No-Presh Write Club
Last Thursdays
6pm-7pm-ish
Mermaid Books
Join us for our new monthly writing power-hour.
Choose to respond to a prompt, or chip away at a manuscript you’re already working on.
Free, but space is limited. To join in person or remotely via Google Meet link, email us at info@mermaidbooksct.com.
Mermaid Crafts:
Monthly Book Bedazzling
Friday, March 6
6:30pm-8:30pm
Mermaid Books
SOLD OUT – keep scrolling to buy tix for our second session!
Join us for our monthly bedazzling class with Creatively Clinical’s Allie Joy!
After a brief hiatus, we’re back! Learn how to bedazzle a book! No crafting experience needed, just bring your creativity and a book! (Note that you may also order a book for pickup to use in class; email info@mermaidbooksct.com with your request.)
Rules of the road:
✨Please arrive no earlier than 6:30pm, to allow us enough time for setup.
✨ BYOB and snacks!
✨ Book order info: Special-order a book you’d like to use or place a hold by emailing us at info@mermaidbooksct.com before the event, to give us time to prepare for you.
This event is limited to 14 spots. Grab your ticket before we sell out! And if you miss this round, watch out for more classes next month.
Author Talk:
Lila Herron,
Any Means Necessary
Tuesday, March 10
6:30pm-8:30pm
Milford Public Library
Join us as we talk to Milford resident Lila Herron, author of the new spicy romance Any Means Necessary, out from Simon & Schuster on March 10.
About the book:
A previously self-published debut about a plus-size, body-confident nurse and a seductive but dangerous man who becomes obsessed with her.
After a traumatic event at work, ER nurse Lexie West decides to get away from it all and house-sit for a friend in New York City.
Callum Russo is a “fixer”—someone who solves problems for powerful people by any means necessary. Not much can shock him…until he returns to the city and finds a vivacious blonde standing in his kitchen.
They strike a deal that allows Lexie to stay, as long as she minds her own business. But it’s not long before she’s being pulled into his world, and Lexie uses her nursing skills to get Callum and his men out of a jam. As Lexie navigates the dark world Callum lives in, an attraction begins to grow. But is their newfound love strong enough to survive?
Join us with our partners at Milford Public Library as we host Lila Herron, who will appear in conversation with the leaders of Mermaid Books’ romance book club: Rachel Bauer (@professorrachelreads) and Amie Abraham (@amie__abraham). Book signing to follow.
This event is 18+ and free to attend, but space is limited. Register via the link below.
About the author:
Lila Herron writes dark romance novels about characters who are comfortable in their skin and know their worth. She decided to make it her goal to write books she wished she could read, where her readers could see themselves in the stories. When she’s not writing or reading, you can find Lila watching trashy reality TV with her cocker spaniel puppy, Honey. Find her on Instagram and TikTok @AuthorLilaHerron.
Mermaid Crafts:
Monthly Book Bedazzling,
Session 2
Friday, March 20
6:30pm-8:30pm
Mermaid Books
Why stop at ONE monthly bedazzling sesh with Allie Joy of @creativelyclinical when you could come to two?!?
Are we right, or are we right?!? We can’t get enough of Allie’s sparkle magic, so we added a second March event to the calendar. If you missed our first signup, now’s your chance to snag a ticket.
Bring a friend! And a book, of course. 😉
Kids’ Author Talk:
Jessica Karjanis,
The Wheel of the Year
Sunday, March 22
11am-12pm
Mermaid Books
From Imbolc to Litha, The Wheel of the Year invites young readers to learn about ancient religious celebrations and their ties to nature’s cycles.
Many ancient Europeans followed the “wheel of the year”: an annual cycle of seasonal festivals rooted in the natural world.
Join us as we welcome Jessica Karjanis, beloved media specialist at Milford’s Calf Pen Meadow Elementary, as she talks about her new children’s book about those traditions — a digestible, engaging look at those fascinating rituals, where they came from and the people who practiced them, and how some of those holidays are still observed today.
This is a free event, but as always, space is limited. Email us at info@mermaidbooksct.com to let us know if you’ll stop by for storytime and a seasonal craft.
Mermaid Crafts:
Make Your Own Bookish Stamp
Tuesday, March 24 +
Tuesday, March 31
6:30pm-8:30pm
Mermaid Books
Printwork obsessives, we’ve got the class for you! In this hands-on workshop, learn how to make your own linocuts at home.
If you’ve ever tried our Inciardi Prints machine, you know how delightful linocut relief art is. What you might not realize is that you can create your own lino prints yourself, at home, with the right tools, a little elbow grease, and some know-how.
In this two-session workshop led by art therapist Rachel Black of @artincounseling, you’ll learn all of the steps necessary to create your own linocut printwork, from designing and carving your stamp to transferring ink and finishing your design. Rachel will demonstrate how to make ex-libris, “from-the-library-of” stamps that can be used to personalize books in your home library or made as a gift for a bookish friend.
Interested? Here’s what you can expect from the workshop:
Session 1
March 24, 6:30pm-8:30pm : Design + Transfer
* Tools and safety overview
* Demonstration of charcoal paper transfer
* Demonstration of how to draw and/or transfer designs onto the rubber stamp
* Demonstration of how to enhance designs with permanent fine black line marker
Session 2
March 31, 6:30pm-8:30pm : Carving + Printing
* Safety reminder
* Demonstration of V-cuts vs. U-cuts, how to make corrections
* Carving time
* