There are many great literary events around Indiana. Looking for something to do? Below are just a few ideas.
Many events are virtual. Please confirm with the venue for scheduled events listed here.
To be featured in our “Literary Events Around Indiana” monthly events blog, email the details to mail@indianawriters.org.
FPI On the Road: Ashley C. Ford
Ashley C. Ford Welcome Reception
A special reception officially welcoming New York Times Bestselling author Ashley C. Ford, Free Press Indiana’s first statewide reporter.
About this Event
Join us for a lively reception to meet Ashley C. Ford – FPI’s women & girls reporter, mingle with friends and have the opportunity to meet the team behind Mirror Indy and Free Press Indiana.
We’ll have complimentary light snacks from local vendors, cocktails and a brief program to celebrate this exciting new chapter of our work.
We are thrilled to have such a bold and creative voice joining our team and are confident Ashley’s reporting will shine a spotlight on stories that matter deeply to our neighbors across the state. We can’t wait for you to be part of the conversation from the very beginning.
IndyReads: In Conversation wtih Ruba Marshood
Author Event with Christopher C. Gorham – Whispering Shelf
414 North College Avenue
Oct 17 at 6pm
Join us for an author event featuring Christopher Gorham on his book, Matisse at War: Art and Resistance in Nazi Occupied France.
An event for those interested in art history, WWII history, and historical fiction!
This book spotlights the years during WWII when Henri Matisse and his family defiantly refused to evacuate Nazi-occupied France. This groundbreaking book illuminates the previously untold history of their passionate roles in the Resistance and the prodigious, revolutionary work the artist produced in the face of fascism, violence, and hate.
Erasure Poetry Workshop with Arriel Vinson
Sunday Oct 19th, 2025 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Loudmouth Books
In this workshop, we will learn how to use poetry as a means of activism. This workshop will teach writers how to create erasure poetry and how to confront historical/political texts using different erasure methods. We will read contemporary poets, who have used erasure to transform a text or create a new message from a work that is oppressive. We will ask: what is being said? How is it being said? How is it oppressive to different races, genders, backgrounds? How did the poet create something new?
We will discuss the different methods of erasure — such as whiting out, blacking out, highlighting — and then create our own erasures, with participants choosing from a variety of provided texts. Once we have created our erasures, we will workshop each piece amongst the group to figure out further ways to resist.
This workshop is perfect for seasoned poets, new poets, and readers of poetry.
New and seasoned poets alike, reserve your spot here!
BK Borison at the Historic Artcraft Theater
Join us on Thursday, October 23rd at 6:30pm at The Historic Artcraft Theatre for an evening with #1 New York Times bestselling author BK Borison. BK will discuss her new novel, Good Spirits!
Click here for more information and to register
Trope or Treat Panel at Wild Geese Bookshop
Click here for more information and to register
Evening with Dr. Alex Kor and Graham Honaker
Join us on Thursday, October 30th at 7:00 pm at Franklin College’s Richardson Chapel for an evening with Dr. Alex Kor and Graham Honaker! Alex and Graham will discuss their new biography, A Blessing, Not a Burden!
Click here for more information and to register
Tomorrow Bookstore: Women in Horror
A horror-filled literary evening featuring five women writers from across the country and two special guest moderators!
Join Tomorrow Bookstore for a spooky literary evening: our Women in Horror event featuring best-selling authors CJ Leede, Delilah S. Dawson, Neena Viel, Jenny Kiefer and Leslie J. Anderson! Featuring special guest moderators, Trang Thanh Tran and Regan Sandberg, and hosted by our friends at Indiana Humanities. Food and drinks will be available to purchase from local vendors Smoking Goose and Shake Up Cocktails.
Click here for more information and to get tickets
Coming Up Next Month
Horror Author J.H. Markert at the Whispering Shelf
Join us for an author event with J.H. Markert and Jonathan Janz as they discuss their writing and more!
Tuesday, November 4 · 6:30 – 8pm EST
The Whispering Shelf414 North College Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46202
Wild Geese Bookshop Presents Adrienne Young
Join us on Thursday, November 6th at 6:30pm at The Historic Artcraft Theatre for an evening with #1 New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young. Adrienne will discuss her new novel, Fallen City!
Click here for more information and tickets
Wild Geese Bookshop Presents Paisley Hope
Join us on Tuesday, November 13th at 6:30pm at The Sycamore at Mallow Run for an evening with author Paisley Hope. Paisley will discuss her newest novel, Freeing the Wild!
Click here for more information and tickets
Writers Guild at Bloomington Author Event
Join the Writers Guild for a special event with celebrated author, Aminatta Forna when she presents “The Power of Storytelling” at the Monroe County Public Library Auditorium on Saturday, November 15, 2025 at 7pm.
Book sales/book signing/and reception to take place next door at the Monroe County History Center after the talk.
Aminatta Forna is an award winning writer. Through fiction and non-fiction she has examined the effects of war and trauma. Formerly a journalist for BBC TV, her first book, The Devil that Danced on the Water, was an investigation into the murder of her father, a political activist and Amnesty Prisoner of Conscience, in Sierra Leone in the 1970’s. There followed three novels, including the multi award winning and bestselling The Memory of Love. A firm believer in the resilience of the human spirit, Aminatta’s last novel is titled, Happiness.
