{"id":74955,"date":"2026-07-06T11:32:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T15:32:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/backroom\/?p=74955"},"modified":"2026-07-06T13:26:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:26:18","slug":"book-beat-july-news-and-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/backroom\/2026\/07\/06\/book-beat-july-news-and-events\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Beat July News and Events"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A found square photograph re-edited by A.I. into a banner format.<\/p><\/div>\n

Dear Readers,<\/h2>\n

We hope your summer has been full of good books, porch reading, garden discoveries, and a few slow afternoons. July is one of our favorite months at Book Beat \u2014 a little like having an \u201cup north\u201d vacation spot close to home \u2014 and we\u2019re grateful to share it with readers, writers, gardeners, artists, and neighbors.<\/p>\n

Thursday, July 9:<\/strong> We\u2019re delighted to welcome back Desiree Cooper<\/strong> on Zoom, joined by Sci-Fi and Afrofuturist author Zig Zag Claybourne<\/strong> and Detroit Stories Quarterly<\/em> founder and journalist Keith A. Owens<\/strong> for a Southfield Library<\/strong> event, featuring the wonderful anthology Black Summers<\/strong><\/em>. <\/p>\n

We\u2019re also pleased to see local favorite Curtis Chin<\/strong> appearing at two area libraries as part of the Great Michigan Read program on July 28 and 29. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Wednesday, July 16:<\/strong> We\u2019ve invited local poet Cindy Frenkel<\/strong> to present her newly released collection, Bad Neighborhood<\/em>.<\/strong> These poems move through dark subjects, personal grief, and tragedy with honesty and care, opening a space for reflection, connection, and resilience. We\u2019re looking forward to an intimate evening of poetry, conversation, and community.<\/p>\n

Saturday, July 26:<\/strong> The Oak Park Gardening Tour will make a stop at Book Beat, and we\u2019re excited to welcome gardeners, plant lovers, and the curious. Volunteers from The Wild Ones<\/strong> will be outside the store giving away native plants and seeds and answering gardening questions. We\u2019ll also have a good variety of gardening and plant books for sale.<\/p>\n

Later that same day, from 5\u20137 PM<\/strong>, poet Ken Mikolowski<\/strong>, founder of the Alternative Press, returns to Book Beat and joins author Rebecca Kosick<\/strong> for a discussion of her new book, Dispatches from the Avant-Garage<\/em><\/strong>. Together they\u2019ll explore the history of Detroit\u2019s underground presses and the continuing vitality of today\u2019s DIY publishing \u2014 from letterpress and zines to poetry, artists\u2019 books, and independent presses. We\u2019re also inviting one or two local presses now working in the DIY publishing tradition to join us. Learn more about the Alternative Press in this recent https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/backroom\/2026\/06\/29\/q-a-with-rebecca-kosick-and-ken-mikolowski-on-the-alternative-press\/interview with Ken and Rebecca.<\/p>\n

July 28 & 29:<\/strong> Curtis Chin<\/strong> will be speaking at the Caroline Kennedy Library<\/strong> and the Southfield Library<\/strong> on behalf of the Great Michigan Read program. We hope many of you will have a chance to hear him.<\/p>\n

Our reading groups are taking us in two wonderfully different directions this month. Sub Rosa is reading Wise Blood<\/em><\/strong> by Flannery O\u2019Connor, while the other reading group heads off into space with Philip K. Dick\u2019s The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch<\/em><\/strong>. Reading group books are discounted 15% and are in stock.<\/p>\n

The Summer Sale tables are back, and they\u2019re always a little bit of a treasure hunt. Stop by soon for the best selection \u2014 once these books are gone, that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n

The Detroit Book Festival<\/strong> is back on Sunday, July 19<\/strong>. It\u2019s often one of the hottest days of the year, so dress cool, bring cash and water, and come down to Eastern Market early to browse one of the best book festivals in the state.<\/p>\n

Our resident bibliophile Tom Bowden returns with Small Press Reviews in https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/backroom\/2026\/06\/30\/i-arrogantly-recommend-75-by-tom-bowden\/i arrogantly recommend\u2026 column #75 \u2014 congratulations on this milestone, Tom!<\/p>\n

Thanks, as always, for reading with us, visiting the store, showing up for local authors, and supporting independent bookstores. We hope to see you in July \u2014 at an event, around the sale tables, or just browsing for your next summer read. See the event links and details below for more information. Happy Summer!<\/p>\n

Cary, Colleen and the Book Beat staff<\/p>\n

Read, Think, Create.<\/em><\/p>\n

July 9: Black Summers at Southfield Library<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n