Ada Calhoun
Appearances & Tours

Past Appearances

Thu, November 2, 2023
Oberlin Visiting Writer Talk
Fri, September 29, 2023
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
East Norfolk, CT 06058
Haystack Book Festival

Writing Lives
4:00 PM at The Norfolk Library
Ada Calhoun, author of Also a Poet; Frank O’Hara, My Father and Me and Priscilla Gilman, author of The Critics Daughter: A Memoir. In conversation with novelist and memoirist, Courtney Maum.

Mon, September 25, 2023
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
UT Austin Visting Writer Talk
Sat, September 16, 2023
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
The Church
Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Sag Harbor Panel and Writers Workshop
  • WORKSHOP: MEMOIR
  • Saturday, September 16, 2023
  • 11:00 AM 3:00 PM
  • The Church48 Madison StreetSag Harbor, NY, 11963United States
  • Dig into memoir writing and find ways to interweave the personal and the universal, so that the resulting work is neither diary nor reportage—rather a work of art that lets readers in on a new way of being a human in the world.
    Led by New York Times bestselling author Ada Calhoun, this four-hour workshop will focus on the development of themes, characters, narrative arcs, and style in a memoir. Through writing exercises, readings, and group discussions, participants will learn what it means to write about themselves and the people they hold close – discovering the ways in which it can be fraught or liberating, or both at once. Hosted in The Rectory, our artists residency house, this class will be a safe, supportive place to develop ideas and begin work on a memoir of your own. Ticket purchase includes a light luncheon to be served at the halfway point.
    This workshop has been programmed in tandem with a memoir panel discussion at The Church on September 17th, 2023. Moderated by Jill Bialosky, Calhoun will be a featured speaker alongside authors Alice Carrière and Kelly McMasters for a conversation about their memoirs, all of which relate to the experience of intimacy with artists.
Wed, September 6, 2023
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
P and T Knitwear
New York, NY
Spotlight: East Village

P&T Knitwear, in conjunction with the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative (LESPI), East Village Community Coalition (EVCC), and Village Preservation is pleased to welcome Ada Calhoun for a discussion of her books St. Marks is Dead and Also A Poet: Frank O'Hara, My Father, and Me, along with an audience Q&A and book signing!

Ada
will be joined in conversation by Deborah Wye, Director of LESPI. After the talk, Ada will sign copies of her books. This event is presented in partnership with the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, the East Village Community Coalition (EVCC), and the Greenwich Village Sociaty for Historic Preservation as part of their programming.

Mon, August 21, 2023
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Reading at the new series WINE AND PINE

"Wine and Pine: A Reading Series about Desire, Rachel Gilman's new series kicking off in August. Each month at Ten Degrees Bar in the heart of the East Village, three readers working across nonfiction, fiction, and poetry will share their writing in all its unabashed longing glory. Maisy Card (These Ghosts are Family), Taylor Zhang (of Choo Choo Press), and Ada Calhoun (Why We Can't Sleep, Also a Poet) will be kicking things off. There will be also curated drink specials, delicious food, and homemade desserts. Definitely a night you don't want to miss."

Sun, August 13, 2023
Omega Institute
Rhinebeck, NY
Teaching Memoir at the Omega Institute!

In this 5-day intensive, New York Times bestselling author Ada Calhoun helps you develop the themes of—and make significant progress on—a memoir. Calhoun is author of the New York Times bestseller Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis, as well as the New York history St. Marks Is Dead, the memoir Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give, and Also a Poet: Frank O'Hara, My Father, and Me. Class members will read and discuss one another's work, as well as the work of important memoirists, and each hour of class will feature multiple writing exercises.

Wed, August 2, 2023
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Moderating a book launch for THE SLIP
Mon, July 31, 2023
Farleigh-Dickinson Visiting Writer
Thu, June 8, 2023
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Lecture at University at Buffalo Art Galleries!
Wed, May 17, 2023
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
BOOKTHEWRITER
New York, NY
BOOKTHEWRITER Event for ALSO A POET
Sat, April 15, 2023
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
San Antonio Book Festival
San Antonio, Texas
SAN ANTONIO BOOK FESTIVAL

Award-winning Elizabeth McCracken plays with genre in The Hero of This Book, her new novel about a writer ruminating on, and grieving, her recently deceased mother. New York Times bestselling author Ada Calhoun traces her life, her complicated relationship with her father, and their shared love of the poet Frank O’Hara in her new memoir Also A Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me. These two dynamic authors will talk about art, memory, and larger-than-life parents.

Sun, April 2, 2023
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Woodstock Book Fest
Woodstock, NY
WOODSTOCK BOOK FESTIVAL - Memoir Panel!

