Ms. AJ will lead us in story and song throughout the year--along with some special guests--as we explore a new theme each month. March’s theme and books to come, so stay tuned!
Register for free on eventbrite.
Join H&H on Tuesday, April 1st at 6pm at Taller Puertorriqueño for another celebration and conversation with a panel of the authors & illustrators from the 2023-2024 Riverwards Chapbook Series! Learn more and RSVP here.
Read and discuss The Sisters by Jordan Windholz with us in April!
Join us as we welcome author & editor Jeremy Gordon and musician & poet Sadie Dupuis to discuss Jeremy’s debut novel, SEE FRIENDSHIP.
Author & literary agent Eric Smith is launching his own agency, Neighborhood Literary, with a free query letter workshop & critique!
Channel your inner Katniss Everdeen and celebrate Sunrise on the Reaping, the newest novel in the Hunger Games series, with H&H Books and Philly Archery.
Join authors Shayne Terry & Jiordan Castle as they launch Shayne’s book, Leave: A Postpartum Account,and discuss the craft, challenges, and conventions of the memoir genre. Register for free on Eventbrite and read on for more details.
Ms. AJ will lead us in story and song throughout the year--along with some special guests--as we explore a new theme each month. March’s theme and books to come, so stay tuned!
Register for free on eventbrite.
Celebrate Lunar New Year and Black History Month with stories, music, and a special reading of "Celeste is a Star" by local author C. Park!
Join us for a reading and conversation about Mother Archive: A Dominican Family Memoir, the captivating debut image-text memoir by writer and photographer Erika Morillo. Register for free on Eventbrite and read on for details.
Attend this virtual event to hear nine Philly-based authors discuss their highly anticipated 2025 releases! Presented in collaboration with Blue Stoop. Read on for registration details!
In our first event of 2025, we’ll host authors Stephanie Gorton and Carrie Hagen as they discuss Gorton’s book The Icon and The Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry that Brought Birth Control to America. Register for this riveting discussion on Eventbrite and read on for details.
Ms. AJ will lead us in story and song throughout the year--along with some special guests--as we explore a new theme each month. Expect percussive instruments to share and play, a couple of great reads, and a song circle whenever Ms. AJ graces us with her presence in our gender-inclusive space where all identities are encouraged to thrive. Our first Story Time will feature the books Symphony for a Broken Orchestra: How Philadelphia Collected Sounds to Save Music by Amy Ignatow, Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo by Monica Brown (this book will be read in English but is a bilingual option for Spanish-speaking families), and 88 Instruments by Chris Barton.
Folks of all ages are welcome to register for a bookmaking and collage-making workshop, led by artist Michelle Anne Harris at H&H! Tickets are $35 per person and available here.
What happens at the intersection of poetry & music? Join poets Sadie Dupuis, Anni Liu, and Jimin Seo as they discuss craft & process; stay for their readings and performances. We’ll have their books for sale & available to be signed. RSVP on Eventbrite.
Born in the year of the metal goat, Anni Liu is the author of Border Vista (Persea Books), which won the Lexi Rudnitsky Prize and was a New York Times Best Poetry Book of 2022. She’s the recipient of an Undocupoets Fellowship, a Djanikian Scholarship from the Adroit Journal, and residencies at Civitella Ranieri, the Anderson Center, and University of the Arts. She’s an editor at Graywolf Press and lives in Philadelphia.
Sadie Dupuis is the guitarist, songwriter & singer of rock band Speedy Ortiz, as well as the producer & multi-instrumentalist behind pop project Sad13. Sadie heads the record label Wax Nine, edits its poetry journal, and is a regular contributor to Spin, Tape Op, Talkhouse, and more. She holds an MFA in poetry from UMass Amherst, where she also taught writing. Mouthguard, her first book, was published in 2018 (Gramma); Cry Perfume, a second poetry collection, was released in 2022 (Black Ocean). She is an organizer with United Musicians & Allied Workers and its local UMAW Philly.
