As we say goodbye to April and usher in the lovely month of May (c’mon, May, be lovely...), the literary scene is beginning to blossom, just like the buds on the trees and the six-packs of annuals at almost any retail store. From childhood tales to adult aphorisms to mom poems to zen gardens to short readings from state-award finalists, this week is all about small, good things in perfect little packages.
Poky Little Puppy Storytime
Tuesday, May 1, 10:30 a.m.
Tattered Cover
2526 East Colfax Avenue
Free
Who doesn’t love The Poky Little Puppy? The classic kids’ book from 1942 was one of the dozen original Little Golden Books that every child seemed to have on their shelves, and it’s now the focal point of the Tattered Cover’s Children’s Book Week. Bring the kids to meet the Poky Little Puppy, enjoy stories and snacks, and even make your own Little Golden Book. Who doesn’t want to see their name along that thin, gold-leaf spine?
Schaffner Press
Thursday, May 3, 7 p.m.
Tattered Cover LoDo
1628 16th Street
Free
Following up on the success of a first collection of aphorisms, editor Alex Stein and co-editor James Lough offer this celebration of short-form writing that includes such writers as Charles Simic, Joy Harjo, Claudia Rankine, Lydia Davis, and many others. Join the Tattered Cover in welcoming Stein, along with featured contributors Elisa Gabbert and H.L. Hix; they'll discuss how in literature as in life, it’s the small things that make it all worthwhile.
Alxe Noden and Martin Hakubai Mosko, The Sound of Cherry Blossoms
Thursday, May 3, 7:30 p.m.
Boulder Bookstore
1107 Pearl Street, Boulder
$5 for entry (can be applied to the purchase of the book)
Photographer and garden designer Alxe Noden and ordained Zen monk and landscape architect Martin Hakubai Mosko teamed up for The Sound of Cherry Blossoms: Zen Lessons from the Garden of Contemplative Design, a book that is part garden design, part Zen Buddhism, and all inspiration. Tickets to their reading are $5, which can be applied to the cost of a book or same-day purchase.
Colorado Book Awards Finalists Reading
General Non-Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Pictorial and History
Friday, May 4, 7 p.m.
BookBar
4280 Tennyson Street
Free
Colorado Book Award finalists from the General and Creative Non-Fiction, Pictorial and History categories come together for this last reading before the 2018 Colorado Book Awards, which will be announced at the Sie Film Center on June 2 (tickets for that event are available here). Readers include Helen Thorpe (The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in An American Classroom); David McNeal (Bugged: The Insects Who Rule the World and the People Obsessed with Them); Linda Adams, Abby Curnow-Chavez, Audrey Epstein, and Rebecca Teasdale (The Loyalist Team: How Trust, Candor, and Authenticity Create Great Organizations); Ernest House, Jr. (reading from Chip Colwell's Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America's Culture); Michael Crouser (Mountain Ranch); and Thomas Brent Smith (Once Upon a Time…the Western: A New Frontier in Art and Film).
Tindari Press
Sunday, May 6, 1 p.m.
Barnes & Noble Bookstore
960 South Colorado Boulevard, Glendale
Free
Just in time for Mother’s Day (shopping) comes Linda Keller’s new book, Mother: Poems About Motherhood, which seems tailor-made for a pretty great gift — and you can get it autographed, too. Toss in some flowers and a brunch (and maybe a good bottomless mimosa), and your mom will be talking about it until…well, until next Mother’s Day. But don’t worry; we’ll find you something good in 2019, too.