Woodstock Bookfest always closes with our signature panel, Memoir-A-Go-Go. Memoir speaks to our most basic impulse to tell our stories around the fire. It allows us insight into perspectives outside of our own, and a peek into the human experience of others. Moderated by Martha Frankel, the powerhouse behind Bookfest, this year’s Memoir-A-Go-Go is sure to be entertaining and engaging. With: Rebecca Carroll, Priscilla Gilman, Ann Hood, Courtney Maum, Aileen Weintraub.

Sat, November 19, 2022
Miami Book Fair
Miami, FL
ALSO A POET at the MIAMI BOOK FAIR!

SATURDAY: Moderating:

Saturday, November 19 @ 3:30 pmRoom 8203 (Building 8, 2nd Floor)300 NE Second Ave., Miami, Fl 33132 United States

Samantha Cole With Ada Calhoun: A Conversation

Samantha Cole‘s How Sex Changed the Internet and the Internet Changed Sex: A History is a serious yet entertaining look at the convergence of sex and the internet. Cole has been on this beat for years as a senior writer for Vice, and here she offers up a highly visual history filled with broad themes and backstories, pioneering personalities...

SUNDAY: Paneling:

Sunday, November 20 @ 4:30 pmAuditorium (Building 1, 2nd Floor, Room 1261)300 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33132 United States

Rebecca Donner, Ada Calhoun & Maud Newton: A Conversation


Tue, November 15, 2022
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
The Burren
Somerville, MA
SOMERVILLE, MA! Reading at EARFULL!

EARFULL is a performance series featuring writers and musicians doing their respective things in an intimate setting. WRITERS read from their new books, or about-to-be books, or right from their crumpled up notes. MUSICIANS range from harpists to horn blowers, from solo songwriters to full-on rock bands. EARFULL EVENINGS offer food & drink at the venue, and time between acts to socialize. Nov 15 we welcome authors Ada Calhoun and Peter Orner, and musical acts Matt Charette and Duel (Featuring Jen Kearney and Peter MacLean). More about Earfull at https://earfull.org/.

Sat, November 5, 2022
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
ALSO a POET at the TEXAS BOOK FESTIVAL!
Sat, October 22, 2022
10:30 AM - 3:00 PM
CityLit Project
Baltimore, MD
CityLit Studio - Teaching a Memoir Seminar in Baltimore!
Fri, October 14, 2022
ALSO a POET at the SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS!
Thu, October 6, 2022
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
ALSO a POET at NEW YORK SOCIETY LIBRARY!
Mon, October 3, 2022
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
ST MARKS IS DEAD and ALSO A POET in NYC for LESPI at 122CC!

LESPI's in-person, outdoor book talk by author Ada Calhoun on her books “St. Marks is Dead” &“Also a Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father and Me."

Sun, October 2, 2022
ALSO a POET at the BROOKLYN BOOK FESTIVAL!
Tue, September 20, 2022
ALSO a POET at the MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK!
Thu, September 15, 2022
National Arts Club
New York, NY
ALSO a POET at the NATIONAL ARTS CLUB ON GRAMERCY PARK!
Sun, August 21, 2022
5:00 PM - 12:00 PM
Omega Institute
Rhinebeck, NY
FIVE-DAY MEMOIR WORKSHOP

A rare memoir workshop this August 2022 at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY! Explore tactics of memoir writing, develop your themes, and get a lot of writing done in this intensive with New York Times bestselling author Ada Calhoun.

Tue, July 26, 2022
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Books are Magic
Brooklyn, NY
ALSO a POET in BROOKLYN w/EMMA STRAUB at BOOKS ARE MAGIC!

In conversation with Emma Straub of the delightful new novel THIS TIME TOMORROW! Expect lots about fathers and daughters, fiction vs. nonfiction, and NYC of many eras! Reserve soon because the event is in-store and will be capped at 50 people.

Fri, July 22, 2022
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Canio's
Sag Harbor, NY
ALSO a POET at CANIO's in SAG HARBOR with MAUREEN CALLAHAN!
Sun, July 17, 2022
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
ALSO A POET - NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY EVENT

Please join us in person on Sunday, July 17 at 3pm, as Ada Calhoun reads and discusses her latest book: Also A Poet: Frank O'Hara, My Father, and Me. Publication date: June 14, 2022.

Sat, July 16, 2022
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
ALSO a POET in the CATSKILLS!
Wed, July 13, 2022
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
RAVEN BOOKSTORE
Lawrence, KS
ALSO a POET at RAVEN BOOKSTORE in LAWRENCE, KS
Tue, July 12, 2022
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
ALSO a POET at MAGIC CITY BOOKS in TULSA!

Magic City Books is proud to welcome Ada Calhoun for a free event to celebrate Also A Poet, her staggering memoir tracing her fraught relationship with her father and their shared obsession with a great poet.

Joining Ada in conversation will be Magic City Books co-founder Jeff Martin. They will be in conversation on Tuesday July 12 at 7:00 pm in the Algonquin Room at Magic City Books.

