, who served as the twelfth Poet Laureate of Alabama, and the winner of the 2025 Hall-Waters Prize for Excellence in South Writing, will be the featured poet at the Quorum Poets monthly open mic at True Story Brewing Company. A Poetry Open Mic will follow Jennifer’s set.

Tom Piazza with “Living in the Present with John Prine"
2026-02-04 17:00 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Celebrated music writer Tom Piazza is our guest at The NewSouth Bookstore for a talk about his new book, Living in the Present with John Prine, a joyful telling of the life and work of his dear friend, music icon John Prine. The book, which follows the artist in his last two years of life, Roseanne Cash calls an “intimate, moving, superbly written account.” Guitarist Drew Martin opens the evening, starting at 5pm, playing ballads and other tunes by Prine and himself. It’ll be a dazzling evening of tribute. Mark your calendars to join us on Wednesday, February 4 at 5pm. (Please note 5pm start time.)

One Hour/One Poem: Discover the verse of Edgar Allan Poe
2026-02-10 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. Off the success in 2025 of One Hour/One Poem, Paul returns to The NewSouth Bookstore to teach one great nineteenth- or early twentieth-century poem in each of four sessions of an hour or less. The program is a deep dive into the work of four significant American writers, all giants of the poetic form: Edgar Allan Poe, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Robert Frost, and Langston Hughes. Paul is a master educator with a deep love of poetry, who is thrilled to have the opportunity to teach these works. “A Dream Within a Dream” by Edgar Allen Poe, written in 1849, is the subject of her first session, scheduled for Tuesday, February 10 at 5:30pm. Hope you can join us.

Manisha Sinha talk about The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic
2026-02-11 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
A magisterial new account of the Reconstruction era brings esteemed historian Manisha Sinha to The NewSouth Bookstore on Wednesday, February 11 at 5:30pm. Don’t miss her talk about The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860–1920, a landmark new work which redefines our understanding of the period, “restoring its place as the hinge upon which American history turns,” says Jill Lepore. Please join us for this very special program on Wednesday, February 11 at 5:30pm.

Katie Benner and Erica L. Green talk about their book Miracle Children
2026-02-15 15:00 - 16:30 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
We’re excited to host New York Times journalists Katie Benner and Erica L. Green, who bring us a riveting investigation into a school, a scam, and a notorious college admissions scandal that expose the inequalities and racial segregation of American education. A brilliant book rich in insights about who education fails. Join us for a great conversation on Sunday, February 15 at 3pm.

Willie Moseley talk about The Golden Age of Normandale
2026-02-17 17:30 - 19:00 | The NewSouth Bookstore, 105 S. Court St, Montgomery, 36104, United States
Willie Moseley joins us at The NewSouth Bookstore for a talk about Montgomery’s legendary Normandale shopping center in connection with the release of his book, The Golden Age of Normandale. This long-awaited work, rich in photos, celebrates the heyday of our city’s first shopping center, developed by the Aronov family, which defined shopping centers for decades to come. Join us for a rich and interesting look back on Tuesday, February 17 at 5:30pm.

Arsenic & Old Lace at Bean-Brown Theatre, Tuscaloosa
2026-02-19 19:30 - 22:00, 2026-02-20 19:30 - 22:00 | Bean- Brown Theatre, 600 Greensboro Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35405, United States
Even in the most eccentric of homes, family bonds and the familiar comforts of “home” take center stage. This classic comedy reminds us that home is where our quirks are celebrated and where even the most unexpected surprises await. In this case, they await our hero, Mortimer Brewster, a drama critic who must deal with his crazy, murderous family and local police in Brooklyn, New York, all while debating whether to go through with his recent promise to marry the woman he loves.
