Book It: Five Best Literary Events in Denver This Week

As everyone in Denver tries to re-set their internal clocks (thanks, Daylight Savings Time!), the calendar includes plenty of lit events to illuminate the darker evenings and keep those bleary eyes open for just a few more pages.

Laura Hopper, I Never
7 p.m. Tuesday, November 7
Tattered Cover Aspen Grove
7301 South Santa Fe Drive, Littleton
YA Novelist Laura Hopper tackles the difficult subject of sex and how teens deal with it in her debut novel. Called a “sweet, sex-positive take on a classic teen romance,” I Never was inspired by the author remembering the dog-eared “good parts” of Judy Blume’s classic book Forever. Of course, that book came out in 1975, and things in the teen world have changed a bit since. Head to the free launch event to see if Hopper’s updated take can live up to the level of its inspiration, 21st-century style.

Kevin Prufer, Churches
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 8
CU Denver Creative Writing
Auraria Campus, Tivoli, Room 640
The University of Colorado Denver’s creative-writing department hosts poet Kevin Prufer, whose 2014 collection, Churches, was named one of the ten best poetry books of the year. Prufer’s work has made so many “best” lists and been awarded enough prizes that it's impossible to present all the honors here. Check out the (free!) reading, pick up a copy of one of his books, and find out why.

Mystery Writer Jeff Carson, Making Crime Pay With Independent Publishing
6:30 p.m. Thursday, November 9
Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers
Colorado Automobile Dealers Association
290 East Speer Boulevard
Ever read a mystery and think, “Hey, I could have written that!” Well, you didn’t — which means you can either stop saying that, or you can attend this month's RMMW meeting, featuring a talk by Jeff Carson, Amazon best-selling author of the David Wolf series. Carson will share how he became a successful writer without the help of the big publishing houses. Tickets are $25 (or $20 for RMMW members), which includes beef kabobs for dinner. And there is no mystery about the satisfaction that comes from a good beef kabob.

Andy Thomas’ Dust Heart
8 p.m. Friday, November 10
Call to Arms Brewing Company
4526 Tennyson Street
Like music? Like beer? Like poetry? Then you have a place to be Friday night — and it’s something of an historic occasion, since this marks the first time that a U.S. publishing house, Andy Thomas' Dust Heart, has been started by a craft brewery, Call to Arms Brewing. (Only in Denver, right?) The concert — perhaps ironically connected to the new album No Poets — is paired with a poetry book release party, and will tap into not just word and song, but also deep into a one-off keg of a brew called Everything Alive. No tickets required — just bring “an open mind and an unquenchable thirst.”

Matt Bellassai, Everything Is Awful
8 p.m. Sunday, November 12
The Oriental Theater
4335 West 44th Avenue
Matt Bellassai is an Internet sensation, red-wine heavyweight and hater of all things…well, all things in existence. The list of things that piss off Matt Bellassai is seemingly endless…but only if he’s got a bottle in him first (and a full glass in front of him). Then: endless (and hilarious) commentary. Tickets for the zinfandel-fueled rant at the historic Oriental Theater are $40, and that includes a signed copy of his new book through sponsor BookBar, located nearby at 4280 Tennyson Street.

Know of a book/author event that belongs here? Send information to [email protected].