What is it about September that makes us all start to turn inward, both literally and figuratively? We go inside in the actual sense, but we also begin to contemplate a little more, think a little deeper, and — yes — read more, too. Is it something in the air as the year starts to wane, or is it just that we’re all working off an internal back-to-school clock? Whatever the reason, embrace it. Here are five of the best ways to do so this first week of September. (And don’t forget the month-long Unseen Festival at Counterpath — we covered their sneak preview back in August, but there are 26 days of awesome left to take in.)
Nevertheless, We Persisted
Tuesday, September 4, 7 p.m.
Rocky Mountain Prep/Bookbar
3752 Tennyson Street
$20 for adults over 18; free under 18
Bookbar is the organizer of this inspirational and empowering event, which is being hosted at Rocky Mountain Prep in order to accommodate a larger crowd. Speakers include teen activist and former candidate for the Denver School Board Tay Anderson; Holocaust survivor Fanny Starr; Liz Wolfson, founder of the Girls Athletic Leadership Schools (GALS); paraplegic basketball coach Jess Markt; and poet Azure Antoinette. Tickets for the event are still available, but going fast.
Gwen Florio, Silent Hearts
Tuesday, September 4, 7:30 p.m.
Boulder Book Store
1107 Pearl Street, Boulder
$5 (includes voucher)
Former Denver Post reporter Gwen Florio returns to Colorado to sign and discuss her new book, Silent Hearts, a complex portrayal of two different but equally resilient women caught in the conflict of war-ravaged Afghanistan, in situations and an era that will test them in ways they never imagined. Your $5 entry fee is good toward the purchase of this or any book at this Boulder Book Store event, so it’s a can’t-lose proposition.
Lit Crawl Denver
Saturday, September 8, 7 p.m.
The Infinite Monkey Theorem
3200 Larimer Street
Free
Lit Crawl Denver returns for a three-peat of what the orgazniers humbly call “literary debauchery,” this year partnering with Denver’s urban art festival Crush Walls in RiNo. Walk around the area to see all the artists at work, then head to the Infinite Monkey Theorem for readings from this year’s Colorado Book Award winners, including Laura Pritchett (The Blue Hour), Helen Thorpe (The Newcomers), and more. Pace yourself. Stay hydrated.
Katherine Standefer, Writing the Personal Sex Essay
Saturday, September 8, and Sunday, September 9, noon to 5 p.m.
Boulder Writing Studio
777 Pearl Street, Suite 211, Boulder
$425 for both sessions/$385 for members
Don’t be scared off by the topic or the price tag; this is an invaluable, ten-hour weekend intensive in which writers can actually utilize the experiences they’ve had in the sexual arena, and turn those personal moments into sharable and worthy writing. Despite being one of the defining aspects of the human experience, sex can be one of the toughest things to write about. This workshop with Arizona writer Katherine Standefer (a widely-published short-form writer with a debut book, Lightning Flowers, forthcoming from a Little Brown imprint) is a bold, smart, and introspective way to learn how to write sexual stories — and deal with the larger questions about sex with which our culture grapples.
Athena Perrakis, The Ultimate Guide to Chakras
Sunday, September 9, 1 p.m.
For Heaven’s Sake
4900 West 46th Avenue
Free
Athena Perrakis comes to Denver to discuss and sign her new book, The Ultimate Guide to Chakras. The author teaches readers how to tune into their chakras, the power centers of the body that connect the physical body to the world of energy first discussed in ancient Hindu texts and studied for millennia in spiritual traditions.