Jimin Seo was born in Seoul and immigrated to the US to join his family at the age of eight. He is the author of OSSIA, winner of The Changes Book Prize, and the forthcoming chapbook A - 1982 (mercury firs). His most recent projects were Poems of Consumption with H. Sinno at the Barbican Centre in London, and a site activation for salazarsequeromedina's Open Pavilion at the 4th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.
The time is FINALLY near! Our 2023-2024 Riverwards Arts & Letters series comes to a grand finish on November 8, 2024 with the release of THREE new chapbooks published by The Head & The Hand! We’ll have readings, artist talks, libations, chapbooks & prints for sale, and MORE!
Join us at H&H for a cozy October morning story time with Deepa Iyer, author and activist for social change, for a reading and discussion geared for young children and their caregivers. Deepa will do an interactive reading of her debut picture book, We Are The Builders! (Simon & Schuster, Sept. 2024; illustrated by Romina Galotta) which provides a gentle introduction to social change. Deepa will answer questions, and provide fun exercises for young people to think about their roles in changing their community!
This event is best geared for kiddos ages 3 - 7, but all are welcome!
You can RSVP here.
Our Beyond the Page series kicks off with an open mic, poetry feature, and tequila cocktails from Middle Child to celebrate our featured poet, Brandon Melendez! Come with new shit, old shit, or a piece that inspires you to share with us!
We’re thrilled to welcome Tony Tulathimutte to the shop to discuss his new work of fiction, REJECTION, with author Alyssa Songsiridej.
"Personal Velocity" organized by Katie Bennett. The series will feature personal stories (creative nonfiction/ memoir) by Philadelphia-based writers who identify as women, nonbinary, and trans. The September line-up is Andalyn Young, Ana Woulfe, Nina St. Pierre, and Emma Copley Eisenberg.
Join us in welcoming Jessica Nirvana Ram, who will read from her debut poetry collection, Earthly Gods (Variant Literature, Sept. 2024). RSVP here!
Hear author & musician Franz Nicolay and drummer Benny Horowitz discuss BAND PEOPLE: LIFE AND WORK IN POPULAR MUSIC (University of Texas Press, 2024).
Starting in October, H&H Books will be home to a regular interdisciplinary event series, expanding beyond a straightforward reading. Panel discussions on the overlap between music and poetry, a queer horror and costume night, a visual poetry reading, specialty cocktails and poetry slams, and more!
Come to our preview night on September 19th to learn more! Pay what you can $10-15
When writing about the self, the inner state becomes the last frontier. Come explore the borderland between what is known and what is yet-to-be discovered via the writing process across genres with these four Philly authors: Jiordan Castle, Alina Pleskova, Eshani Surya, and Joseph Earl Thomas.
Join us for a (indoor) summer story time with author & illustrator Peter Oravetz, who will be reading from his brand new book about robots!
The Odyssey of 01 follows a little boy robot, 01, whose discovery of a ship in a bottle, leads him on a high-seas adventure, complete with pirates, a giant squid, and an epic colossus. Along the way, 01 shows off his energetic excitement to investigate the world around him, embrace the magic of imagination, and make new friends along the way. We hope this story will encourage young robots to play outside and to be independent and brave.
You can RSVP here.
Join us in welcoming authors Emily Abendroth and Irit Reinheimer, who will read from their books Sousveillance Pageant (Radiator Press, 2021) and Push the Water (Thread Makes Blanket Press, 2023) and will be joined in conversation with poet and scholar Syd Zolf.
RSVP here!
We are thrilled to announce our Pride Book Club selection! H&H’s assistant editor Shoshana Bockol will be leading a discussion about My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel, a relatively short and profound novel published in the early 2000's set in 1986 Chile (primarily Santiago).
We are thrilled to announce an exciting evening in conversation with local authors Xio Axelrod and Kristen Callihan. The two will explore themes of redemption, romance, and rock music in their books Girls with Bad Reputations by Xio Axelrod and Idol by Kristen Callihan. Attendees will have the opportunity to gain insight into their creative processes, as well as participate in a signing and Q&A session.
About the authors:
USA Today bestselling author Kristen Callihan is a writer because there is nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewers’ Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book, Firelight, received RT Book Reviews‘ Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publishers Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.
Xio Axelrod [she/her] is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary fiction and romance. Growing up in the music industry, Xio began her recording career at a young age. Her experiences bring a lyrical quality to her writing and vibrancy to her characters, offering a unique perspective that adds depth and authenticity to the worlds she creates.
Xio’s award-winning novels have earned both critical acclaim and a passionate readership. Her Lillys series, including The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes and Girls with Bad Reputations, explores themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. The “Lillyverse” extends beyond the books with merchandising, music, and art that her readers can enjoy.
A completely unapologetic, badge-wearing, fic-writing fangirl, Xio actively connects with her readers through social media, fostering a dedicated and supportive community. Xio is also a passionate advocate for various causes, including human rights issues and mental health awareness, and that is reflected in her stories.
When she isn’t behind the keyboard, Xio can be found behind the mic in a studio, writing songs or performing as her fictional band, The Lillys. A native of Philadelphia, Xio lives in complete denial of the last five minutes of Buffy with one very patient, full-time indoor husband and two part-time, supremely pampered outdoor cats.
Join us in welcoming friends and fellow authors Kimberly King Parsons and Caoillin Hughes to celebrate the release of their new novels, THE ALTERNATIVES (Riverhead Books, April 2024) and WE WERE THE UNIVERSE (Knopf, May 2024). Both Kimberly and Caoilinn will give brief readings from their respective books followed by a discussion, Q&A, and book signing!
Join us for the 12th Bricks Reading event at H&H Books. The evenings readers are Saretta Morgan, Tyriek White, and Hilary Plum.
The Bricks is a reading series dedicated to building transcultural conversations on literature & aesthetics. This event is sponsored by Blue Stoop! Light refreshments will be provided.
Join us for a workshop on publishing at Head & the Hand with Hilary Plum and Joseph Earl Thomas, designed primarily to inform newer writers of the publishing landscape, how they might get involved, and the social relations of difference--class, sex, race, etc.--governing expectation and possibility in this field.
This workshop is free and open to all, but primarily serves the mission of the Spring Writing in Place Projects and its participants. The discourse will be built in large part from Hilary's writings, which can be read here:
Reading in the Conglomerate Era: Or, Do Small Presses Even Exist? and Small Press Economies: A Dialogue .
Please join H&H in welcoming Elwin Cotman, a Pittsburgh-born speculative-fantasy author greatly inspired by the Pennsylvania weird, to celebrate the publication of his newest short story collection, Weird Black Girls (Scribner, April 2024). Elwin will be joined in conversation for a reading and signing of his book by friend and Philly-based writer, cultural arts critic, and jack of all trades, Alex Smith, author of Arkdust.
Story time is back! Come join us for a fun-filled event with Claire Abribat, the talented illustrator of The Adventures of Lucy G. Bohannan. For children ages 3-103, The Adventures of Lucy G. Bohannon tells the humorous story of a circus dog turned elusive stray on the run to discover her own special purpose and place in the world. Through rhyme and lyrical verse, authors Cindi Abribat and Kathleen Bohannon bring us Lucy's heartwarming epic, full of rich emotion. Colorful, hand-painted gouache illustrations will delight readers both young and old and bring the tale to life. Her story highlights the enduring bond between humans and their beloved pets.
After the story, Claire will introduce us to a collaborative art project she has shared with the libraries and schools toured so far entitled, "The Traveling Library of Dogs.” Kids will make inky puppy portraits inspired by Lucy using orange gouache paint and black ink. Next it's time to give their pup a special name and then they can choose to donate their creation to the Traveling Library or they can take it home to introduce to any pets that might be waiting for them. Makers choice! Ideal age range for craft: 4-8.
The Bricks is a reading series dedicated to building transcultural conversations on literature & aesthetics. This event is sponsored by Blue Stoop! Light refreshments will be provided.
