Explore family friendly events, theatres, galleries, concerts, nightlife, things to do, and more in the Greenville, SC and Upstate areas.

Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.

Saturday, June 8, 2024
Adventure Day
Jun 8 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Safe Haven & Educational Adventures

June 8th, 2024
10am-5pm

Come join us for Adventure Day it will be a wild family fun time!! We are only open to the public a couple times a year, you won’t want to miss out. Come meet the animals, see our facility updates & make life long memories!

By joining us you will be helping the animals —they rely on your support!

💠Meet the animals
💠raffles
💠games
💠food
💠music
& much more!

Bring your family and tell your friends, it’s going to be wild time!

FREE to enter.
$5 wrist bands to pet animals that are able to be pet.

Take 183 to Easley
Turn on Thomas mill rd by the Spinx
Follow the signs to Safe Haven & Educational Adventures, Inc.

(Our sanctuary is located at a private residence, for privacy we put the signs out the night before the event and we post the address only on our website the day before the event.)

www.rescueexotics.org

Sunday, June 9, 2024
Boozy Book Fair at Thomas Creek Brewery
Jun 9 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Thomas Creek Brewery
There was nothing like the elementary school book fair – the smell of new books in the air, the rush of racing your friends to find the next installment of your favorite series, and, if you were lucky, the crinkle of money from Mom in your pocket.

Life felt so much easier back then, didn’t it? Don’t you find yourself wishing from time to time that you could just go back?

This June, you can – but we’re doing it grown-up style.

Don’t miss our first ever Boozy Book Fair at Thomas Creek Brewery (2054 Piedmont Hwy Greenville, SC 29605) on Sunday, June 9th from 1-3pm!

Book categories will include:

-Father’s Day

-Happy Endings

-Nonfiction

-Geeks and Gamers

-Myths and Fairy Tales

-Gothic and Ghastly

-Romantasy

-Read the Rainbow

-Bookclub Picks

-The Birds & Bees

-Criminally Good Reads

…and much much more!

This event is FREE and open to the public, so bring your friends! Be sure to RSVP so we have the booze + books ready – we can’t wait to see you there.

Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Greer Relief Charity Auction
Jun 11 all-day
online
Book Your Lunch with Mindy Friddle In Conversation With Caroline Cleveland
Jun 11 @ 12:00 pm
City Range

Join award-winning author Mindy Friddle in conversation with Caroline Cleveland for a book your lunch event at City Range on Tuesday, June 11th at Noon. They will talk about their books, Her Best Self and When Cicadas Cryand will be available afterwards to sign.

Your $55 ticket admits one to the event, and includes lunch, as well as a copy of either Her Best Self or When Cicadas Cry.

If you’re unable to attend the event, signed books can be purchased on our website.

Tickets can be purchased through Tuesday, June 11th, at 12pm. Refunds can be requested through Friday, June 7th, at 12pm. (You can send someone else in your place after the cutoff, but be sure to give that person your ticket.)

Your menu options (to be selected on the order form) will be:

BBQ Burnt Ends & Grits

Brisket over cheese grits, bourbon onions, BBQ sauce, scallions

Bourbon Pecan Chicken

Crispy pecan coated chicken breast, bourbon cream sauce, mashed potatoes, blistered brussels.

Cookies will be provided for dessert.

Beverage options include iced tea, water, and coffee.

Like a Southern Succession, award-winning novelist Mindy Friddle’s “fast paced, clever, and wickedly compelling” (Michel Stone) Her Best Self begins with a car wreck, and lets off the brake into: swingers and wife swaps; swindlers and woo-woo scams; senatorial elections and campaign strategy; secrets and manipulated information; incest and inheritance; a wedding like a game of Stratego; and ambition as more motive than goal.

Janelle “Before”–choreographer of the Wolf family and their enterprises–went over the bridge with her car, in the wreck that ruined Janelle’s reputation and upended her public life. Lucky for her, Lana O’Shield adores lonely people. Coaxing Janelle to remember the circumstances of her accident, her revelations unravel the fragile veil over the Wolfs’ smalltown life. As the Wolf family’s public return–the cold-footed wedding of their only daughter–approaches, HER BEST SELF is part thriller, part drama, following women clawing at independence, no longer pawns in a man’s game.

About the author:

Mindy Friddle is author of the novel, Secret Keepers, (winner of the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction). The Garden Angel, her first novel and SIBA bestseller, was selected for Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers. The South Carolina Arts Commission awarded Mindy a prose fellowship, and she has twice won the state’s Fiction Prize. Her stories and essays have appeared in numerous journals. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson and lives on Edisto Island, South Carolina.

