Photos From Past Events
2022 Events
Reading at DISCO in Birmingham, Alabama
Date and Details: Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. With Lauren Slaughter and Liz Hughey.
Reading and Craft Talk with The Porch in Nashville, Tennessee
Date and Details: April 2, 2022 from 10-12. Join us for a craft discussion and brunch-time reading with Visiting Writer Charlotte Pence. We’ll have coffee and pastries to share, and Pence will read from her work immediately following the discussion “Sculpting Another Self: Using Persona in Poetry”. For more information, visit https://www.porchtn.org/happenings/a-craft-talk-by-visiting-writer-charlotte-pence-sculpting-another-self-using-persona-in-poetry
Guest Speaker at Oxford Conference for the Book in Oxford, Mississippi
Date and Details: March 31, 2022 at 4:00 with Joshua Nguyen and Marcela Sulak. Experience three days of readings around the town of Oxford and on the campus at University of Mississippi. For the full schedule (and it’s a great one!) visit: http://oxfordconferenceforthebook.com
AWP Panel in Philadelphia: “So You’re Going to be a Visiting Writer: How to Make the Kids Shine”
Date and Details: Saturday March 26, 2022 from 12:10-1:25. Working with young people on their developing writing is both exciting and powerful. This panel, made up of teachers, visiting writers, and community organizers, all of diverse backgrounds, share their insights on how to have maximum impact when visiting a K-12 classroom or community center. This panel will discuss all facets of a classroom visit and how to best set students up for success, igniting a passion for language’s potential.
Free Workshop with Black Lawrence Press
Date and Details: Tuesday, February 8, 2022. Join Charlotte over Zoom for a class on “going off subject” in your poems! During the workshop, participants will discuss poems by Jericho Brown, Eduardo Corral, and Traci Brimhall in terms of how musicality and surprising imagery drive the work forward. At the end of the discussion, poets will play with poems they have brought to the course, revising them with the idea that the initial topic is only a door into the poem, not the entire house.
Reading at Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln, Nebraska
Date and Details: Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Charlotte will visit classes focused on the theme of writing about the body and illness. A public reading follows at 6 p.m.
Online Reading with Flying Out Loud
Date and Details: Monday, January 10, 2022. For a link to the Zoom reading, email Charlotte directly.
2021 Events
Patterson Fellow at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee
Date and Details: Wednesday, Nov. 10 through Monday, Nov. 15 2021. For five days, Charlotte will stay on campus at Vanderbilt and meet with students in both casual and formal settings. For the latest information regarding events that are open to the public, follow Charlotte on Instagram or Facebook.
Poetry at Mobile’s Medical Museum in Mobile, Alabama
Date and Details: Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021. Come down to Mobile’s Medical Museum and tour their facilities during the afternoon. Plus, join Charlotte for a reading featuring her poems on DNA and CRISPR. There will also be hands-on experiments regarding DNA that visitors can try.
Reading at Mercer College in Macon, Georgia
Date and Details: Thursday, October 28, 2021.
Reading at Springhill College in Mobile, Alabama
Date and Details: Monday, October 25, 2021 at 4:00.
Reading at Tennessee Wesleyan University in Athens, Tennessee
Date and Details: Tuesday, October 12, 2021 at 11:00.
Reading at University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama
Date and Details: Wednesday, September 29, 2021 at 4:00. Join Charlotte for her first in-person event for Code! There will be a book signing and reception with refreshments to follow. Plus, some fun science temporary tattoos. Who doesn’t want a tattoo of a nucleotide? Location: Student Center Terrace Room.
Faculty Leader. Alabama Writers Cooperative Conference
Date and Details: Free and Virtual, August 20-21, 2021. This will be an excellent weekend of informative and inspiring panels. To see the full schedule and to register in advance, visit AWC‘s website. Charlotte’s two panels are titled: “What’s Your Itinerary: Deciding the Structure For Your Memoir” and “Breaking Up: How to End our Poems and Prose”
Organizer and Teacher. Writing Workshop for Covid-19 Healthcare Workers
Date and Details: Virtual. April 24, 2021.
