The Connecticut Book Awards, presented annually by the Connecticut Center for the Book at Connecticut Humanities, is accepting submissions now through April 20 for its 2018 competition.
The awards will go to authors and illustrators who have lived in Connecticut for at least three consecutive years and have published books in 2017 in the categories of Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry and Young Readers. Books set in the state and anthologies that meet the criteria also will be considered. Panels of judges will assess the entries and name the finalists in September. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in October.
The awards were reinstated in 2017 by the Connecticut Center for the Book, whose mission is promoting the written and spoken word throughout the state. It is Connecticut’s affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
Information on submitting entries, entry fees and other details: ctbook@cthumanities or ctcenterforthebook.org/submission-guidelines.
Authors At R.J. Julia
R.J. Julia Booksellers, 768 Boston Post Road, Madison, will host three authors of books of interest to young readers and their families.
On Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m., Katie Hurley, a child and adolescent psychotherapist, parenting expert and writer who lives part-time in Connecticut, will give a free talk about her book, “No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong, Confident, and Compassionate Girls,” which offers advice about building healthy friendships.
On Friday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m., Kim Purcell will give a free talk about her novel, “This is Not A Love Letter,” a romance that becomes a thriller when a teenage boy goes missing.
On Saturday, Feb. 10, at 3 p.m., fitness and wellness expert Tracy Anderson will sign copies of “Total Teen: Tracy Anderson’s Guide to Health, Happiness, and Ruling Your World.” Tickets for admission to the signing line and a copy of the book are $19.99 plus tax, per person.
Reservations are required: 203-245-3959 or rjjulia.com.
At Wesleyan R.J. Julia Bookstore, 413 Main St., Middletown, on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m., Michael Benanav, author of “Himalaya Bound,” will give a free talk about his experiences living with a tribe of nomadic forest-dwelling water buffalo herders on their annual spring migration into the Himalayas. books@wesleyan.edu or 860-685-3939.
Smith Reading Series
Mexican novelist Yuri Herrera will open the spring 2018 Allan K. Smith Reading Series at Trinity College with a free talk presented by the English Department, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 4:30 p.m., in the Reese Room at the Smith House on campus, 300 Summit St., Hartford.
Herrera, who teaches at Tulane University in New Orleans, has won many awards for his work, including “Signs Preceding the End of the World,” which was translated into English by Lisa Dillman. Christina Bolio at 860-297-2036.
Riverwood Poetry Series
Poet Doug Anderson will offer a workshop on “Writing Poems on War” on Thursday, Feb. 8, from 7 to 9 p.m., for the free Riverwood Poetry Series at The Universalist Church of West Hartford, 433 Fern St., West Hartford. Doors will open at 6:45 p.m. and an open mike will precede the reading. Donations will be gratefully accepted.
Anderson is an acclaimed poet, critic and memoirist, whose books include “Keep Your Head Down: Vietnam, the Sixties, and a Journey of Self Discovery.” His latest collection is “Horse Medicine.” He has written for The New York Times Book Review, The Boston Globe, and the London Times. riverwoodpoetry.net.
Stowe Center Book Club
The Words That Changed The World Book Club at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, 77 Forest St., Hartford, will offer a free discussion presented by the center’s staff of “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates on Thursday, Feb. 8, at 5:30 p.m.
Coates, who will not attend the event, is an author, journalist and a national correspondent for The Atlantic magazine. In 2015, he won a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” and the Stowe Prize for Writing to Advance Social Justice. harrietbeecherstowe.org or 860-522-9258.
Storyteller’s Cottage
The Storyteller’s Cottage, 750 Hopmeadow St., Simsbury, offers a variety of literary events, including talks by authors, social hours with book themes, games and workshops.
On Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 1:30 p.m., the Cottage will host a Jane Austen Tea Party with British tea sandwiches, scones and pastries, a reading of classic passages from Austen’s best novels and a discussion of the relative merits of her male protagonists. Wear your loveliest hat to the party. The cost is $20.
On Thursday, Feb.8, at 7 p.m., a Flash Fiction program with local authors Dennis Barone and Ben Woodard will present very short works of fiction. Barone, a professor at the University of Saint Joseph, is the author or editor of 26 books. Woodard teaches English and is Editor-in-chief at Atlas and Alice.
Information and registration: 860-877-6099 or StorytellersCottage.com/book-online.
Roar Reading Series
The Roar Reading Series, presented by Elephant Rocks Books on the first Monday of each month at the UConn Co-op Bookstore, 1 Royce, Circle, 101 Storrs Center, Storrs, will offer a free reading on Monday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. Readers will be Danielle Pieratti, who won the 2017 Connecticut Book Award for Poetry with Fugitives, her debut collection; Chris McAuliffe and Kathryn Fitzpatrick. elephantrockbooks.com.
Ancient America
Simsbury Public Library , 725 Hopmeadow St., Simsbury, will present a free talk on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 6:30 p.m. on Ancient America: An Archaeological Odyssey, with Kenneth Feder, a Central Connecticut State University anthropology professor.
Feder will discuss his book, “Ancient America: Fifty Archaeological Sites to See for Yourself,” which describes his research in Connecticut, including the Farmington Valley. 860-658-7663.
Books & Bagels
Reservations can be made now to hear David Hays talk about his new book, “Setting The Stage: What We Do, How We Do It, and Why,” at a free Books & Bagels event on Feb. 11 at 9:30 a.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek, 55 E Kings Hwy, Chester.
Hays, as a stage designer, made set and lighting designs for more than 50 Broadway plays, 30 ballets for George Balanchine and productions at Lincoln Center and in 1967 founded the National Theatre of the Deaf, in Connecticut, which presented hearing and deaf actors in productions using sign language, speech, dance and pantomime. Information and reservations: 860-826-8920 or cbsrz.org/events.
