Literature and Poetry Related Events for the Week of May 26, 2025

Posted Mon, May 26, 2025, By Staff Writer

Are you an avid reader? Or perhaps you are a budding novelist or poet? Explore your literary side with these events related to books and poetry happening in North Jersey.

1. BrightView Book Club

	Wed, May 28, 2025, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
	BrightView Senior Living, 396 Forest Avenue, Paramus, NJ, 07652 [View map]
	Ticket price: $0

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

2. Afternoon Book Club

	Wed, May 28, 2025, 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
	Secaucus Public Library Annex, 1007 Riverside Station Blvd, Secaucus, NJ, 07094 [View map]
	Ticket price: $0

Join us at the Katherine Steffens Library Annex for our new monthly afternoon book club. This month's book is None of This is True by Lisa Jewell. Order your book in your preferred format today, read it on your own, and be ready to discuss at our monthly meeting. REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED!

3. Read 'Em & Eat Book Club

	Wed, May 28, 2025, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
	Rutherford Public Library, 150 Park Ave, Glass Room, Rutherford, NJ, 07070 [View map]
	Ticket price: $0

Come join us for book discussion over snacks! We will be reading The Authenticity Project by Claire Pooley. NEW: This month we are offering a Zoom link to the Read 'Em & Eat Book Club. If you can't get a ride or a sitter, you can still join our lively and fun book group.

4. Shut Up & Write!® in Maplewood

	Thu, May 29, 2025, 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
	Perch Home, 89 Baker St., Maplewood, NJ [View map]
	Organized by Shut Up & Write!® Essex County, NJ

Join us for some focused writing time. We are a new chapter of Shut Up & Write, a global community that empowers people to overcome their procrastination, silence their inner critics, and make consistent progress on their writing projects. All people and all writing levels are welcome, and don’t worry—no one will see what you've written.

5. Reading Buddies, Ages 5+

	Thu, May 29, 2025, 4:00 PM to 4:20 PM
	Tenafly Public Library, 100 Riveredge Road, Children's Room, Tenafly, NJ, 07670 [View map]
	Ticket price: $0

Each reader shares one-on-one reading time with a teen volunteer from Tenafly Middle School or Tenafly High School. Children are encouraged to bring their own books or they can select one from our collection. Teen volunteers can also read to children not quite ready to read on their own.

6. Book Swap @ Tick Tock Diner in Clifton

	Thu, May 29, 2025, 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
	Tick Tock Diner, 281 Allwood Road, Clifton, NJ [View map]
	Organized by Forgotten NJ: Liminal & Abandoned Space Explorations

Join us for a book swap at the historic Tick Tock Diner in Clifton. Bring 1 or 2 books you’d like to pass on. Books you’ve read and enjoyed are ideal, but not required. All genres are welcome. We’ll meet at 6:30 PM, lay out our books to browse and trade, and enjoy food and drinks while we hang out. You’ll have a chance to briefly introduce the book(s) you brought and why you chose them.

7. Stacy Ross, "Searching for Slippers"

	Thu, May 29, 2025, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
	Watchung Booksellers/The Kids' Room, 44 Fairfield Street, Montclair, NJ, 07042 [View map]
	Ticket price: $6.65
	Organized by Watchung Booksellers

Watchung Booksellers welcomes Stacy Ross, author of Searching for Slippers. About the book: Stacy Ross tells her story as a parent of a child with Borderline Personality Disorder. With a raw honesty rarely found in parents of children with mental illness, Stacy takes readers on a roller coaster ride of emotions and experiences on her journey to acceptance.

8. Book Launch: Healing Words: The Therapeutic Power of Journaling

	Fri, May 30, 2025, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
	Hudson Manor, 2053 Lemoine Avenue, Fort Lee, NJ, 07024 [View map]
	Tickets range from $157.34 to $183.27
	Organized by Tanya England

Join us at the Waterside Restaurant and Catering for an evening of inspiration and insight into the healing benefits of journaling. Discover how putting pen to paper can transform your mental and emotional well-being. Meet the author, participate in discussions, and enjoy a lovely evening surrounded by like-minded individuals.

9. May Read, Meet & Eat

	Fri, May 30, 2025, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
	Sea's House, 32 Valley Way, West Orange, NJ [View map]
	Organized by Hugo/Nebula Award Book Group

Please read *Service Model* by Adrian Tchaikovsky, 2025 Hugo nominee for best novel. $5 donation requested to cover meetup fees & small costs of hosting. If you can't, no worries. It is expected that this will be an in-person event. Stay tuned for evolving plans and dinner ordering info.

10. The Intrinsic Circle

	Sat, May 31, 2025, 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
	Intrinsic Cafe, 5 Sussex Avenue Newark NJ 07103,, Newark, NJ [View map]
	Organized by Brick City Writers

We meet for about 2 hours, starting with a quick meet-and-greet to welcome both new and returning members. Then, we get into the work. Bring a piece of writing to share poetry, fiction, essays, whatever you’re working on. One person shares their work at a time. Then we take 10 minutes to discuss, offer feedback, and return notes. We’ll repeat this with as many writers as time allows.

11. Discuss "Vivid" by Beverly Jenkins

	Sat, May 31, 2025, 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM
	Mompou Tapas Bar & Lounge, 77 Ferry Street, Newark, NJ [View map]
	Organized by Newark Book Club & Brunch Meetup

It's 1876 and Dr. Viveca Lancaster is frustrated by the limits placed upon female physicians of color. When she is offered the chance to set up a practice in the small all Black community of Grayson Grove, Michigan she leaves her California home and heads east.

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