Book Launch: Scream / Queen
2025-03-19 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Skylight Books, 1818 NORTH VERMONT AVE, Los Angeles, CA, 90027, United States

CD Eskilson with Julia Paganelli Marín
2025-03-20 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | MA
Join CD Eskilson, author of Scream / Queen, on Thursday, 3/20, for a reading and conversation with poet Julia Paganelli Marín at Pearl’s Books, located at 28 E Center Street, just off the downtown square in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
CD Eskilson is a trans nonbinary poet, editor, and literary translator. Their work appears in Kenyon Review, The Offing, Pleiades, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Ninth Letter, Passages North, and others. They are a recipient of the C.D. Wright / Academy of American Poets Prize and have been nominated for Best of the Net, Best New Poets, and the Pushcart Prize. Their debut poetry collection, Scream / Queen, is forthcoming from Acre Books in 2025. Modern Woman, CD’s translation of Finland-Swedish poet Edith Södergran’s groundbreaking 1916 poetry collection, will be published by World Poetry Books in 2026. Once, they were in a punk band.
Julia Paganelli Marín lives and writes in Northwest Arkansas and earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas in 2018. She has six years of teaching experience at the college and high school levels, which includes creative writing and nonfiction essay writing. In addition to her chapbook, Blush Less (Finishing Line Press, 2015), she has work published in The Journal, Zone 3, Passages North, BOAAT Journal and more. In March 2022, she took part in Northwest Arkansas’ Open Mouth poetry residency at Mt. Sequoyah.

CD Eskilson at Dog Ear Books
2025-03-22 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | MA
Join CD Eskilson, author of Scream / Queen, on Saturday, 3/22, for an afternoon reading at Dog Ear Books, Russellville’s only independent bookstore since 2016, located at 312 W 2nd Street.
CD Eskilson is a trans nonbinary poet, editor, and literary translator. Their work appears in Kenyon Review, The Offing, Pleiades, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Ninth Letter, Passages North, and others. They are a recipient of the C.D. Wright / Academy of American Poets Prize and have been nominated for Best of the Net, Best New Poets, and the Pushcart Prize. Their debut poetry collection, Scream / Queen, is forthcoming from Acre Books in 2025. Modern Woman, CD’s translation of Finland-Swedish poet Edith Södergran’s groundbreaking 1916 poetry collection, will be published by World Poetry Books in 2026. Once, they were in a punk band.

CD Eskilson with Brody Parrish Craig
2025-03-22 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | MA
Join CD Eskilson, author of Scream / Queen, on Saturday, 3/22, for a reading with poet Brody Parrish Craig at Paper Hearts Bookstore, located at 420 E 21st Street in Pettaway Square in Little Rock, Arkansas.
CD Eskilson is a trans nonbinary poet, editor, and literary translator. Their work appears in Kenyon Review, The Offing, Pleiades, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Ninth Letter, Passages North, and others. They are a recipient of the C.D. Wright / Academy of American Poets Prize and have been nominated for Best of the Net, Best New Poets, and the Pushcart Prize. Their debut poetry collection, Scream / Queen, is forthcoming from Acre Books in 2025. Modern Woman, CD’s translation of Finland-Swedish poet Edith Södergran’s groundbreaking 1916 poetry collection, will be published by World Poetry Books in 2026. Once, they were in a punk band.
Brody Parrish Craig (they/them) is the author The Patient is an Unreliable Historian and Boyish, which won the 2019 Omnidawn Poetry Chapbook Contest. Their writing has been published in Muzzle Magazine, Poetry, Mississippi Review, New South, Missouri Review, and TYPO, among others. They are the editor of TWANG, a regional anthology of trans and gender nonconforming creators from the South and Midwest. A 2022 recipient of Artist 360’s Community Activator Award, Craig currently co-leads TLGBQ+ community arts programming in the Ozarks.

