This is an extremely busy time of year, it seems, so I apologize for this longer-than-usual post. I’m launching straight into the upcoming events, mainly in Connecticut, though some also include Zoom. If you don’t live around here and are interested in any of these events, look for similar ones in your area. There are bound to be some, and if you can’t see anything you like, try organising something with a local indie bookstore or library…

Every first Thursday of the month, the Bridgeport Art Trail hosts a virtual  Storytelling Exchange from 7-9:00pm. The next one takes place on October 1 and is free. It’s a welcoming virtual storytelling session open to all experience levels. Participants can share a true or fictional story (up to 8 minutes), whether it’s an idea, draft, or polished piece. Optional group feedback is offered. You’re also welcome to simply listen and enjoy. Register here.

Head to the Hartford Flavor Company Distillery in Hartford, CT, on October 3 at 7pm for a competitive evening of Moth-style stories, organized by Tell Me Another, Speak Up, and Chion Wolf Productions. They are reuniting to present the Great Hartford Story Slam again this year around the theme “Falling.” Ten storytellers will get to vie for the crown. Come ready to share your five-minute story. Drop your name in the hat and have a go! Details and tickets here. $31

In addition to regular writing workshops at very reasonable prices, Vicinanza Studios and Gallery in Southbury, Connecticut, runs regular open mics for writers and musicians on the second Sunday of each month from 4-6pm. The next one takes place on October 11. Renowned poets and local talents alike will find a platform for their poetry, prose, spoken word, and acoustic performances, creating a vibrant atmosphere of creativity and expression. Contact the gallery owner about the possibility of selling your books if you’re a reader.

Black Rock Books in Black Rock, CT, hosts a Poetry Night on the second Tuesday of the month 6:30-7:30, and the next one happens on October 13. Poets and supporters welcome, and it’s a great place to find a poetry community. Suggested donation $5.

The Norwalk (CT) Public Library is hosting two Writers in Conversation events this fall, featuring Laurel Peterson as the moderator. On October 14, at 6:30pm, Rick Magee and Jonathan Cohen will be there, followed on November 18, by mystery novelists Karen Dukess and Korina Moss.

The Westport Writers Workshop is hosting a talk and reception with Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Rebecca Makkai at MOCA/CT in Westport on October 15. They plan an evening of literary community to benefit the Workshop’s outreach programming. Tickets start at $100 and include the author talk and a book as well as drinks, light bites, live music, a silent auction, and the chance to mingle with Rebecca and the WWW community. Tickets available here.

And on October 15 at 6:30 pm ET, The Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute is partnering with Yonkers Public Library to Celebrate Hispanic Authors, with a reading and Q&A between three writers, Cleyvis Natera, Melissa Rivero, and Alejandro Varela. This event will be moderated by Phylisha Villanueva, Poet Laureate of Westchester, and will take place at the Yonkers Public Library Riverfront branch. Register here.

You can View All the Sarah Lawrence Fall Writing Classes here.

Jane Porter, NYT and USA bestselling author and founder of Tule Publishing, will be presenting a special one-day seminar on Saturday October 17, from 10-1pm in New London, CT, on Plotting, Writing, and Launching a Series and What Editors Look for in a Submission. While organized by the Connecticut Romance Writers Assn, the program has a lot to offer writers outside of romance as well. It’s open to writers of all genres, and attendees don’t need to be CTRWA members. $60 includes the Saturday presentation and lunch only. Register here

Also on October 17, from 10-12pm ET, join a one-time workshop with member Libby Waterford, who is teaching her Writing a Book in a Month class in person or on Zoom. Learn more and register here. $75

Local authors in Connecticut and Rhode Island often have limited opportunities for widespread recognition of their published books of fiction and/or poetry. The Books in the Borough Literary Awards (BITBs) call for submissions across four literary categories irrespective of genre. They have two primary requirements for eligibility to submit: Primary legal residence in Connecticut or Rhode Island, and being able to attend Books in the Borough Lit Fest to be held in Stonington, CT, on May 15, 2027, if selected. Submissions open from October 1 through November 30. Full submission guidelines and entries here. $50 for members of ARIA or CAPA $75 for nonmembers.

MEMBER SUCCESSES

Founder member Ed Ahern has published a collection: Surreal Imaginings: Fantasy Stories, a treasure chest of 32 stories spanning more than 380 pages, filled with the inventive spirit of a writer who has been crafting fiction since sixty-seven and poetry since seventy. Check it out here. He’s an inspiration!

Larry Terhaar’s fifth novel in his Dan Burnett series of detective thrillers, The Valhalla Project, was published on August 25, and reached number 5 in Amazon’s ranling of financial thrillers. Way to go!

On September 15, member Mitzy Sky graduated from the 2026 Connecticut Lived Experience Transformational Leadership Academy   at Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH) She was one of only 14 graduates. Congratulations, Mitzy!

Libby Waterford, writing as Elle Waters, published her latest novel, Off the Trail, a steamy, cozy M/M romance, on September 16. And she finds time to teach too! (See above)