Reading. Black Lawrence Press Reading Series
Date and Details: Virtual. April 27, 2021.
Reading. Monroeville Literary Festival. Monroeville, AL
Date and Details: March 5, 2021.
2020 Events
Union Avenue Books with Rita Sim Quillen
Date and Details: Online November 18, 2020.
Sewanee Writers’ Conference Reading series with Cherene Sherrard, Eduardo Corral, and Laura Donnelly
Date and Details: Thursday, October 22, 7:00 CST. Known for their writing conference and writing programs, Sewanee is now hosting monthly virtual readings that you will not want to miss. Register in advance.
Marx Library, University of South Alabama
Date and Details: Wednesday, October 14, 3:00 CST online. Join Charlotte from her university where she will share her work with faculty and students at the University of the South–and beyond. Register here for information about the Zoom event.
Southern Festival of Books
Date and Details: Saturday, October 10, 3:15-4:00 CST online. Charlotte and David Havird will discuss their latest books. Watch it live on Southern Festival of Book’s Facebook page or check out the many streaming options (and the full schedule for the festival) here. Having this fabulous festival made available to everyone no matter where they live is a gift. Recorded sessions are also posted on Southern Festival of Book’s Facebook page.
Sundress Reading Series with Alison Stine and Syan Jay
Date and Details: Wednesday, September 30, 6:00-7:00 CST online. Sundress has been bringing readers into people’s homes long before the pandemic. Join them for one of their many events, which is sure to inspire.
Wednesday Night Poetry Series
Date and Details: Wednesday, September 2, online. Join one of the oldest online reading series that goes live on Facebook every Wednesday.
Code: Poetry in Memory of Shira Shaiman. Virtual Reading with John Skoyles and Gail Mazur, hosted by Brookline Booksmith
Date and Details: Monday, July 6, 7-8 EST online. Charlotte Pence’s new book Code revolves around grief—particularly the loss of Pence’s friend and fellow poet Shira Shaiman. With permission from her family, four of Shaiman’s poems are included in Code, as a tribute and touchstone that act in conversation with the rest of the book. Two of Shira’s professors and renowned poets John Skoyles and Gail Mazur will join Charlotte for tonight’s reading from Shira’s beloved city of Boston. We will also be raising funds this night for Black Lives Matter, a cause Shira supported before her death. To join, register for free (it is easy!) at: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/charlotte-pences-code–
Virtual Reading with Dan Albergotti, Sponsored by Read It Again.
Date and Details: Friday, July 3, 8-9 EST online. Charlotte and Dan will read for about 15 minutes each, then share what they have been reading and talk craft. For more details, visit the Facebook event page. To JOIN US live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qAHFO-xKNE
Reading at Upstate, Univ. of SC’s Literary Festival, Spartanburg, SC
Date and Details: Saturday, June 27th. Charlotte’s reading will close out a month-long literary festival at the University of South Carolina in Spartanburg. For more information on all the events that will take place in June, check out Upstates’s website.
Spark Writing Festival, at Univ. of Alabama in Birmingham
Date and Details: Sunday, April 5th at 5:30. Charlotte’s reading will be part of a five day event on UAB’s campus. This event is an initiative by the UAB English Department to foster community and create a fun learning environment for writers of all experience levels. You’ll get professional and personalized feedback on your writing in an encouraging atmosphere. For more information or to register for the festival, visit here.
AWP Panel in San Antonio: Fake News and Hard Truths: Teaching Students Creative Research Approaches
Date and Details: Saturday, March 7th from 12:10-1:25, room 214A. Charlotte will present with Tyehimba Jess, Kwoya Fagin Maples, Ander Monson, and Andrew Malan Milward. In this post-fact era, students tend to avoid research in their creative work, viewing it as suspect or thwarting self-expression. Yet, research invigorates a piece of creative writing and is one of the most powerful tools for making positive change. This panel will offer vetted research exercises for poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction students. Moving beyond secondary methods, panelists will discuss immersive research, social action research, and document collage.
AWP Off-Site Reading in San Antonio with Zone 3, Grist, and Nashville Review
Date and Details: Thursday, March 5th at Candlelight Coffeehouse from 4:30-6:30. Charlotte will be reading with these fabulous literary journals of Tennessee, one of which she edited as a PhD student at University of Tennessee. Address: 3011 N. St. Mary’s Street.
AWP Off-Site Reading in San Antonio with Alaska Quarterly Review
Date and Details: Kick off AWP on Wednesday, March 4th at La Villita Cafe, right near the conference center. From 6:30-8:00 contributors of Alaska Quarterly Review will read their work while you can take advantage of the $4 Alamo beers. In the heart of San Antonio @ 418 Villita Bldg. Ste. 900.
2019 Events
Workshop Leader at Alabama Writers Conclave Annual Conference
Date and Details: Nov 1-3, join writers from Alabama to attend craft lectures and readings. Charlotte will present on how to create persona in poetry. For more information, visit:https://www.alabamawritersconclave.org
Faculty Fellow at Convivio Conference in Italy
Date and Details: June 10-June 19, 2019. For more information on how you an attend, visit https://www.convivioconference.org.
Event Speaker at Alabama State Poetry Society meeting in Orange Beach
Date and Details: Enjoy a morning of writing along the coast. April, 13, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. at the Orange Beach Public Library located at 26267 Canal Road. For more information and to register, visit Alabama State Poetry Society’s page
How to Read Poetry for Those Who Fear it
Date and Details: Friday, April 12 during the Mobile Art Walk at the Haunted Book Shop. 5:00-6:00 a casual talk followed by a book signing from 6-8. For more information, visit The Haunted Book Shop
Off-Site AWP Reading: A Reading and Show w/ Opossum
Date and Details: Friday, March 29, 7-12 at the Secret Society. Address: 116 NE Russell Street, Portland, Oregon.
Opossum Magazine treads the fence line twixt music and literature – LIVE! Shayla Lawson and her Oceanographers explore the depths of Frank Ocean; The Thermals’ Hutch Harris plays a rare solo set; and Opossum contributors Elena Passarello, Tatiana Ryckman, Charlotte Pence, Cyrus Cassells, Melissa Stephenson – and many more – read their work. Local acts Mule on Fire and The Weak Knees get you nodding your head and moving your feet, all midst the red velvet curtains of Portland’s Secret Society. A small cover goes to the bands. First 25 through the door get a free Opossum issue! #awp2019
Event Speaker at Pensters in Fairhope, Alabama
Date and Details: Saturday, January 12 at 9 a.m. Lecture on”Re-Imagining the Image.” Free and open to the public.
2018 Events
Reading at SAMLA Conference: Writers from the Margins in Birmingham
Date and Details: November, 4, 2018. A reading and discussion of craft choices with Kwoya Fagin Maples, Jason McCall, Sara Pirkle Hughes, Ashley Jones, and Erin Murphy.
Panelist at ArtSeaLab Festival on Dauphin Island
Date and Details: During October 27-28, writers, scientists, and artists unite to discuss collaboration and climate change. Charlotte will attend and be a part of a panel that features three writers and two scientists.
Keynote Speaker at the Alabama Writers’ Conclave Conference in Orange Beach, Alabama
Date and Details: Enjoy three days of panels, readings, and a bookfair by the beach! June 15-June 17. Click here for more information about this inspiring conference.
Reading at Sewanee Writer’s Conference, Tennessee
Date and Details: July 19 at 9 a.m. Join Charlotte and other fellows at this year’s Sewanee Conference share their work.
Reading at the University of Montevallo
Date and Details: April 19th at 5:00 in the library on the campus. Free and open to the public.
2017 Events
Under the Moon Poetry Reading at Botanical Gardens of Mobile
Date and Details: Enjoy a night of poetry by ten readers, including Sue Brannan Walker, under the light of the full harvest moon. Wednesday, October 4th, at 7:00 p.m.
