It’s Yappy Hour 🗣️

Season's greetings! Are you in the market for a query letter critique? What about a kayaking excursion? Perhaps you and your date would enjoy a pottery lesson for two. If any of these made your ears perk up, consider browsing our first ever fundraiser auction, open now through December 20th.    Other prizes include: A photoshoot with Shannon Collins Photography A literary career consult with Emma Copley Eisenberg A private Badass Women's History Tour of Philadelphia for 10 A custom pet portrait illustration by Steve Teare A bundle of queer books from Graywolf Press A first edition Philly Tarot Deck A clowning class (!) for 10-15 people A literary publicity consultation with Kathy Daneman … And so much more! Your winning bid will go directly toward our Community Access Fund, which supports scholarships for local low-income students and free programs like Thursdays on the Stoop and Creative Coworking.    You can also support us with a direct donation, on a recurring or one-time basis. As a gesture of gratitude, everyone who donates to our Community Access Fund this winter will receive a digital resource on publishing and a list of forthcoming novels with ties to Philadelphia. Those who donate $50 or more will also gain access to a special Philly Author’s event in 2025.    If funds are tight right now, you can still help us by sharing the auction link with your networks. We are beyond grateful for your support!   SHOP THE AUCTION NOT A PODCAST Taylor and I had a good chat about our first year of co-directorship, including lessons learned, imposter syndrome, misconceptions about Blue Stoop, and our dreams for 2025. Is it a podcast? Taylor says it isn't, but I'll leave that to you to decide. Is it funny? Again, it's subjective, but we are both fairly silly people. Will we ever make a second episode? No way to know, so enjoy it while it's here!   The conversation also addressed a common question we've been getting about spring semester: "When will class proposals reopen?” To be honest, we're not sure. We explain why in the not-podcast, but in short, we just had so many good proposals leftover from the prior semester that we just pulled from that pool for the spring.    I know this news may be disappointing to some, but there will be more chances to pitch classes in 2025. Thanks for bearing with us as we sort out a new structure for our class proposal cycle. In the meantime, rolling applications are open for 2025's Thursdays on the Stoop lineup, and you are welcome to send us pitches any time. I'll start reviewing them in January, so you've got a month or so to think it over.   LISTEN TO THE CONVERSATION   Need a transcript for accessibility? Let us know and we'll provide one ASAP!   ON THE STOOP Wednesday, 12/11, 3:30 – 5:30 pm ET: Creative Coworking on Zoom. A generative virtual drop-in session with peers. Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life. We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. (FREE/VIRTUAL)   Thursday, 12/12, 4:00 – 5:00 pm ET: Thursdays on the Stoop: Avoiding the Info Dump with Tony Knighton. Good writing grabs the reader's attention. In this free one-hour workshop, we'll unpack several examples of solid opening paragraphs from published novels and stories, discussing which details the author has included or excluded, why the authors may have chosen their particular tactic, and what impact those choices have on the reader. (FREE/VIRTUAL)    Wednesday, 12/18, 3:30 – 5:30 pm ET: Creative Coworking on Zoom. A generative virtual drop-in session with peers. Stop by for a few minutes or stay for the whole session — it’s totally up to you. You can use this time to write, edit, read, daydream, or whatever best serves your literary life. We will open and close the session with 10 minutes to check-in about our writing goals, obstacles, and accomplishments. (FREE/VIRTUAL)   Saturday, 12/20 – Sunday, 1/5: Winter break! Blue Stoop will be closed for a much-needed winter vacation. Spring classes will open for registration in January and kick off in February. Stay tuned! In solidarity,   Julian Shendelman Co-Director   P.S. Looking for more local literary connections? Check out our community calendar and resource pages. CLASSIFIEDS Got an event, organization, business, or book to promote?  Blue Stoop offers affordable ad space here and on our website.  BEYOND THE STOOP   Here's a quick excerpt from our community calendar. Adding an event is quick, easy, and free! ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Beyond the Page: Visual Poetry Incubator   Start time 12/11/2024 6:00pm   Location H&H Bookstore, 2230 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19125   Description A generative workshop exploring the world of visual poetry, using our surroundings as a starting point. We will read Douglas Kearney and Victoria Chang, and write in response. Open to all levels of experience!   Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-the-page-visual-poetry-incubator-tickets-1012805086277?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl   Contact info info@theheadandthehand.com   Cost Suggested Donation $25-50   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Author Talk: Joseph Earl Thomas and Phillip B. Williams   Start time 12/12/2024 6:00pm    Location The Athenaeum of Philadelphia. 