Lit Youngstown has a busy fall planned. Special events include a Youngstown African American history tour, a Fall Literary Festival and a virtual talk with author Lauren Camp. Special events and recurring programs appear below.
First Wednesday Reader Series. Lit Youngstown will feature two Ohio writers during its “First Wednesday Reader Series” this month. Poet and essayist Mary Quade of Madison and poet Steve Skovensky of Columbus will read their work at Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown 44509. Readings occur downstairs in the Trophy Room, accessible only by stairs. Sydney Stalnecker will co-host. The readings are followed by an open mic. Quade will read from her newest book “Zoo World: Essays,” from The Ohio State University Press Mad Creek Books. She is the author of “Guide to Native Beasts” (Cleveland State University Poetry Center) and “Local Extinctions” (Gold Wake) and the winner of the 2022 the Journal Non/Fiction Prize. Skovensky is originally from Northeast Ohio and lives in Columbus. His words reflect both the work he has done with people experiencing homelessness as well as the joy he has with his family. The series is sponsored by POP! Art Books Culture. 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 3.
Emancipation Day: African American History Tour. Historian Vince Shivers will share his extensive research during this special historical walking tour. Local historian Sean Posey, genealogist Stacey Adger and Civil War re-enactor Steffon Jones will assist and native Youngstown poet Cherise Benton will lend a contemporary voice to the event. The tour includes lunch. Seating is limited to 100 participants. The tour requires participants to walk distances outdoors on uneven ground and includes stairs. All ages are welcome. Attendees under age 15 must be accompanied by an adult. The tour is organized by Lit Youngstown, Shivers and the Tyler History Center, with support from the Raymond J. Wean Foundation and Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past. Click here to register. Tyler History Center, 325 W. Federal St., Youngstown 44503. 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 6.
Virtual Talk: Lauren Camp. Poet Lauren Camp will give a virtual talk and Q&A on her book “One Hundred Hungers.” In her Dorset Prize-winning work, Camp explores the lives of a first-generation Arab-American girl and her Jewish-Iraqi parent. “One Hundred Hungers” tells overlapping stories of food and ritual, immigration and adaptation, evoking her father’s boyhood in 1940s Baghdad, a time when tensions began to emerge along ethnic and religious lines. The event occurs in partnership with the JCC’s Susan Kanterman Book Club, with funding from the Thomases Family Foundation. Participants can attend the discussion at the Jewish Community Center or on Zoom. Register here at least 24 hours in advance. 6:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 8.
Food for Thought: “Memorial Days.” This book-discussion group meets every second Thursday. This month’s title is “Memorial Days” by Geraldine Brooks, available at the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County and POP Arts, Book, Culture via Bookshop. The group ended its most-recent series with “Spying on the South: an Odyssey Across the American Divide” by Tony Horwitz, the book he finished before he died. (Horwitz was Brooks’ partner of more than 30 years.) The book discussion is sponsored by the Raymond J. Wean Foundation. The group meets September through May at Noble Creature, 126 E. Rayen Ave., Youngstown. 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 11.
Youngstown Writers Guild. Writers are invited to socialize, share tips, experience and events. All genres, experience levels and ages are welcome. A critique hour occurs from 11 a.m.-noon. If you’d like feedback on a short work or excerpt from a longer piece, feel free to bring it to the session. Children under 13 should be accompanied by an adult. Meets at POP! Art Books Culture, 6949 Market St., Boardman 44512. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20.
2025 Fall Literary Festival registration. Registration is currently open for Lit Youngstown’s 9th annual Fall Literary Festival. The festival occurs Oct. 16-18 and will feature readings, writing workshops and discussions about books and literature. This year’s festival includes writing sessions on villanelles and new motherhood; readings with Pennsylvania poets, essayists and dystopian fiction writers; disability access; and many ways of thinking and writing about Earth. The registration deadline is Monday, Sept. 15. See here for the full schedule and bios of nearly 150 presenters. Registration information can be found here.
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