We’re delighted to announce our second annual Cleveland Book Week, a series of literary and literacy-themed events surrounding the 82nd annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards. Check out our fantastic lineup of events from Sept. 5-9, and follow #CBW2017 and #AWBA2017 on social media for the latest.
Cleveland Book Week (CBW) is presented in partnership with the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, Brews + Prose, The City Club of Cleveland, the Cleveland Flea, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Great Lakes Science Center, Karamu House, MOCA, OverDrive and Twelve Literary and Performative Arts.
Tuesday, Sept. 5
Cleveland Book Week Launch Celebration
11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Public Square, Downtown Cleveland
FREE EVENT – Registration not required
Gather on Cleveland Foundation Centennial Plaza in Public Square for an afternoon of bookish entertainment in honor of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards and Cleveland Book Week.
Free Admission at Great Lakes Science Center
10 a.m. – 5 p.m., North Coast Harbor
FREE EVENT: Registration not required
Enjoy a trip to the Great Lakes Science Center for FREE in honor of Margot Lee Shetterly, Anisfield-Wolf Book nonfiction winner for bestseller Hidden Figures. Science and writing unite!
“See Me”: A Zine Fest at MetroHealth
2:30 – 5:30 p.m., MetroHealth Main Campus; Rammelkamp R170
FREE EVENT: Registration is not required
“See Me” is a cultural competency event about expressing who you are and understanding others; especially those who seem different to you.
Wednesday, Sept. 6
Peter Ho Davies (2017 Anisfield-Wolf Fiction Winner, The Fortunes)
4:30 p.m., Baker-Nord Center, Case Western Reserve University
FREE EVENT: Registration recommended.
CWRU’s Thrity Umrigar and Anisfield-Wolf Scholar Lisa Nielson will be in conversation with Davies about his ground-breaking book, The Fortunes.
Colson Whitehead: Writers Center Stage (2002 Anisfield-Wolf Fiction Winner, John Henry Days)
7:30 p.m., Maltz Performing Arts Center
TICKETS: $30. Register here.
Whitehead, who wrote last year’s blistering, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Underground Railroad, returns to Cleveland to kick off the new season of the William N. Skirball Writers Center Stage.
Thursday, Sept. 7
Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards (SOLD OUT)
6 p.m., State Theatre, Playhouse Square
Watch the ceremony live via webstream.
The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognize books that have made important contributions to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures.
Friday, Sept. 8
Margot Lee Shetterly (2017 Anisfield-Wolf Nonfiction Winner, Hidden Figures)
10 a.m., Waetjen Auditorium, Cleveland State University
FREE EVENT: Registration required.
This student-focused event partners with Cleveland Metropolitan School District to present Shetterly in conversation with students.
Isabel Allende (2017 Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Winner)
Noon, The City Club of Cleveland Friday Forum
TICKETS: $20 members/$35 nonmembers (Limited tickets remain, call 216-621-0082 for information.)
Allende will talk about life, work and politics and take questions in the traditional City Club of Cleveland style.
Karan Mahajan (2017 Anisfield-Wolf Fiction Winner, The Association of Small Bombs)
The Professional Book Nerds Podcast
1 p.m., Cuyahoga County Public Library, South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch
FREE EVENT: Registration recommended.
Join a live audience and bring your questions for breakout novelist Karan Mahajan as he discusses his incendiary second book
Clapback: The poetry of Tyehimba Jess unplugged (2017 Poetry Winner, Olio)
5:30 p.m., Karamu House
FREE EVENT: Registration required.
This evening of music, poetry and history is presented in partnership with Karamu House, Brews + Prose and Twelve Literary and Performative Arts.
MOCA presents BOUND: Art Book + Zine Fair – Friday & Saturday
5 – 10 p.m. Fri., Noon – 5 p.m. Sat., Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
FREE EVENT – Registration not required.
BOUND unites artists and indie publishers whose work is a platform for wide ranging topics from pop culture, poetry, and politics to the stories of traditionally marginalized voices.
Saturday, Sept. 9
The Cleveland Flea: #CBW2017 Edition
9 a.m. – 4 p.m., 3615 Superior Ave.
ADMISSION: $1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., free after 3 p.m. Kids under 17 are always free.
This September, the Flea goes literary in support of Cleveland Book Week. Look for a pop-up bookshop and literary cafe featuring local authors and book sellers, rare books and first editions.