Reading at the University of South Alabama
Date and Details: September 14th at 7:00 in the Faculty Club. Reception to follow. Free and open to the public.
River Styx Reading Series in St. Louis with Amina Gautier
Date and Details: Monday, April 17th at 7:30 in the Contemporary Art Museum. Cost is $5.
Reading at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro
Date: Monday, March 13 at 4:15 in JUB Hazlewood sponsored by the Virginia Peck Trust Fund.
AWP: Panel Discussion: “Studying Abroad with Writers, Not Tourists”
Date: Thursday, February 9, 2017, 12:00-1:15 in Monument, Marriot Marquis, Meeting Level Four. Washington, D.C.
2016 Events
Reading and Master Class Visit at the University of Lincoln, England
Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2:00-4:00 in Media, Humanities, and Technology building.
Narration with Douglass Hollick: “The Genesis of the Modern Piano: John Broadwood, Science, Technology and the Industrial Revolution.”
Date: Sunday, September 25th, 4:30 in the Gallery as part of the Gravity Fields Festival on art and science.
Reading at Harlaxton College, England
Date: Monday, September 12th, at 7:00.
Scholars’ Open-Mike Night at Sewanee
Date: Friday, July 29th. Come hear Charlotte and other writers who received scholarships to this year’s Sewanee Writers’ Conference.
Reading and Craft Talk at U.S. Naval Academy with Adam Prince, Annapolis
Date: Monday, February 22nd, at 12:00.
Reading at Towson University, Baltimore
Date: Tuesday, February 23rd at 6:00
A raffle, refreshments, and reading with husband Adam Prince. As an added bonus, we plan to read from a creative nonfiction essay that we co-wrote.
Reading with the Hearing Voices/Seeing Visions Series
Join Charlotte and artist David Spear for a conversation about art and poetry. Intermission will feature wine and refreshments. Date: Tuesday, February 16th at Orr Street Gallery: 106 Orr Street, Columbia, MO. 7:00 p.m.
2015 Events
Reading with Caleb Curtiss & Matthew Minicucci, Chicago
Date: 6:00 on Thursday, Nov. 5th
Location: Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, 5751 Woodlawn
Reading at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville with Robert Morgan
Date: October 9th, 2-3 in the Nashville Public Library Banner Room
Always a fantastic weekend for book lovers: Oct 9-11
Reading at Berry College, Rome, GA
Date: Thursday, October 8th
Class visit and reading in the town where Charlotte lived as a child.
The Pygmalion Festival Lit Crawl
Date: Saturday, September 26
Time: 4-6
A fantastic four-day festival of music, literature, and more. Check out their schedule for all the events.
Reading at the Decatur Book Festival with Nick Flynn
Date: Saturday, September 5th. 5:30-6:15
The largest independent book festival in the country celebrates all things books over Labor Day Weekend.
Reading with Maggie Smith, Columbus, Ohio
Date: July 12th, the fanciest and best day of mid-summer.
Location and Time: House Beer. 7:00-ish (drinks) 7:30-ish (poems)
Vouched Books Presents Curtiss & Pence, Indianapolis
Date: Friday, June 5th
Time and Location: 6:30 @ Print Text
Reading with BLP Authors in Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Date: Thursday, June 4th
Time and Location: Mac’s Back-Books, 1820 Coventry Road, 44118
Charlotte will be reading with Mary Biddinger, Brad Ricca, Sandra Kolankiewicz, and John Mauk.
Reading at The Poetry Foundation, Chicago
Date: Tuesday, May 19th, 2015
Time: 7:00 p.m. at 61 West Superior Street
Charlotte will be reading with David Welch, Laura Wagner, and Derick Ledermann at the Open Door Readings.
Burning Chair Reading Series, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Date: Saturday, May 2nd
Time: 2:30-5 at Backspace, 541 W Meadow Street
A reading to end all readings. Seriously. This series is soon closing, so they are having a party with some folks with Fayetteville ties. Other readers include Sandy Longhorn, Gabrielle Idlet, and Adam Prince.
Reading at University of Arkansas, Fort Smith
Date: Friday, May 1st
Time: 6-8 in the Latture Conference Center on the campus of UAFS
Charlotte, Adam, Prince, and Christian Anton Gerard will be the featured readers at an event to celebrate the the undergrad literary magazine at University of Arkansas.
Reading at The Bastet Quartet Series, Memphis
Date: Thursday, April 30th
Time: 7:00 p.m., 955 Goodman Street
A living room reading with Adam Prince and Ruth Baumann.
Reading at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame
Date: Thursday, April 23rd, 2015
Time: 6:00, Stapleton Lounge, Le Mans Hall
Celebrating the release of Chimes, the undergraduate journal at St. Mary’s. Charlotte and Adam Prince will kick-off the event.
AWP Off-Site Reading with Black Lawrence Press Authors
Date: Thursday, April 9th, 2015
Time: 7:30 at Kieran’s Irish Pub, corner of 6th St and 1st Ave.
Always a dynamic event (with free food and drinks) at AWP. Don’t Miss It!
Book Signing at AWP: Black Lawrence Press Table
Date: Thursday, April 9th, 2015
Time: 4-5
Reading at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Date: Monday, March 30th, 2015
Time: 7:00 p.m., Hodges Library Auditorium
Returning to her alma mater to read with Bradford Tice.
Reading at Belmont University, Nashville
Date: Friday, March 27th,, 2015
Time: 7:00
Reading with the amazing poet Adam Day. (Charlotte seems to read with a lot of people named “Adam.”)
Reading at Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2015
Time and Location: 8:00 p.m.
Home to the fabulous Zone 3 Press and literary journal. Charlotte will be reading with Adam Prince and debuting a short story that they co-wrote.
Black Lawrence Press Reading and Reception, Pittsburgh
Date: Saturday, March 21st
Time and Location: 7:00 p.m., Chatham Village Clubhouse, 655 Pennridge Rd.
Wine, cocktails, and light hors d’oeuvres will be provided at this BLP reading featuring Charlotte and Craig Bernier!
Poetry and Provisions at Starlings, Charleston, WV
Date: Friday, March 20th, 2015
Time and Location: 1599-A Washington Street, East, Charleston, WV
Readings by WV Wesleyan MFA Creative Writing Students and Faculty: Kevin Chesser, Rachel Hicks, Doug Van Gundy, Jessica Spruill, and Mary Imo-Stike .
Asheville Poetry Review’s 20th Anniversary Celebration!
Date: Friday, March 13th, 2015
Time: 8:00 p.m.at Malaprop’s Bookstore, 55 Haywood, St., Asheville, NC
For twenty years, the Asheville Poetry Review has been giving us some of the best contemporary literature, essays, and reviews. Let’s celebrate all that Keith Flynn and his crew have done for contemporary letters. Other readers will include Keith Flynn, Luke Hankins, and Catherine Carter.
A Black Lawrence Book Release Party, Urbana
Date: Saturday, February 28th, 2015
Time: 6:30 p.m. at the fun and fabulous Cafeteria & Co., 208 W Main St, Urbana
There will be booze and pizza and coffee and books, from which both Charlotte and Caleb Curtiss will read.
Book Launch and Reading at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL
Date: Thursday, February 19th
Time: 6:00 p.m. Location: Doudna Lecture Hall
The celebration will begin with BLP pressmate Caleb Curtiss whose book A Taxonomy of the Space Between Us is also being released in February. Reception to follow.
Reading at Woman Made Gallery Literary Series, Chicago
Date: Sunday, February 15th, 2015
Time: 1:30 p.m. Location: 685 Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL 60642
Readers for “Documentation: For The Record” include: Tara Boswell, Nina Li Coomes, Charlotte Pence, Margaret Rozga. Wendy Vardaman, and Yvonne Zipter.
More Photos From Past Events
Charlotte Pence 