You can order a copy of Also A Poet by Ada Calhoun (to be published on June 14) at Magic City Books or online at: https://magiccitybooks.square.site/product/also-a-poet/773.

Mon, July 11, 2022
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
ALSO a POET at COMMONPLACE BOOKS in EDMOND, OK
Wed, June 29, 2022
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Warwick's
La Jolla, CA
ALSO a POET at WARWICK'S in SAN DIEGO!
Mon, June 27, 2022
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Skylight Books
Los Angeles, CA
ALSO a POET w/NICOLA TWILLEY at SKYLIGHT in LOS ANGELES!

A free, in-person event to discuss the staggering new memoir from New York Times-bestselling author Ada Calhoun tracing her fraught relationship with her father and their shared obsession with a great poet.

Sun, June 26, 2022
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Book Passage
Corte Madera, CA
ALSO a POET at BOOK PASSAGE in CORTE MADERA, CA!
Sat, June 25, 2022
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
ALSO a POET w/KRISTIN KEANE at BAY AREA BOOK FESTIVAL!

Alongside Bay Area Book Fest’s Women Lit, we’re proud to host a visit by Ada Calhoun, author of Also a Poet, Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me, in conversation with Ruby member, Kristin Keane, author of Encyclopedia of Bending Time. The event is free but requires registration via this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/irl-in-conversation-with-ada-calhoun-author-of-also-a-poet-tickets-354419266567

The location of the event will be sent only to registrees.

In honor of Frank O’Hara and Pride Week, we will also be collecting donations on behalf of the Trevor Project, a national, 24-hour, toll free confidential suicide prevention service for LGBTQ youth. This will be an all-genders welcome event.

Thu, June 23, 2022
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Powell's
Portland, OR
ALSO a POET at POWELL's in PORTLAND!

Staff Pick

I picked this book up because, like Ada Calhoun, and her father, Peter Schjeldahl, I love Frank O'Hara's poems. As I hoped and expected it would, Also a Poet delivered wonderful anecdotes about O'Hara and his milieu that I hadn't previously heard. I was surprised and delighted to be just as invested in Calhoun's focus on her complex relationship with her father, writing, gender, and art. Also a Poet charmed and moved me. I'll be revisiting Frank O'Hara, and seeking out Calhoun's earlier books. Recommended By Adam P., Powells.com

Wed, June 22, 2022
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
ALSO a POET at ELLIOTT BAY BOOKSTORE in SEATTLE!
Tue, June 21, 2022
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
ALSO a POET w/JEFF DEUTSCH at SEMINARY CO-OP in CHICAGO!

Ada Calhoun will discuss Also a Poet: Frank O'Hara, My Father, and Me. She will be joined in conversation by Jeff Deutsch.

This event will be held in-person at the Seminary Co-op. Masks are required for attendees.

Sat, June 18, 2022
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
ALSO a POET w/KIRA WIZNER in MILLBROOK, NY!

We are thrilled to welcome Ada Calhoun, the author of St. Marks Is Dead, Wedding Toasts I’ll Never Give, and Why We Can’t Sleep. Ada has written for the New York Times, the New Republic, and the Washington Post and lives in NYC. Join us at the Farmer's Market under the tent for a conversation!

Thu, June 16, 2022
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Solid State Books
Washington, DC
ALSO A POET w/CARLENE BAUER at SOLID STATE in DC!

Join us in person to welcome Ada Calhoun discussing her new memoir Also a Poet! This is an in-store, in person event free and open for all to attend!

Wed, June 15, 2022
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Porter Square Books
Cambridge, MA
ALSO a POET w/ALYSIA ABBOTT at PORTER SQUARE BOOKS in Cambridge!

Porter Square Books is thrilled to welcome Ada Calhoun for Also a Poet: Frank O'Hara, My Father, and Me. “In this fluidly morphing, magnetically candid chronicle… Calhoun offers an arresting and provocative carousel of family dynamics, creative paradoxes, literary history, unnerving dilemmas, thorny questions of inheritance and legacy, wry humor, and love," praises Booklist in one of the four starred reviews Also a Poet has received from various publications. Alysia Abbott, local author and the head of GrubStreet's memoir incubator program, will join the author in conversation. This event will take place on Wednesday, June 15 at 7pm ET at Porter Square Books: Cambridge edition. Masks will be required for all in attendance. RSVPs, while not required, are strongly recommended!

Thu, May 5, 2022
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM
NONFICTION: POETRY IS A FORCE

Join us for a conversation about writing nonfiction about poetry! It’s FREE, and anyone can register, though the target audience is librarians and educators!