A young white woman has been bludgeoned to death in a rural church on Cicada Road, just outside the small town of Walterboro, South Carolina—a state that has been roiling with racial tenson since the shooting of an unarmed Black man by a white police officer. Sam Jenkins, who is Black, was found covered in blood and kneeling over her. Zach Stander, a down-and-out lawyer, is convinced to take Sam’s case by his detective girlfriend, Addie, while the local solicitor prosecuting the case wields the power of an influential family. And then there’s the mysterious cold-case of teen girls murdered on a nearby beach—is there a connection, and will Addie and Zach put the pieces together in time?

About the author:

Caroline Cleveland: A native South Carolinian, Caroline Cleveland grew up in the small town of Walterboro, and she credits her love of reading to its quieter way of life. Her love of the written word eventually led her to law school, and later to establish the law firm Cleveland & Conley, LLC, in Charleston, South Carolina, where she represents public employers, including local governments and law enforcement. Caroline writes stories from a Southern perspective, featuring deceptively peaceful small towns and strong, complex characters who rely on their Southern sense of values. Her debut novel is WHEN CICADAS CRY, published by Union Square & Co. Visit her website at www.CarolineClevelandAuthor.com.

Amy Low: Reading + Signing
Jun 11 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Hub City Bookshop & Press

“Amy’s story is a rich mix of courage, grace, persistence, and most important, love. This is a book to treasure.” —Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and president, Emerson Collective

“So many people are in pain these days, enduring hard times, facing challenges. They are wondering, ‘How do I do this?’ Amy Low is the perfect guide.” —David Brooks, New York Times columnist and bestselling author

About the Book

This honest and emotional memoir presents much needed lessons and advice for navigating uncertainty in the worst of times.

Amy Low resides in a room that is her last—her medical team is clear-eyed with her: there is no cure for Stage IV metastatic colon cancer, and the odds of long-term survival are scant. Miraculously, she’s lived four years with her diagnosis, and that life between life has changed her.

Through the swirl of prolonged trauma and unbearable grief, a vantage point emerged—a window that showed her the way to relish life and be kinder to herself and others while living through the inevitable loss and heartbreak that crosses everyone’s paths. Instead of viewing joy and sorrow as opposites, she saw how both exist in harmony, full of mystery and surprise. Instead of seeing days as succeeding or failing, and physical selves as healthy or unwell, she’s learned to carry both achievements and afflictions in stride. And instead of bitterness and betrayal, forgiveness—toward her body, toward others, toward herself—became her wisest light.

Mapping her experiences to the words that St. Paul wrote in his own last roomThe Brave In-Between is a sacred invitation to explore that space between triumph and tragedy. We all have a heart to marvel at miracles, a lightness to spot the absurdity, and an imagination to pause and extend empathy for others—even when tragedy strikes. Sometimes we just need a guide.

About the Author

Amy Low has been a storyteller all her life. She grew up in and continues to live life through parables and metaphors. She sees her life as an invitation to discovering the new every day and even records some of these discoveries in her Substack, Postcards from the Mountain. As the managing director for fellowships and nonprofit journalism at the Emerson Collective, she directs efforts to empower individuals and newsrooms to strengthen our shared conversation in the public square. Most important, Amy is mom to Connor and Lucy. Her proudest achievement is raising a son and daughter who are unafraid, grateful, and curious, whether in class, at home, on stage, and especially in the band.

Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Mindy Friddle in Conversation with Michel Stone
Jun 12 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Hub City Bookshop

Celebrate the release of Mindy Friddle’s new book, Her Best Self — a Southern fiction, psychological tale of deception. Meet with us at the bookshop on Wednesday, June 12th at 6 PM. Mindy Friddle will be in-conversation with Hub City Press author Michelle Stone.

This event is free and open to the public. Get a 10% discount on Her Best Self when you RSVP and purchase your copy of the book on Eventbrite!

Friday, June 14, 2024
Liz Crowe Launch Party
Jun 14 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Fiction Addiction

Join author Liz Crowe for an in-store signing at Fiction Addiction on Friday, June 14th from 3-5pm to celebrate her new book, Cul-de-Sac.

This event is free and open to the public, or you can purchase an $15.89 book add-on. Additional books can be ordered on our website or purchased at the event while supplies last.

