Five Literary Events in Denver for December 3-6

A book store should be a required stop on any holiday shopper’s to-do list, but it’s not the only place to find literary content in Denver this week. We’ve got book signings, readings, performances, magazine releases and a hella good night of slam poetry, too.

Toni Tipton-Martin, The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks
Tattered Cover Colfax Avenue
7 p.m. Wednesday, December 2
Toni Tipton-Martin blends culinary journalism and social activism in The Jemima Code — a lushly illustrated book drawn from the author’s own collection of more than 300 historical African American cookbooks — to turn the Jemima stereotype on its head. Tipton-Martin drops by the Tattered Cover to discuss the genius of African American cooking, which is rooted in the transformation of simple and cheap ingredients into a unique and tasty cuisine. The book signing is free and copies of The Jemima Code ($45 from University of Texas Press) will be 
available for purchase.


Zeromile Release Party 
Wurstküche
6 p.m. Friday, December 4
$12-$20 in advance, $15-$25 at the door
Published under the auspices of the Communication Design Program at Metropolitan State University of Denver, the periodical Zeromile is created by students, who build the magazine from the ground up, working through every stage of design and production, and contributing all the content, with help from instructor Peter Miles Bergman. Guests at the release party for Issue 009, dedicated to the future of art and design, will be treated to giveaways and free Bitburger Beer (with food purchase); purchase of a ticket includes entry to the release party and either a magazine, t-shirt or magazine and t-shirt combo.
Carol Berg, Ash and Silver
Broadway Book Mall
200 South Broadway
3 p.m. Saturday, December 5
303-744-2665
Meet Colorado fantasy author Carol Berg and get a signed copy of her latest book Ash and Silver at the Broadway Book Mall’s launch party. And while you’re there, peruse the store’s ample and reasonably priced holiday collection of select new and gently used autographed books, which make perfect gifts for bookophiles. Free Indies First tote bags will be given out when you purchase one, while they last.

Revisiting Our Roots: The Denver Zine Library Turns 12!
Share Denver
7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, December 5
$10 suggested donation at the door
The Denver Zine Library celebrates twelve years of collecting and lending DIY literature with a party and community performance, for which they’ve asked contributors to share secrets from their childhood diaries and journals. Inspired by the documentary Mortified Nation, the event is open to all (contact the library at [email protected] if you’d like to participate).
Women of the World Last-Chance Slam
Mercury Cafe
7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday, December 6
$5 at the door
The next Women of the World Poetry Slam goes down in Brooklyn in March, and in anticipation of that showdown, the process of picking a Denver Mercury Cafe contestant is slowly whittling down the list of top contenders for the Merc’s WoWPS Slam-off on December 20. The December 6 bout is the last qualifier for women hoping to represent the city next spring, so expect some fierce slam-poeticizing; the butter on that bread will be an additional feature performance by Navajo spoken-word artist Roanna Shebala.

What's on the next page in Denver's literary world? Visit Westword's Literary Event listings for this week.