What’s coming, AND……
………….a quick grab bag of Field Notes about
where I’ve wandered & what I’ve witnessed this year.
May 15-18 CrimeFest
Murder, Mystery, and Mark Gatiss: My Unexpected Weekend at CrimeFest
I almost didn’t go.
I discovered CrimeFest just last year – a cozy, buzzing, wonderfully democratic gathering of crime fiction readers, writers, and industry experts tucked away in Bristol. Then the email came: “2025 will be our final year.”
So I went… and I’m so glad I did.
CrimeFest 2025 may have been the last of its kind. Or maybe, just maybe, someone will save it. There’ve been whispers.
Either way, I wrote about it. In four parts. With heart. Start HERE.
September 6
I recently had the pleasure of attending a poetry reading by Martina Leber, an artist and poet whose work blurs the line between visual art and written word. What followed was more than just a reading – it was an interactive, bilingual experience that left a lasting impression. Read HERE.
September 9
Mainz liest ein Buch returns for its third edition — a city-wide reading festival that invites everyone to engage with a single novel through events, discussions, and creative collaborations. The chosen book, Oben Erde, unten Himmel by Milena Michiko Flašar, will be at the heart of a week-long celebration of literature and community.
The festival is still months away, but the preparations have already begun, and the recent kick-off event was September 9th. All this has reminded me of something I witnessed years ago, in a different city and a different life… Read MORE.
October 25-26
This year, I’ll be forgoing the International Book Fair in Frankfurt (which is also in October). Instead, I’ll be circulating through the 24th Annual Mainzer Book Fair, to talk about the City of Literature Initiative. The book fair will be held at the Academy for Science and Literature, which is pretty cool.