Almanac

Join us for Queer Tales Book Club where we chat about books that are by and/or about LGBTQIA+ people. Reading is not required, and everyone is welcome.

We meet on the third Tuesday of the month at 7pm in the Nelson Room.

This month's book is The Memory Librarian by Janelle Monáe.

Do you love books? Want to meet other book lovers? The Book Lovers Mixer is for you!

Join the National Writers Series and Traverse City Food & Wine in conversation with Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski at the City Opera House for an evening about food, connection, and the joy of cooking.​ A self-taught cook, Porowski will take the stage to talk about his unique path to culinary ​stardom, ​gastronomic creations, and his work in the realm of animal welfare.

Porowski is a producer and star of Netflix’s​ hit series Queer Eye, where his warmth and kitchen savvy have made him a fan favorite​ that has garnered six consecutive Emmy awards.​ He now hosts National Geographic’s No Taste Like Home​, and is host and executive producer of Netflix’s Easy-Bake Battle​.

Porowski will be joined on stage by guest host Matt Rodbard, writer, editor, and author of food and culture books with more than two decades of experience working in television, magazines, book publishing, and online media.

Don’t miss this delicious event! Grab your tickets now through Traverse City Food & Wine, available on the National Writers Series website.

Tickets can only be purchased through Traverse City Food & Wine. The link to access the ticketing platform is available through the National Writers Series website.

Ticket prices do not include a book bundle, though copies of "Let's Do Dinner" will be available for purchase through Horizon Books at the event.

Round out TC Food & Wine week with an exclusive panel of chefs from several top cooking competition shows – Top Chef, Iron Chef, Chopped, and more – for a candid glimpse into the world of competitive cooking from the people who’ve lived it. From the adrenaline of reality TV kitchens to the impact these shows have had on their careers and personal lives, these culinary stars will share behind-the-scenes stories, career-defining moments, and what comes after the cameras stop rolling.

The National Writers Series and Traverse City Food & Wine are excited to convene talented alumni of several food TV competitions with a long-time food television creator and producer for a one-of-a-kind conversation. Chefs Mei Lin and Sarah Welch take the stage with television producer Jim Berger, to dish about what it’s like to be on a reality competition show and how it compares to real life in the kitchen. These chefs will talk about how they rose through the ranks and share their stories about finding a balance between a love of making great food and being successful in a televised culinary competition. Food writer and TASTE podcast host Matt Rodbard will moderate the panel.

This fun conversation will inevitably shed new light on the chefs’ and producer’s experiences creating and competing on the shows, and what it’s like to turn a creative culinary passion into engaging television. Please join us for an unforgettable night that promises to unveil new stories, new friendships, and the indelicate balance between making great television and making great food.

Join us for this all-you-can-eat glimpse behind the scenes of reality television with these renowned culinary stars! Tickets are available through TC Food & Wine, available on the National Writers Series website.

This is not a book bundled event. Ticket purchases must be made through Traverse City Food & Wine, available through the National Writers Series website.

The Glen Arbor Arts Center’s third season of Coffee With The Authors is about building. And the next interview in the 2025 series is about building the history of a place, in this case Glen Arbor Township: A History to 1920, a new, hardcover book edited by Andrew White; and written by Paul Dechow, Mary Severson Tris, Barbara Siepker, and John Tris. The interview takes place August 24, 11 am in the GAAC Main Gallery.

Published by Leelanau Press, Glen Arbor Township surveys the geological, social, and human history of what became Glen Arbor Township, a municipal designation encompassing 87.6 square miles of land and water. Over the course of 368 pages, and drawing on original documents, the five collaborating writers present a picture of this place, starting with the glacial activities that lay the groundwork for the Land of Delight; the lifeway of the original inhabitants; followed by the commercial timbering era, fruit orchards, Glen Arbor’s early resorts, and the accompanying population shifts. GAAC Gallery Manager Sarah Bearup-Neal will explore the mechanics of how a group of writers build a cohesive history, and what current day residents can glean from the past.
Coffee With The Authors is a series of conversational interviews with local, regional, and state authors about the art, craft, and process of writing. In these interviews, Bearup-Neal talks with writers - poets, essayists, memoirists, fiction writers, historical fiction writers, writers of creative non-fiction - and explores how writers work and think. There is no charge.

Coffee With The Authors enjoys the support of the Cottage Book Shop and the Glen Lake Community Library.

https://glenarborart.org/product/coffee-with-the-authors-glen-arbor-township-history/

The Antrim Writers Series invites the public to attend two readings by Desiree Cooper on Wednesday, August 27.

Desiree Cooper is a 2015 Kresge Artist Fellow, former attorney, and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist. Her debut collection of flash fiction," Know the Mother," won numerous awards, including 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award.

