Literary Group "Lit Lit” Moves Back To In-Person Meeting At Howland Cultural Center

After taking a hiatus to Zoom to duck the latest COVID spread, Lit Lit is back to in-person meeting at the Howland Cultural Center.

Says the creator of the group, Donna Minkowitz: “The September Lit Lit is ON and IN PERSON and all ready for you to sign up to read! Everyone can read their own writing of any genre, for up to five minutes--until we run out of time!”

The reading is Friday, September 2 at the Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St. in Beacon. Soft drinks, wine, beer, and snacks will be available by donation. Masks are required (you can take them off when you're at the podium).

Literary Open Mic "Lit Lit" Temporarily Moves To Happy Valley Bar This Month

The literary Open Mic night, “Lit Lit” is temporarily moving for its March location from the Howland Cultural Center to Happy Valley Bar, 296 Main St. in Beacon, on Thursday, March 3rd from 7-9pm. The event free, and proof of vaccination will be required at the door. People can buy drinks and snacks as they like. Normally “Lit Lit” is on the first Friday of the month at the Howland Cultural Center, but this month is different as the Howland undergoes planned renovations.

“Lit Lit” launched during the summer of 2021 during the pandemic at Homespun, as a way for literary and writerly minded people to gather together to read their words on paper. It has been a traveling literary group ever since, battling variant surges and weather cancellations ever since.

Founded by Donna Minkowitz, a writer of memoir, journalism and fantasy, “Lit Lit” has been a success. “We have a very warm and welcoming crowd, and we get a great turnout of local writers and readers!” Donna told A Little Beacon Blog.

How It Works

Anyone can sign up to read their own writing of any genre, for up to five minutes in length, “or until we run out of time,” says Donna. For info, people can contact Donna at litlitseries@gmail.com.

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Writerly Happenings: October Edition

Beloveds, it’s been a long, long time since we last met here; I hope you are all well and surviving if not all the way to thriving.  So there’s much to catch up on. What did you read and love this summer? My summer reading favorites were:  Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans (who is an extremely talented writer), Interior, Chinatown by Charles Yu (innovative structure for a novel-as-screenplay), and The Porpoise by Mark Haddon (trigger warning in an Ancient Greek kind of way). 

I just finished The Matrix by Lauren Groff, which, oh my goodness, knocked my socks off and also made me feel slightly self-conscious that I was reading about nun sex in a public place. Currently reading Fault Lines by Emily Itami which may veer too far into the sad mommy genre, but also delivers whoppers like “It’s hard to remember who you are without people who know you that way.”

I took an amazing field trip over the summer to Hobart, NY – the used bookstore lover’s dream. Made me incredibly grateful we have Binnacle Books here in Beacon with their used book selection, but how great would it be if there were, say seven more used bookstores?

So what’s happening this month in the world of literary pursuits? 

The Howland Library has a great program set up for October: Stop by at any time starting Friday, October 15th to pick up a cookbook titled, "Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors" by famed chef and author, Andrea Nguyen. FREE! 2021 Big Read's chosen title is the graphic novel memoir "The Best We Could Do" by Thi Bui. The memoir follows a family's journey from Vietnam to America and is being discussed on October 20th outside in Memorial Park. 

Split Rock Books in Cold Spring has a couple of great events lined up this fall, as well as their graphic novel and fiction book clubs which meet at the end of the month. Their fiction pick is one that has been on my list: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead: A Novel by Olga Tokarczuk, and translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.

Over the bridge in our sister city is the Newburgh Literary Festival at the end of the month. I’m so happy to see this event return, it was so fantastic the first year it happened. The festival will begin Saturday, October 30 at 11am with a full day of readings, interviews, and conversations with eight featured writers. Sunday, October 31, will feature a series of in-person writing workshops with award-winning, Hudson Valley-based authors and artists. The Saturday event, which has been curated by writers Ruth Danon and Belinda McKeon, will include paired readings and moderated conversations and will feature an in-conversation event with Joe Donahue, host of The Book Show and The Round Table on WAMC, Northeast Public Radio. We stan for Joe Donahue!

Here in Beacon, our very own Donna Minkowitz is putting on Lit Lit, a monthly writer’s salon at Homespun Foods on Main Street. This month the reading is October 7th, from 7-9pm, and going forward will meet the first Thursday of every month, with Friday as the rain date. Writers can read their own writing of any genre, up to five minutes in length.

Zoom Readings?!

If you want to attend some killer zoom readings with famous authors, may I suggest The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence, who has some heavy hitters booked for later this month and November. If you want to take a workshop, The Poetry Project in NYC has some really far-out offerings coming up. The Hudson Valley Writer’s Center has a number of readings and workshops, including a Legend of Sleepy Hollow family storytelling workshop on October 17th that looks like a lot of fun.

Here’s to cozy reading and blue skies and bright leaves for the next little longer, friends. I promise not to let it be so long before we meet again.