Fall class preview, happy hour, and more!

Dearest readers, At the risk of sounding like a coin-operated fortune telling machine — good things are coming your way! This week, we're finalizing the fall lineup of classes and Thursdays on the Stoop sessions. For classes, expect a mix of in-person and virtual options, lengths ranging from 2 hours to 9 weeks, and genres like poetry, magical realism, comics, essays, novels, and more. If you're curious about writing, or looking to sharpen your skills, we've got a class for you! Financial aid and payment plans will be available, as always. [A note for our teacher friends: We are rolling out a new class proposal process for 2026, and will share the application with you as soon as possible. Thanks for bearing with us during this transitional period.] On Wednesday, 8/20, we're hosting another happy hour and co-writing session at the W Hotel — join us for a fancy cocktail/mocktail and get some writing done! The last session was lovely and had a great turnout. It's a casual and low pressure way to connect with local writers. We'd love to see you there. And on top of all that, we've got a flash sale going on bundled summer recordings that ends this Friday at noon (ET). August is truly your last chance to get access to these fabulous masterclasses, so don't procrastinate if you've been thinking about watching. Coincidentally, August is also your last chance to enter our raffle for $50 of Milk Jawn ice cream. Don't let this week's nice weather fool you — the heat will absolutely be back! Summer was supposed to be our low-lift season, but honestly, it was still kind of a marathon. Taylor and I are going to take next week off to recover, but thanks to support from our incredible volunteers, you can still attend Poetry Club and Thursdays on the Stoop. Keep an eye out for next week's pre-scheduled newsletter to learn more! In solidarity, Julian Shendelman Co-Director P.S. Don't miss the Philly Bookstore Crawl this Saturday! Details in the “Beyond the Stoop” section below. ON THE STOOP Wednesday, 8/20, 5:00 – 8:00 pm ET: Pours + Prose: Happy Hour & Creative Coworking at the W Hotel. Join us for a happy hour and coworking session with the Blue Stoop community members and friends. (FREE/IN-PERSON) Tuesday, 8/26, 6:30 – 7:30pm ET: Poetry Club. A peer-led poetry reading & discussion group, powered by Blue Stoop volunteers. This month's featured writer is Andrea Gibson. Is this your last chance to join Poetry Club? Only time will tell! (FREE/VIRTUAL) Thursday, 8/28, 4:00 – 5:00pm ET: Thursdays on the Stoop: WHOOSH—From Prose to Comics! with Kelley Skovron. This free hour-long session will explore the key differences between writing prose and comics, covering the craft of pacing with visual cues, the power of juxtaposition, and mapping out beats on the page. (FREE/VIRTUAL) CLASSIFIEDS Got an event, organization, business, or book to promote? Blue Stoop offers affordable ad space here and on our website. BEYOND THE STOOP Here's an excerpt from our community calendar. Adding an event is easy and free! ~~~~~~~~~ Event title Publishing Salon: Book Reviewing Start time 8/21/2025 5:30pm Location American Philosophical Society, Philosophical Hall (104 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106) Description On Thursday, August 21st, 2025, the APS Press is hosting our fourth publishing salon of the year. Join us for refreshments, networking, and a panel discussion on book reviewing with six distinguished panelists: Kristen Brida, Paula Marantz Cohen, Ann de Forest, Autumn Konopka, Damon Linker, and Ben Yagoda. Publishing salons are held every other month on a variety of topics related to the publishing industry. The event is free to attend, but registration is required. Link https://www.amphilsoc.org/events/publishing-salon-book-reviewing Contact info Allison Cadle, acadle@amphilsoc.org Cost Free with registration ~~~~~~~~~ Event title Philly Bookstore Crawl Start time 8/23/2025 (ALL DAY) Location More than 2 dozen shops throughout the greater Philadelphia area Description The concept is simple. On the date of the crawl, at the end of the summer, participating bookstores around town are hosting unique and special events. Discounted books? Exciting giveaways? In-store author signings? You’ll see! There’s no specific trail to follow. No route. Just a bundle of bookshops around town, all doing something special on one given day. Link https://www.phillybookstorecrawl.com/ Contact info ericsmithrocks@gmail.com Cost Pay as you go ~~~~~~~~~ Event title Adult Writing Club Start time 8/23/2025 12:00pm Location Walnut Street West Library, 201 South 40th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Description Join us for a weekly drop in writing club for adults. For writers, authors and poets and any background or genre. Come bring your work and write alongside other writers or chat about your inspiration and struggles. LGBTQ+, BIPOC and Neurodivergent friendly! Link https://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/event/153251 Contact info 215-685-7671 Cost Free ~~~~~~~~~ Event title Personal Velocity reading series Start time 8/26/2025 6:30pm Location The Head & The Hand Bookstore, 2230 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA Description We are SO excited to share our August Personal Velocity lineup, featuring Jamie Hood, Stephanie Cawley, and Olga Mikolaivna 🌹 8/26 at 6:30pm at The Head & The Hand Books. And we're thrilled to announce that Personal Velocity will run every month from Aug '25 - Aug '26, thanks to a generous grant from Penn Treaty Special Services District. Link https://www.instagram.com/p/DLmu-ZsOUaq/ Contact info @personal.velocity (instagram) Cost $5-10 suggested donation ~~~~~~~~~ VIEW MORE EVENTS 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences