Well, here we are. The end of the year that marks the end of the first quarter of the 21st century. I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing … But you know what IS a good thing? Books! Writing! Reading! Celebrating each other! And gifts! So read on for all of those things as we say goodbye to 2025 and ring in the next quarter of the century!
Events
Monday, December 1st-Friday, December 12th, 9 AM-6 PM Monday-Thursday, 9 AM-4 PM Friday-Saturday, 9 AM-12 PM final Friday, at Smyrna Public Library (300 Enon Springs Rd, Smyrna) - Scholastic Book Fair at Smyrna Library
Come check out some books and goodies for sale for the kiddos in your life! All sales will go to benefit the SPL, so click the picture and go check it out!
Wednesday, December 3rd, The Grand Exchange bookstore has their official ribbon cutting - plus events all month
Have you checked out Murfreesboro’s newest bookstore? The Grand Exchange, on the charming Murfreesboro public square, has their ribbon cutting on December 3rd and numerous events all month. Keep up with their latest here on Instagram.
Thursday, December 4th, 7 PM, at the Walnut House (116 N. Walnut St, Murfreesboro) - The Bloom Stage "Secrets & Whispers" Multi-Genre Storytelling Show
Bloom Stage returns with its quarterly show, this one titled Secrets & Whispers—a collaboration with Poetry in the Boro and co-produced by Kara Kemp and Carson Elliott Kreidler filling in for Kory Wells. Centered on the secrets we hold and the quiet truths we carry, the evening blends storytelling, poetry, music, art, and performance from a lineup of local creatives, including storytellers (like yours truly!) alongside poets, musicians, and visual artists. Admission is free with a suggested $10 donation, and while the open mic is full, there’s still plenty of room to join the audience for a powerful night of shared voices. Click the picture and come on for a great night of whispers that will feed your creative soul!
Saturday, December 6th, 10-11 AM, at The Spine Bookshop (244 S. Lowry St, Smyrna) - Author Signing with William Grothe
Welcome William Grothe, a delightful new children’s author sharing his imaginative stories for young readers! This is a wonderful chance to meet a fresh voice in children’s literature, hear a reading, and grab a signed copy for the little bookworms in your life. Click the image for more info!
Monday, December 8th, 10:30 AM-7 PM, at Beane Brothers BBQ (114 Front St, Smyrna) - Friends of Smyrna Library Fundraiser
Mark your calendars! Come support local business in our Smyrna community for FOSL Spirit Night at Beane Brothers! REMEMBER: At checkout, for FOSL to get credit for your visit, tell them you are there for the Friends of Smyrna Library Event. What a yummy way to support local business and FOSL! Click the image for more info!
Thursday, December 11th, 6:30 PM, at Cedar Glade Brews (906 Ridgely Rd, Murfreesboro) - Author Event with Brian Seadorf
If you didn’t get enough of Dorf when we celebrated his book launch in October (and let’s be honest, you can never get enough of Dorf), then come to Cedar Glade to hear some more of his poetry! Click the post above for more info!
Saturday, December 13th, 9 AM - 9 PM, at Barnes & Noble at The Avenue (2615 Medical Center Pkwy, Murfreesboro) - Friends of Linebaugh Library Fundraiser
If books are on your holiday shopping list and you have to go to B&N, wait and shop on this day to support FOLL! This deal works both in-store (only on the 13th) and online (13th-17th). Click the coupon above for more info!
Sunday, December 14th, 3-5 PM, at Dapper Owl Coffee Pub (2412 E. Main St., Murfreesboro) - Writers’ Mingle hosted by Crave Tohn
Connect with fellow writers in a relaxed, come-and-go setting with space to chat, play quick writing-prompt games, or even settle in for a “Shut Up and Write” session. A short program by guest host Crave Tohn begins at 3:45. The event is free and open to writers of all genres and experience levels; please RSVP via the Google form and consider supporting Dapper Owl with a purchase while you’re there! Click the image for more info!