AWP Acre Author Panels
2025-03-27 09:00 - 2025-03-29 10:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | MA
Hear from six Acre authors as they present at this year’s AWP conference in LA from 3/27-29:
Thurs, Mar 27
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM PDT
Everybody Gets a Stage: Starting a Reading Series That Builds Community
As so many essential and communal literary pillars fall, writers and readers seek ways to find each other, learn from each other, and hear new work. The emergence of national reading series in the last few years reveals a desire for art and connection that won’t be left unsatiated. Join us to learn how to start your own reading series or grow one you’ve already started, and hear from new and established series founders about how to build a community from scratch and keep it thriving.
Presenter:  Jessica Johnson
Location: Concourse Hall 150 ABC, Level One, Los Angeles Convention Center
Session Code: T110
Predictable Unpredictability: Celebrating the Poetry of Reginald Shepherd
The Pitt Poetry Series is honored to celebrate the poetry of Reginald Shepherd with the recent publication of The Selected Shepherd, selected and with an introduction by Jericho Brown. Drawing from all six of his collections, The Selected Shepherd offers a new retrospective on the work of an important and sometimes controversial Black, gay poet. Five poets will read poems from the collection and share the impact Shepherd had on the poetry community.
Presenter: Kevin Prufer
Location: Room 408A, Level Two, Los Angeles Convention Center
Session Code: T121

Fri, Mar 28
10:35 AM – 11:50 AM PDT
Going Indie: Why & How to Work with Independent Publishers & Bookstores
How do independent presses and their authors collaborate throughout the process of publishing a book, from submission, acceptance, and editorial, to marketing, sales, and beyond? How do these publishers work with distributors and indie bookstores to raise the profile of their authors and maximize sales? Representatives of indie presses in the US and Canada, their authors, and an indie bookstore owner share their practices and elaborate on their methods to foster a writer’s work.
Presenter: Corinna Vallianatos
Location: Room 515A, Level Two, Los Angeles Convention Center
Session Code: F161

3:20 PM – 4:35 PM PDT
Sixty Years of Community at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program
The UCLA Extension Writers’ Program begins its sixtieth year of operation in 2025. In that time, we have helped thousands of writers find their voices and reach their writing goals in every genre of literature and screenwriting. To celebrate this achievement, join us for a reading of works by our distinguished instructors.
Presenter: Malia Marquez
Location: Room 402AB, Level Two, Los Angeles Convention Center
Session Code: F230

Sat, Mar 29
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM PDT
Poets’ Debut Nonfiction: Poetics, Process & Things We Wish We’d Known
Poets come to nonfiction with undeniable strengths, but a new genre—and a different publishing landscape—may ask poets to consider new approaches to craft and process. In this panel, poets will talk through the joys and growing pains of moving into nonfiction. How can poets unfold poetics across a book-length work of prose? What rewards and challenges come with writing and publishing autobiographical nonfiction? What do panelists wish they’d known at the beginning or middle of the process?
Moderator: Jessica Johnson
Location: Room 501ABC, Level Two, Los Angeles Convention Center
Session Code: S126

An Early Spark: Writing Poems with Young People
Writing poems teaches children confidence in their own voices and imaginations, and is an early way for them to experience firsthand the joys of language. But what writing prompts will really engage young poets? How should we modify our teaching for different ages? How can we connect with and support our communities? Panelists who have written poetry with children from kindergartners through middle schoolers will share stories, prompts, and practical advice.
Presenter: C.T. Salazar
Location: Room 410, Level Two, Los Angeles Convention Center
Session Code: S124

10:35 AM – 11:50 AM PDT
Book Tours: Wisdom & Warning from Those Who’ve Gone Before
“Unless you’re selling out stadiums like Michelle Obama, presses don’t pay for book tours” is a common sentiment heard by new authors. But is it true? With wisdom won from experience, this panel will share mistakes, successes, and advice learned from our own in-person and virtual tours. We’ll talk money, travel choices, tactics for filling seats, what to do when only two people show up, tricky audience members, conversation partners, whether to bring family along, and how to not burn out.
Presenter: Tomas Moniz
Location: Room 515B, Level Two, Los Angeles Convention Center
Session Code: S161

AWP Author Signings: Day One
2025-03-27 12:30 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | MA
Stop by AWP Booth 307 on Thursday, 3/27, for author signings by poets Jose Hernandez Diaz (12:30-1 PDT) and Matthew Minicucci (3-3:30 PDT).