If you’re unable to attend, signed copies of the author’s book can be purchased on our website.

Tickets can be purchased online through Thursday, June 13th at 2pm. Refunds can be requested up until the ticket cutoff. At-the-door tickets and books will be available as space allows.

Can the residents of an exclusive community keep their secrets buried, or will the deadly truth expose them all?

Welcome to Connelly Court. A secluded, old money neighborhood, harboring a web of desires and deceit behind pristine facades and manicured lawns, where the lives of a group of neighbors, bound by their shared secrets and unconventional lifestyle, are about to unravel.

Michael and Amelia Ross move into their dream home, and get drawn into the seductive allure. But their house once belonged to a family whose lives were seemingly ruined by their participation, which leads Amelia to question everything about her new-found friends. Suspicions run rampant as the close-knit group turns on each other. Lies, betrayals, and hidden agendas are revealed, ripping apart the fabric that once bound the group together.

Cul-de-Sac is a dark tale of marriage, friendship, desire, and betrayal, where nothing is as it seems, and the truth may be more shocking than anyone could have imagined. Discover the twisted secrets of Connelly Court in this chilling domestic suspense novel that will leave you questioning just how well you truly know—or should know—your neighbors.

About the Author:

Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville living in South Carolina. She’s spent her time as a three-continent expat trailing spouse, mom of three, real estate agent, brewery owner and bar manager, and is currently a digital marketing and fundraising consultant, in addition to being an award-winning author.

The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.

Her favorite things to do when she’s not scrolling social media for cute animal videos is walk her dogs, cuddle her cats, and watch her favorite sports teams while scrolling social media for cute animal videos.

Juneteenth GVL Royal Gala
Jun 14 @ 5:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Greenville Convention Center

Join us at the Greenville Convention Center for an unforgettable evening of elegance and celebration at the JuneteenthGVL Royal Gala, taking place at the prestigious Greenville Convention Center on June 14, 2024. This glamorous event is a highlight of our Juneteenth celebrations, commemorating the rich history and enduring legacy of African American freedom and culture.

Monday, June 17, 2024
A Night w/ KATHERINE CENTER
Jun 17 @ 7:00 pm
Headquarters Library, Spartanburg

Katherine Center and SCPL have a big thing in common: we both want you to read for the joy of reading. To celebrate her latest novel, “The Rom-Commers,” the Queen of Comfort Reads will be in Spartanburg to talk about her new book, what it means to read for the sake of reading, and how she develops happy endings.

As part of this event, SCPL is giving away copies of “The Rom-Commers” to the first 100 people who arrive for the event. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Fiction Addiction will be on hand to sell copies of Center’s substantial backlist of novels.

Wednesday, June 19, 2024
Hump Day Yappy Hour
Jun 19 @ 6:00 pm
FR8yard

The doggos are taking over the Yard! Dog parents, dog-friendly business owners, dog-based non-profits–basically dog enthusiasts of every stripe–are descending on FR8yard every 1st and 3rd Wednesday this Spring for live music, awesome eats & drinks, and more! We’ll issue you a $5 PUP BUCK just for bringing out your four-legged-friends … and proceeds from our special Pooch Hooch Cocktails, courtesy of Tito’s, will be benefitting the Spartanburg Humane Society. Did we mention free dog treats??? So, come join us for our Hump Day Yappy Hours and don’t forget to bring your fur babies!

Thursday, June 20, 2024
Dunkin’® Iced Coffee Day
Jun 20 all-day
Dunkin Donuts near you

America’s favorite coffee chain announced today the return of Dunkin’ Iced Coffee Day on Thursday, June 20 – the first day of summer. Celebrated once a year, $1 from every iced coffee sold at participating Dunkin’ locations will be donated to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation – making every sip count.

To celebrate Dunkin’ Iced Coffee Day, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation is hosting a series of special “Painting with Joy” events in partnership with hospitals across the country. These events aim to bring joy to patients and their families through art therapy while raising awareness of Dunkin’s annual Iced Coffee Day fundraiser.

To learn more about the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, visit www.bringjoy.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
About the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation
The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, the charitable foundation supported by Dunkin’, provides the simple joys of childhood to kids battling hunger or illness. The Foundation partners with food banks, children’s hospitals and nonprofit organizations to fund joyful environments and joyful experiences for kids when they need it most. Since 2006, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation has granted more than $50 million to hundreds of national and local charities across the country thanks to the generosity of its franchisees, guests, vendor partners and employees. For more information, please visit www.bringjoy.org.
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Boozy Book Fair
Jun 23 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
RJ Rockers

There was nothing like the elementary school book fair – the smell of new books in the air, the rush of racing your friends to find the next installment of your favorite series, and, if you were lucky, the crinkle of money from Mom in your pocket.

Life felt so much easier back then, didn’t it? Don’t you find yourself wishing from time to time that you could just go back?

You can – but we’re doing it grown-up style.

Don’t miss our Boozy Book Fair at RJ Rockers (226 W Main St, Spartanburg, SC 29306 ) on Sunday, June 23rd from 1-3pm!

We will have STICKERS!!! as well as books for everyone and every interest:

-Geeks and Gamers

-Myths and Fairy Tales

-Gothic and Ghastly

-Happy Endings

-Romantasy

-Read the Rainbow

-Bookclub Picks

-Celebrate the South

-Nonfiction

-Whodunnits & Thrillers

-Father’s Day Ideas

-Criminally Good Reads

-The Birds and the Bees

…and much much more!

This event is FREE and open to the public, so bring your friends! Be sure to RSVP so we have the booze + books ready – we can’t wait to see you there.

Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Tessa Fontaine in Conversation with Eric Kocher
Jun 25 @ 6:00 pm
Hub City Writers Project

When her mother goes missing, a young woman uncovers the secrets beneath her protected community.
The women asked: How are they safe?
And Tamsen Nightingale said: In this red grove, no woman can be harmed. No violence may come upon her. No injury to her flesh from the flesh of another.
The Story of the Sisters, Welcoming Incantation

The Red Grove is a special place, protected. Some say a spell was cast by the community’s founder, Tamsen Nightingale. Some say the mountain lions who stalk the nearby hills guard its mysteries and its people. Some say the mighty redwoods keep them safe.

Yet Luce’s mother, Gloria, has gone missing. A man came seeking answers among the Red Grove’s mysteries―a connection to the beyond―and died. And then Gloria vanished. The Red Grove is Luce’s whole world. She is devoted to its mission, its rituals and myths. But she knows that her mother, frustrated free spirit though she might be, wouldn’t just leave without a word, wouldn’t leave her little brother, Roo, and especially their aunt Gem, whose care in that suspended state of everdream depends on Gloria in every way. But as Luce tries to figure out what has happened to her mother, she discovers that this special place is not what it seems and that protection comes at a cost.

The debut novel by the acclaimed author of The Electric Woman, Tessa Fontaine’s The Red Grove is an exploration of the legacies of violence, the price of safety, and the choices we make to protect what we love.

About the Author

Tessa Fontaine is the author of The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-defuing Acts, New York Times Editors’ Choice; Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick, and best book of 2018 by Southern Living, Refinery29, Amazon Editors’, and The New York Post. Other writing can be found in Outside online, The New York TimesGlamourAGNIThe BelieverLitHub, Creative Nonfiction, and more. Raised outside San Francisco, Tessa is a former professor and has taught in jails and prisons for five years. She co-founded and teaches the Accountability Workshops with writer and pal Annie Hartnett, and lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, daughter, goofy dog and sassy cat. The Red Grove is her first novel.

About the in-conversation Partner

Eric Kocher, assistant professor of environmental studies at Wofford College, explores domestic encounters with planetary forces, and his writing on the topic has appeared in a variety of national publications. In the classroom, he works to help students understand how environmental ideas from literature, art, film and digital media shape our treatment of the environments in which we live.

Friday, June 28, 2024
Boozy Book Fair at Fireforge: Back to School
Jun 28 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Fireforge

There was nothing like the elementary school book fair – the smell of new books in the air, the rush of racing your friends to find the next installment of your favorite series, and, if you were lucky, the crinkle of money from Mom in your pocket.

Life felt so much easier back then, didn’t it? Don’t you find yourself wishing from time to time that you could just go back?

This July you can – but we’re doing it grown-up style.

Don’t miss our Boozy Book Fair at Fireforge (311 E Washington St, Greenville, SC 29601) on Sunday, July 28th from 1-3pm!

This year, Fire Forge will be collecting school supplies to donate them to kids in need. In addition to our usual adult bookfair categories, we’ll also be bringing a collection of fun pens, pencils, and erasers! And our children book’s will include classics and history series like I Survive, Nathan Hale, and History Smashers.