Saturday, December 20th, 11 AM-3 PM, at The Spine - Christmas Fundraiser
Join The Spine Bookshop for a festive day of holiday fun! We’ll kick things off with a magical show that will amaze kids and adults alike, followed by photos with Santa himself! This event is free to attend; all we ask is that you bring canned food to donate and help us spread a little extra holiday cheer to families in need. Come enjoy the magic, make some memories, and give back to the community this Christmas season! Click the image for more info!
Sunday, December 21st, 6 PM-8PM, at Dapper Owl Coffee Pub - Poetry in the Boro’s Annual Winter Solstice Poetry Reading and Open Mic with Cheyanne Leonardo
Brighten the longest night of the year by listening to some poetry—or sharing some writing of your own—with Poetry in the Boro at Dapper Owl! Our feature will be poet, performance artist, and bookmaker Cheyanne Leonardo. The feature will be at 6:00, with open mic to follow. Drip coffee and light nibbles will be available at no charge. However, we hope that you’ll order from Dapper Owl’s tasty menu to help make this a winning collaboration for all of us! Click the image for more info!
Celebrations!!
We love to shout good literary news from the rooftops, and man, there’s a lot of good news happening recently! In no particular order …
Jeremiah Pitt, a regular at the Writers’ Mingles, has a poem in Stone Poetry Quarterly—and he was inspired to submit it because of us! Way to go, Jeremiah!!
Guess who won the 2025 Read to Succeed Celebrity Spelling Bee? A librarian, that’s who!! Congrats to Katie Turner, the Linebaugh Library’s Youth Services Coordinator!
MTSU Write regular Angela Joynes has a microfiction piece in South 85 Journal. Read “Surviving” here!
Anyone in the literary community of Murfreesboro knows Aaron Shapiro, and now Nashville does too! He’s won the 2025 Porch Prize for Poetry! You’ll be seeing his poem “A Formal Feeling” in the upcoming issue of SWING soon too. We’re proud of you, Aaron!
Carson Elliot, another regular in the Murfreesboro literary scene, has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize! Their poem “Extinguished in America” was published by Gnashing Teeth Publishing. Own that on your resume, Carson!!
And you know I gotta brag on myself sometimes too. My poem “Skateboarders” just came out in Rattle Magazine for their winter 2025 issue!
Gift ideas!
Yes yes, US capitalism tells us we must spend money to show love or celebrate the season or whatever. So if you have a bookish person in your life, here are five great gift ideas!
Books. Duh. You can either ask a writer friend where to buy their books, get a gift card or book from a local bookstore (like Crying Cat, Happy Bookstack, The Grumpy Bookpeddler, The Grand Exchange, or The Spine), or if you need to buy online, buy with bookshop.org so that you get the benefit of buying online and shipping long distance but also support local places.
Reviews on books. If the person you’re buying for is a writer, buy their book and leave a review for them somewhere like Amazon or Goodreads. Even if you just make a post on social media and tag them, reviews are GOLD—and free!!
Book-adjacent goodies. Whether it’s handmade bookmarks and journals from antique books, book themed treats, or merch from the bookstores mentioned in #1, there are lots of literary knick-knacks that can support local places too!
Subscriptions and memberships. There are a lot of resources out there for writers and readers that cost money. Subscriptions to reading services like Audible or an E-Reader are good for the booklovers in your life (though you can always remind them about free things like Hoopla and Libby too). For writers, a subscription to Poets & Writers magazine or Chill Subs would be an awesome gift. (Psst! Use this link and use the code TAFFETA for 10% off any paid services at Chill Subs!)
Donations. It’s no secret that literary things do not usually make a lot of money, and many organizations we know and love run on donations. Consider donating to organizations like Poetry in the Boro, Rutherford Arts Alliance, Read to Succeed, the Rutherford County Library Alliance, which is at the forefront of fighting on-going local censorship issues, or any of the Friends groups of the libraries of Rutherford County.
And that’s a wrap for December! Get it? WRAP?! … Listen, I don’t usually partake in the dad jokes, but when they come naturally, I gotta MILK them!
All right, I’ll see myself out now.
As always, check in with local bookstores and libraries to see if I missed anything, and if you have anything you want to share (or hear about!), send me an email: taffetachimewrites@gmail.com. Thanks, y’all!
Banner image courtesy of @ulitretynychenko