AWP Off-site Showcase at Village Well
2025-03-27 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Village Well Books & Coffee, 9900 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA, 90232, United States
Join us for an AWP off-site reading hosted by Village Well Books & Coffee in Culver City, featuring a showcase of past, new, and forthcoming titles by seven of fabulous Acre authors: CD Esklison, Jose Hernandez Diaz, Malia Márquez, Dan O’Brien, James Stewart III, Jessica E. Johnson, and Jenn Scott.
CD Eskilson is a trans nonbinary poet and translator. They are a recipient of the C.D. Wright / Academy of American Poets Prize, and their work appears in The Kenyon Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, the Offing, Passages North, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and others. They were once in a punk band.
Jose Hernandez Diaz is the author of The Fire Eater and the forthcoming book The Parachutist. A 2017 NEA Poetry Fellow, he has had work appear in American Poetry Review, Border Crossing, Cincinnati Review, Circulo de Poesia, the Hooghly Review, Huizache, Iowa Review, the London Magazine, Missouri Review, the Moth, the Nation, Poetry, Poetry Wales, the Progressive, Southern Review, TriQuarterly, Witness, Yale Review, and in The Best American Nonrequired Reading. He teaches generative workshops for Hugo House, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, The Writer’s Center, and elsewhere. He serves as a poetry mentor in the Adroit Journal’s Summer Mentorship Program. He lives in Norwalk, California.
Malia Márquez was born in New Mexico and grew up in New England. She holds a BFA in 3D Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art & Design and an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles. She writes and teaches in Los Angeles. Find out more about her work at maliamarquez.com.
Dan O’Brien is a poet, playwright, and essayist whose recognition includes the UK’s Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship in Drama, and two PEN America Awards for playwriting. His previous poetry collections are Our Cancers, New Life, Scarsdale, and War Reporter. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.
James Stewart III is a Black writer and arts organizer from Chicago. His debut novel, Defiant Acts, is forthcoming from Acre Books in May 2025. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals, including Lampblack, Zone 3, Midwest Review, The Forge, and 580 Split. He is a co-founder of the reading series and artist collective Exhibit B. Stewart earned an MFA from SAIC, an MA from North Central College, and a BA from Columbia College Chicago. He lives with his wife and daughter at the end of Dusable Lake Shore Drive.
Jessica E. Johnson is the author of the book-length poem Metabolics, the chapbook In Absolutes We Seek Each Other, and is a contributor to the anthology Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry. Her poems, essays, and reviews have appeared in Paris Review, Tin House, New Republic, Poetry Northwest, River Teeth, Diagram, Annulet Poetics, Southeast Review, and Sixth Finch. She teaches at Portland Community College and cohosts the Constellation Reading Series at Tin House.
Jenn Scott’s debut collection, Her Adult Life, was long-listed for the PEN America/Bingham Award in 2018. Her work has appeared in journals including Fiction, Gettysburg Review, Cincinnati Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Santa Monica Review, and Gulf Coast. A native of Pennsylvania, she now lives and writes in Oakland, California.

AWP Author Signings: Day Two
2025-03-28 10:30 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | MA
Stop by AWP Booth 307 on Friday, 3/28, for author signings by CD Eskilson (10:30-11 PDT) and Hugh Sheehy (3-3:30 PDT).

CD Eskilson at Creature Comforts Brewery
2025-03-28 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | MA
Join CD Eskilson, author of Scream / Queen, on Friday, 3/28, for a trans horror reading at Creature Comforts Brewery, located at 1124 San Julian St in Los Angeles.
CD Eskilson is a trans nonbinary poet, editor, and literary translator. Their work appears in Kenyon Review, The Offing, Pleiades, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Ninth Letter, Passages North, and others. They are a recipient of the C.D. Wright / Academy of American Poets Prize and have been nominated for Best of the Net, Best New Poets, and the Pushcart Prize. Their debut poetry collection, Scream / Queen, is forthcoming from Acre Books in 2025. Modern Woman, CD’s translation of Finland-Swedish poet Edith Södergran’s groundbreaking 1916 poetry collection, will be published by World Poetry Books in 2026. Once, they were in a punk band.

AWP Author Signings: Day Three
2025-03-29 10:30 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | MA
Stop by AWP Booth 307 on Saturday, 3/29, for author signings by Dan O’Brien (10:30-11 PDT) and Kevin Prufer (12:30-1 PDT).

Brock Clarke: EARFULL • THE REGATTABAR at The Charles Hotel
2025-09-24 19:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | THE REGATTABAR at The Charles Hotel, Regattabar, Charles Hotell 1 Bennett Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Join Brock Clarke, author of Special Election, on Wednesday, 9/24, for a reading at Regattabar, located at 1 Bennett St, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Brock Clarke is the author of nine previous books, including the bestselling novel An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England and the award-winning essay collection I, Grape. He lives in Portland, Maine, and is the A. LeRoy Greason Professor of English and Creative Writing at Bowdoin College.

Upcoming Acre Books Events Will Appear Here
2025-12-21 | MA
Meanwhile, the EVENTS page will allow you to review past events.