Categories will include:

-Geeks and Gamers

-Myths and Fairy Tales

-Gothic and Ghastly

-Happy Endings

-Romantasy

-Southern Reads

-Read the Rainbow

-Bookclub Picks

-Whodunits & Suspense

-Nonfiction

-Children’s Books

…and much much more!

This event is FREE and open to the public, so bring your friends! Be sure to RSVP so we have the booze + books ready – we can’t wait to see you there.

Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Booklovers: “Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story” by Max Marshall
Jul 9 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Headquarters Library, Spartanburg

Join us for a discussion of “Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story” by Max Marshall. Copies of the book are available the month before the discussion at the Multimedia & Fiction desk at the Headquarters Library.

Thursday, July 11, 2024
Book Swap
Jul 11 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Headquarters Library, Spartanburg

Tired of your old books? Trade them in for some new ones. Bring your gently used books to the Library and swap them with other readers. Take one book home for each book you bring to trade.

Amy Low: Reading & Signing
Jul 11 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Hub City Bookshop & Press

“Amy’s story is a rich mix of courage, grace, persistence, and most important, love. This is a book to treasure.” —Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and president, Emerson Collective

“So many people are in pain these days, enduring hard times, facing challenges. They are wondering, ‘How do I do this?’ Amy Low is the perfect guide.” —David Brooks, New York Times columnist and bestselling author

About the Book

This honest and emotional memoir presents much needed lessons and advice for navigating uncertainty in the worst of times.

Amy Low resides in a room that is her last—her medical team is clear-eyed with her: there is no cure for Stage IV metastatic colon cancer, and the odds of long-term survival are scant. Miraculously, she’s lived four years with her diagnosis, and that life between life has changed her.

Through the swirl of prolonged trauma and unbearable grief, a vantage point emerged—a window that showed her the way to relish life and be kinder to herself and others while living through the inevitable loss and heartbreak that crosses everyone’s paths. Instead of viewing joy and sorrow as opposites, she saw how both exist in harmony, full of mystery and surprise. Instead of seeing days as succeeding or failing, and physical selves as healthy or unwell, she’s learned to carry both achievements and afflictions in stride. And instead of bitterness and betrayal, forgiveness—toward her body, toward others, toward herself—became her wisest light.

Mapping her experiences to the words that St. Paul wrote in his own last roomThe Brave In-Between is a sacred invitation to explore that space between triumph and tragedy. We all have a heart to marvel at miracles, a lightness to spot the absurdity, and an imagination to pause and extend empathy for others—even when tragedy strikes. Sometimes we just need a guide.

About the Author

Amy Low has been a storyteller all her life. She grew up in and continues to live life through parables and metaphors. She sees her life as an invitation to discovering the new every day and even records some of these discoveries in her Substack, Postcards from the Mountain. As the managing director for fellowships and nonprofit journalism at the Emerson Collective, she directs efforts to empower individuals and newsrooms to strengthen our shared conversation in the public square. Most important, Amy is mom to Connor and Lucy. Her proudest achievement is raising a son and daughter who are unafraid, grateful, and curious, whether in class, at home, on stage, and especially in the band.

Sunday, July 14, 2024
Boozy Book Fair
Jul 14 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
The Southern Growl

There was nothing like the elementary school book fair – the smell of new books in the air, the rush of racing your friends to find the next installment of your favorite series, and, if you were lucky, the crinkle of money from Mom in your pocket.

Life felt so much easier back then, didn’t it? Don’t you find yourself wishing from time to time that you could just go back?

You can – but we’re doing it grown-up style.

Don’t miss our Boozy Book Fair at The Southern Growl (155 N Buncombe Rd, Greer, SC 29651) on Sunday, July 14th from 1-3pm!

We will have STICKERS!!! as well as books for everyone and every interest:

-Geeks and Gamers

-Myths and Fairy Tales

-Gothic and Ghastly

-Happy Endings

-Romantasy

-Read the Rainbow

-Bookclub Picks

-Celebrate the South

-Nonfiction

-Whodunnits & Thrillers

-Ready for the Olympics?

-Criminally Good Reads

-Kids

-Nature

-Sidelines

…and much much more!

This event is FREE and open to the public, so bring your friends! Be sure to RSVP so we have the booze + books ready – we can’t wait to see you there.

Monday, July 29, 2024
Book-ish Book Club – “Karthik Delivers”
Jul 29 @ 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Headquarters Library, Spartanburg

We’re reading “Karthik Delivers.” The first 20 children, ages 10 -12 to sign up will receive a free copy of the book to keep, along with some fun book swag. Join us in person in the Barrett Room at the Headquarters Library for a live discussion of the book.