Panelists:

Ada Calhoun, Also a Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me, Grove Press: Grove Atlantic

Ross Gay, Joy Is a Force, Algonquin Books: Workman Publishing: Hachette Book Group

Robert Pinsky, Jersey Breaks: Becoming an American Poet, W. W. Norton: W. W. Norton & Company

Moderator: Barbara Hoffert, Editor, Prepub Alert, LJ

Thu, April 21, 2022
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Also a Poet featured at SpringCon in San Antonio
THE QUICK PITCH: AUTHORS MEET BOOKSELLERS

Our author guests will rotate from table to table to give booksellers their best 4-minute pitches! Enjoy this fast-paced speed dating event, and discover a spectacular array of books and authors for your store.

Tue, April 19, 2022
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
In Conversation with Jeff Deutsch about IN PRAISE OF GOOD BOOKSTORES

Powell's Books Presents Jeff Deutsch in Conversation With Ada Calhoun
Do we need bookstores in the 21st century? If so, what makes a good one? In his beautifully written book, In Praise of Good Bookstores (Princeton), Jeff Deutsch — director of Chicago's Seminary Co-op Bookstores, one of the finest bookstores in the world — pays loving tribute to one of our most important and endangered civic institutions.

Thu, March 4, 2021
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Why We Can't Sleep at LOYALTY BOOKS [virtually] in Washington D.C.!
Tue, March 2, 2021
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Why We Can't Sleep at MAGERS & QUINN [virtually] in Minneapolis!
Tue, February 23, 2021
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
Why We Can't Sleep at LEFT BANK BOOKS in St. Louis [virtually] with Susannah Cahalan!
Tue, February 9, 2021
10:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Why We Can't Sleep at BOOKSHOP SANTA CRUZ [virtually] with Liza Monroy!
Sun, February 7, 2021
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Denizen Theatre
New Paltz, NY
Why We Can't Sleep at DENIZEN THEATRE - 2pm - ON (very socially distanced) STAGE with Margi Conklin and 12pm - livestreaming!
Mon, February 1, 2021
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Why We Can't Sleep at FAMILY ACTION NETWORK in Chicago [virtually] with Dr. Deb Siegel-Acevedo!
Sun, January 31, 2021
12:00 AM - 11:45 PM
WHY WE CAN'T SLEEP PAPERBACK IS OUT IN JANUARY 2021!
Tue, January 19, 2021
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM
Westchester Community College's Virtual Afternoon Tea about Why We Can't Sleep and The Great Pretender
Wed, October 28, 2020
8:30 PM - 9:15 PM
RevelEleven presents Under Pressure: Women's New Midlife Crisis
Sun, October 4, 2020
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Moderating "Waking up from the American Dream": Eula Biss, Imani Perry, Stephanie Kelton
Thu, October 1, 2020
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
A Virtual Evening with Darcey Steinke in Conversation with Ada Calhoun
Mon, September 21, 2020
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
The Sob Sisters Host Judith Matloff, Lydia Denworth, Emma Copley Eisenberg, Lindsay Powers
Tue, August 18, 2020
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Gen X Tuesday Night Slumber Party
Wed, July 29, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
"Deconstructing the Myths: Good Girls, Super Women, and Our Desire to Have it All"
Tue, July 14, 2020
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Lemuria Books of Jackson, MS, Sob Sisters Event!
Wed, March 11, 2020
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
KINGSTON, NY- Sob Sisters at Rough Draft!
Mon, March 9, 2020
8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
LOS ANGELES, CA - WHY WE CAN'T SLEEP Conversation with Annabelle Gurwitch!
Fri, March 6, 2020
12:00 AM - 12:00 AM
SAN ANTONIO, TX - AWP 2020 Grove Keynote with Sarah M. Broom!
Tue, February 11, 2020
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
CHICAGO, IL - WHY WE CAN'T SLEEP at Rodfei Zedek Synagogue!
Mon, February 10, 2020
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
BROOKLYN, NY - Sob Sisters Science Night at WORD Brooklyn!
Thu, February 6, 2020
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
ATLANTA, GA-WHY WE CAN'T SLEEP Talk at The Lola!
Wed, February 5, 2020
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
MIAMI, FL - Teaching a non-fiction publishing workshop for the Miami Book Fair! Limited to 15 participants!
Tue, February 4, 2020
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM
MIAMI, FL - WHY WE CAN'T SLEEP at Books & Books for the Miami Book Fair with Lissette Mendez!
Sun, January 26, 2020
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
ASHEVILLE, NC - CRAFT author conversation series with Denise Kiernan about WHY WE CAN'T SLEEP!
Wed, January 22, 2020
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
BOSTON, MA - WHY WE CAN'T SLEEP event with Alysia Abbott and the Boston Book Festival at The Wing! *SOLD OUT*
Wed, January 15, 2020
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
RICHMOND, VA - WHY WE CAN'T SLEEP Talk and Reception with the Junior League of Richmond!