Cooper will read from her flash fiction collection, "Know the Mother." The first thirteen people who register for this event will receive a free copy of "Know the Mother." This event takes place at Bee Well Mead and Cider, 116 N Bridge Street, Bellaire.

Registration is encouraged, but not required.

Both events are free, thanks to a generous grant by the Grand Traverse Community Foundation.

The National Writers Series is thrilled to kick off our fall season with Edgar-nominated and award-winning author and journalist Bryan Gruley in conversation about his chilling new crime thriller: “Bitterfrost.”

Set in a fictional Northern Michigan town of the same name, “Bitterfrost” follows former ice hockey star Jimmy Baker as he finds himself embroiled in the aftermath of a gruesome murder—and he’s the prime suspect. The following quest for the truth in the race against time is full of hair-raising suspense and reveals that even in the coldest places, the past is never too far behind.

“Visceral, vivid, and suspenseful, BITTERFROST immerses readers in a chilly―and chilling―world of lost dreams and deadly feuds. I was instantly and completely engrossed. Masterfully done.”― Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

On September 5th, Gruley will take the stage alongside national bestselling author John Bacon at the Alluvion in the Commongrounds building. The event will begin at 7 PM and includes Q&A and an author signing. This is a general admissions event.

In-person and virtual tickets are available now at nationalwritersseries.org!

Tickets are General Admission and do not include a copy of "Bitterfrost," but books may be purchased at nationalwritersseries.org. Sales support our local partner Horizon Books in downtown Traverse City.

The National Writers Series is thrilled to welcome Mary Roach back to the City Opera House on September 23rd to discuss her newest book, “Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy,” an investigation into the wondrous and cutting-edge field of regenerative medicine.

Rich with humor and lucid detail, “Replaceable You” dives into the exciting and rapidly developing world of medical possibility while balancing the real and difficult questions faced by patients and doctors every day. Through interviews with patients, physicians, pathologists, engineers, and scientists, Roach immerses readers in the quest to build a new you.

“We are all replaceable to some degree or another . . . with the exception of Mary Roach. There is no one and nothing like her—singular, bizarre, dedicated, passionate, fascinating. Her writing traffics at the unusual intersection of science, storytelling, and humor …. and no one does it as masterfully or consistently as she.” – Jason Alexander, actor/director

Roach will be joined by guest host and #1 New York Times best-selling author and NWS co-founder Doug Stanton. The event will begin at 7 PM and includes Q&A and an author signing. You don’t want to miss this one-of-a-kind evening!

Grab in-person or virtual tickets today at nationalwritersseries.org!

The National Writers Series is delighted to welcome Angela Flournoy, National Book Award finalist and author of “The Turner House,” to the Milliken Auditorium on October 3rd to discuss her eagerly anticipated second book, “The Wilderness,” a hilarious and emotionally moving foray into the enduring bonds of found family amidst a restless and often volatile America.

Spanning two decades in the lives of five Black women, “The Wilderness” traces their journeys through young adulthood and into midlife as they navigate motherhood, ambition, estrangement, viral fame, and building lives in rapidly shifting cities. With nuance and depth, Flournoy explores the complexities of contemporary womanhood and the connections that sustain us.

“These women, these friends—in their grief and loss, their dedication and their communion—are so achingly real it’s hard to let them go.” —Justin Torres, National Book Award-winning author of Blackouts

The event will begin at 7 PM and includes Q&A and an author signing.

Be sure to grab your in-person or virtual tickets for this unforgettable evening at nationalwritersseries.org today!

Tickets are General Admission and do not include a copy of the book. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, please visit nationalwritersseries.org. Each sale benefits our local partner Horizon Books in downtown Traverse City.

The National Writers Series is thrilled to welcome Mitch Albom back to the City Opera House to share his newest novel, “Twice,” an unforgettable emotional journey through love, second chances, and the choices that define our lives.

Alfie Logan has an incredible gift—he gets a second chance at almost everything. The only catch? He doesn’t get a second chance at love. After he’s arrested for allegedly cheating and winning millions at a casino roulette wheel, Alfie’s incredible life and the choices he’s made (and made again) unfold for the curious detective interrogating him.

From America’s favorite storyteller comes a novel that’s more than a simple love story—it’s a probing and honest investigation into all matters of the human heart.

Albom will take the stage alongside #1 New York Times bestselling author and NWS co-founder Doug Stanton on October 22nd. The event will begin at 7 PM and includes Q&A and an author signing. Each ticket comes with a copy of “Twice,” or, opt for our two-ticket/one book package and share with a friend!

Grab your tickets for an enchanting evening with one of Traverse City’s favorite authors at nationalwritersseries.org!