219 S 6th Street. Philadelphia PA 19106   Description Authors Joseph Earl Thomas and Phillip B. Williams will be discussing their recently published novels and more... Thomas's God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer is a powerful examination of everyday Black life in Philadelphia -- of health and sex, race and punishment, and the gaps between our desires and our politics. William's Ours, set over the course of four decades and steeped in a rich tradition of American literature informed by Black surrealism, mythology, and spirituality, explores the possibilities and limitations of love and freedom. Both authors will sign copies of their books after the program.   Link https://philaathenaeum.org/event-detail/?event_id=22071&event_title=Author%20Talk:%20Joseph%20Earl%20Thomas%20and%20Phillip%20B.%20Williams%20on%2012/12/2024&price=   Contact info events@athenaonline.org   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title 2 Lines Open Mic Feat. AVG and the 2 Lines Cypher   Start time 12/13/2024 7:00pm   Location MaKen Studios North, 3525 I Street Philadelphia, PA 19134   Description 2 Lines is a spoken word platform based in Philadelphia. Launched in 2021, the 2 Lines team has hosted monthly open mic or showcase-style poetry events at various venues throughout the city with the ultimate goal of creating safe space for poets to experience a deep sense of freedom! --- Y'all, it's our final event of the year and we have the heavy-hitter AVG closing us out! ! Come hang with us at TopMop Savage Studios!   Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2-lines-open-mic-feat-avg-and-the-2-lines-cypher-tickets-1036411383347?aff=odcleoeventsincollection   Contact info https://www.2linesphilly.com/   Cost $10   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Naomi Shihab Nye Prize 2024 Award Ceremony   Start time 12/14/2024 1:00pm   Location The event is in-person at Al-Bustan (310 W Master St.)   Description Join Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture (located at 310 W Master St.) on December 14th at 1 PM to celebrate the winners of our inaugural Naomi Shihab Nye Prize, honoring Arab American and Arab Canadian voices in middle-grade fiction!   Our First Place winner, Alia Yunis, will share from Making Miracles in Minnesota, and Second Place winner, Pauline Kaldas, will read from A Place So Far Away. The event will also feature a special reading by Naomi Shihab Nye herself, the renowned poet for whom the prize is named. The readings will be followed by a discussion between the writers and a q&a with the audience.    These readings showcase captivating stories for young readers ages 8-12, but adults will also find plenty of inspiration in these beautifully crafted words. Tickets are pay as you wish!    Link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/naomi-shihab-nye-prize-award-ceremony-tickets-1079752481739?aff=oddtdtcreator   Contact info marketing@albustanseeds.org   Cost pay-as-you-wish   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Wild Indigo Poetry Series Presents Ursula Rucker & Miller Oberman   Start time 12/15/2024 5:00pm   Location Young American Hard Cider, 6350 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia   Description Rounding out an incredible fall of poetry and social justice events, Wild Indigo is thrilled to present Germantown's own Ursula Rucker and NYC's Miller Oberman! Bring your poem to share on the open mic - sign up is first come, first served.   Co-sponsored by Reclaim Philadelphia and Young American Cider, and co-hosted/co-curated by Sarah Browning and Raina León. The goals of the series are to build multiracial community through the transformative power of poetry, to showcase a diverse line-up of contemporary local and national poets, and to provide opportunities for poets to share work on the open mic. The venue is wheelchair accessible.   Link https://bit.ly/wildindigoseries   Contact info wildindigo.poetry@gmail.com   Cost $5 suggested donation - more if you can!   ~~~~~~~~~   Event title Free Library of Philadelphia Monday Poets 30th Anniversary Season   Start time 12/16/2024 5:30pm   Location Northeast Regional Library   Description Join the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Literature Department in celebrating the 30th Anniversary season of Monday Poets. This year’s theme is Sankofa (SAHN-koh-fah), a Twi word from the Akan Tribe of Ghana which loosely implies that to move forward, one must “go back and get it”. In that spirit we will be celebrating at each event a past Monday Poet and introduce a new one. Each month from September 2024 to April 2025 a new Sankofa pair will read at a new library. Monday Poets exists to inspire and connect poets and community members across the city of Philadelphia. This program, hosted by Northeast Regional Library, is free and open to the public.   Previous Monday Poet: Jeffrey Ethan Lee New Monday Poet: Cydney Brown   Link https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/141071   Contact info ereflit@freelibrary.org   Cost Free   ~~~~~~~~~ VIEW MORE EVENTS 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences