Nov. 1–30: NaNoWriMo is a national Internet-based writing project held every November. Participants attempt to write a 50,000-word fiction manuscript. Writers can track progress online, get support, and meet other writers. Sign up and see details at https://nanowrimo.org/.
Nov. 1, noon: Author Ron Elliott (Assassination at the State House: The Murder of Kentucky “Governor” William Goebel) will discuss the issues at stake in the rancorous 1899 Kentucky gubernatorial election, William Goebel’s shooting, and the standoff that followed. Thomas D. Clark Center, 100 W. Broadway, Frankfort. Cost is $8; $5 for Kentucky Historical Society members. Attendees can also order a boxed lunch for an additional $10 (call 502-564-1792). See www.history.ky.gov.
Nov. 6, noon: Dr. Anya Jabour discusses her new biography, Sophonisba Breckinridge: Championing Women’s Activism in Modern America at the Kentucky Historical Society’s Food for Thought program, Thomas D. Clark Center, 100 W. Broadway, Frankfort. The cost is $30 for KHS members, $35 for others; lunch is included. Reservations and payment must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1. Call 502-564-1792 or email KHSeducation@ky.govto make a reservation. See www.history.ky.gov.
Nov. 7, 6 p.m. Women Who Write, one of Louisville’s oldest and largest writing groups, presents a Fourth Annual Evening of Readings, The Bard’s Town, 1801 Bardstown Rd. Gather at 6 p.m. to get a seat, and order beverages and food. Readings begin at 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 10–16: The week-long Kentucky Book Festival includes a kickoff event, a literary luncheon, Cocktails & Conversation, Books & Brews, and more. The festival culminates in the Kentucky Book Fair, on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. See details online at https://www.kyhumanities.org/programs/kentucky-book-festival.
Nov. 16: The Writer’s Block Festival, presented by Louisville Literary Arts, will be held at Spalding University in Louisville. Featured guest writers will teach workshops, read from their work, and serve on panels. The keynote reader is novelist Garth Greenwell (What Belongs to You). Featured writers/faculty include young adult fiction writer Olivia Cole, playwright Idris Goodwin, poet Derek Mong, novelist Joe Sacksteder, and creative nonfiction writer Amy Wright. The festival also offers agent and editor pitch sessions for a fee. See details at https://www.louisvilleliteraryarts.org/writers-block-festival.
Author readings at the Filson Historical Society: Nov. 6, Warren Payne, Louisville Modern: An Era in Art; Nov. 12, Kelsey Malone, “Complicating the Confederate Monument: Enid Yandell’s 1894 Proposal for Louisville, Kentucky (a forthcoming article in Ohio Valley History); Nov. 15, Steve Luxenberg, Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation; and Nov. 20, biographer Evan Thomas, First: Sandra Day O’Connor. See details at https://filsonhistorical.org/.