Born in Scotland to a Scottish mother and West African father, Aminatta’s childhood was spent moving between worlds and even included spells in Iran and Thailand. She first came to the United States as a Harkness Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley in 1996. Aminatta is widely traveled and her boundary-crossing life provides the context for her understanding of history, culture and politics. Her adventures are the subject of her most recent book, an essay collection, The Window Seat.
The recipient of a Windham Campbell Award from Yale University, Aminatta has won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best Book Award, the Hurston Wright Legacy Award, the Liberaturpreis in Germany and the Aidoo-Snyder Book Prize and been a finalist for the Neustadt Prize for Literature (widely regarded as the most prestigious international literary award after the Nobel).
Aminatta has written and presented television documentaries including “The Lost Libraries of Timbuktu” (BBC Television, 2009) and “Girl Rising” (CNN, 2013). She is a frequent contributor to BBC radio arts and current affairs programs.
Her essays have appeared in Freeman’s, Granta, The Guardian, LitHub, The Nation, The New York Review of Books and Vogue.
Lew Wallace Hoosier Author Fair
Each year, the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum hosts several regional authors for their annual Lew Wallace Hoosier Author Fair. The event takes place on the third floor of Fusion54 Coworking Space, which is located at 101 W. Main St., Crawfordsville. We are planning the 2025 Hoosier Author Fair for the evening of Saturday, November 29, 2025, from 5 – 8 p.m.
The Hoosier Author Fair is free and open to the public. Authors will have books and book-related merchandise for sale and are happy to sign copies and chat with readers. Attending authors represent several genres of writing.
MONTHLY EVENTS
Monthly: Lit State Reading at IndyReads
The monthly open mic at Indy Reads now has a new name and date! Join us for Indy Reads Lit Stage on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 6pm (except when Indy Reads is closed for holidays).
The word Lit is short for literacy, the mission of Indy Reads! Lit is also a popular Black cultural word that means something is entertaining or exciting.
The Lit Stage open mic welcomes people of all ages, art forms, and languages to share your talents with our shared community. Open mic performances can include singing, monologues, skits, dancing, comedy, poetry and essay reading, and more!
Performers are welcome to use the stage area, podium, and microphone. We ask that performances keep to about 5 minutes. Participants can perform again if time allows.
Please note the Lit Stage open mic is family friendly. Explicit language, gestures, and behaviors are not allowed. If you are including music in your performance, we require radio edits only.
Monthly: Drag Story Hour at Indy Reads
Click here for more information and to register
Monthly: Writing Workshop and Open Mic with IndyUntitled
Monthly: Indy Actors Playground
Monthly: The IndyReads Book Club
Click here for more information and to register
Monthly: Spoken Word ELEVATED: Black Excellence
Rhythm & Poetry Open Mic at PHIRI Art Gallery (Weekly)
Come Experience the Ultimate Vibe with LIVE performances by some of your favorite artists! RHYTHM & POETRY THURSDAYS is also an awesome way to network with like-minded creatives and business professionals from around the city, so be ready to connect with other amazing individuals!
DO0RS OPEN AT 7PM***LIVE PERFORMANCES AT 8:00PM
**ALL ATTENDEES WILL RECEIVE:
* Discounts on Photoshoots*
*Discounts on venue rentals
* Discounts on Upcoming Events at Phiri
* Discounts on all services at PHIRI
INFO 404.759.0530 ** 120 East Market Street, Indianapolis
An Evening with the Authors (Monthly)
Every first Thursday of the month
*Fake Authors. Fake Books. Real Funny.
Where literary satire meets sketch comedy.
Comedians take the stage posing as accomplished authors reading from their most recent works.
Featuring: Sam Griswold, Pauline Shypula, Jonathan Pfendler, Stephen Vincent Giles, Gwen Sunkel, Eric Sablan, Mariah Davison and guests
White Rabbit Cabaret 1116 Prospect Street Indianapolis, IN 46203
Tea’s the Artist Youth Open Mic Night (Monthly)
Thurs Dec 16 (every third Friday)
Our 3rd Friday is BACCCKKKKK!!! You won’t want to miss the Open Mic night centered around youth & teens and very family centric!!
Calling all youth, teenagers and adults to the stage to share your talents with us. From singing to dancing. Poetry to Spoken Word. Piano to Saxophone. Whatever your talent is, AS LONG AS IT’S FAMILY appropriate, we want YOU!
Tea’s Me Cafe Indy (140 E. 22nd Street, Ste. B, Indianapolis, IN 46214)
Writers Helping Writers (Monthly)
Hancock County Public Library has a writing group that meets on the third Wednesday of each month. Join us!
Margarita Mondays Open Mic
Welcome to Margarita Mondays Open Mic Night where you too can be a star
ILLUSIONS 3661 W 86th st
We welcome all comedians rappers poets and singers. Doors open at 8pm
Admission is free. Hosted by Aisha the Comedian and Mic Shaw.
Irving Theater Weekly Poetry Open Mic
Every Thursday night
7:00p – 9:00 PM EST
LOCAL POETS * ORIGINAL POETRY * COME READ OR LISTEN]
A completely nonjudgmental and safe space to share poetry! Every Thursday on the deck at the Irving Theater in the Summer, inside all Winter. Performances are broadcast live on our Facebook page (link below). Come enjoy original poetry and readings from local and regional artists, or present your own poetry.
This event is free.
FACEBOOK LIVE LINK
For more information, visit the Irving Theater’s website
Books & Brews Open Mic
9402 Uptown Dr Suite 1400
Indianapolis, IN 46256
phone: (317) 288-5136
mothership@booksnbrews.com