Snowden Wright & Leona Sevick In Conversation with George Singleton
Jul 29 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Hub City Bookshop & Press

Join us for a night full of authors and conversations! Snowden Wright and Leona Sevick will be in conversation with Hub City Press author George Singleton about their new books “Queen City Detective Agency” (Wright) and “The Bamboo Wife” (Sevick). Meet us at the Bookshop on August 29th at 6 p.m. This is a free event open for anyone to join.

Save your seat when you RSVP and get a 10% discount on the books when you purchase through Eventbrite.

About Queen City Detective Agency

Following an unforgettable cast of characters and a jaded female P.I. enmeshed in a criminal conspiracy in 1980s Mississippi, The Queen City Detective Agency is a riveting, razor-sharp Southern noir that unravels the greed, corruption, and racism at the heart of the American Dream.

Meridian, Mississippi—once known as the Queen City for its status in the state—has lost much of its royal bearing by 1985. Overshadowed by more prosperous cities such as New Orleans and Atlanta, Meridian attracts less-than-legitimate businesses, including those enforced by the near-mythical Dixie Mafia. The city’s powerbrokers, wealthy white Southerners clinging to their privilege, resent any attempt at change to the old order.

Real-estate developer Randall Hubbard took advantage of Meridian’s economic decline by opening strip malls that catered to low-income families in Black neighborhoods—until he wound up at the business end of a .38 Special. Then a Dixie Mafia affiliate named Lewis “Turnip” Coogan, who claims Hubbard’s wife hired him for the hit, dies under suspicious circumstances while in custody for the murder.

Ex-cop turned private investigator Clementine Baldwin is hired by Coogan’s bereaved mother to find her son’s killer. A woman struggling with her own history growing up in Mississippi, Clem braves the Queen City’s corridors of crime as she digs into the case, opening wounds long forgotten. She soon finds herself in the crosshairs of powerful and dangerous people who manipulate the law for their own ends—and will kill anyone who threatens to reveal their secrets.

About The Bamboo Wife

Leona Sevick’s The Bamboo Wife captures the experiences of an imperfect woman held up against the standard of “good” wife and mother. Sevick is a master of metaphor and imagery, depicting, for example, a mother as a kraken. In the sea creature’s words, “It takes a hard-ass woman to raise her young.” Every poem is wrought with precise description and emotion. We get nature as well as some location-based poems orienting us in Korea. There is anger and sadness, “the animal need to run in all directions at once,” and family trauma both past and present. This trauma is inflicted on the speaker as a child and to some degree perpetuated through her own parenting. The collection asks the reader to provide space in poetry for a woman trying to do her best for her own and others’ sake, for one who has “made bad decisions and lived.” Every poem is necessary, and Sevick makes each word count. Honesty carries this collection through her speaker’s good, bad, and ugly moments. It takes courage for someone to say, “there’s no mistake I haven’t made.”

About Snowden Wright

Born and raised in Mississippi, Snowden Wright is the author of American Pop, a Wall Street
Journal WSJ+ Book of the Month and NPR Best Book of the Year. He has written for The
Atlantic, Salon, Esquire, The Millions, and the New York Daily News, among other publications,
and previously worked as a fiction reader at The New Yorker, Esquire, and The Paris Review.
Wright was a Marguerite and Lamar Smith Fellow at the Carson McCullers Center, and his
small-press debut, Play Pretty Blues, received the Summer Literary Seminar’s Graywolf Prize.
He lives in Yazoo County, Mississippi.

About Leona Sevick

Leona Sevick’s recent work appears in Orion, Birmingham Poetry Review, Blackbird, The Southern Review, and The Sun. Leona serves on the advisory board of the Furious Flower Black Poetry Center and is provost and professor of English at Bridgewater College in Virginia, where she teaches Asian American literature. She is the 2017 Press 53 Poetry Award Winner for her first full-length book of poems, Lion Brothers. The Bamboo Wife is her second book of poems.

About George Singleton

George Singleton has published ten collections of stories, two novels, a book of writing advice,
and a collection of essays. His stories have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Story,
One Story, Playboy, the Georgia Review, Zoetrope, Subtropics, and elsewhere. His personal
essays have appeared in Garden and Gun, Bark, Best American Food Writing, Oxford American, and elsewhere He’s received a Pushcart, and a Guggenheim fellowship. A member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, he lives in South Carolina.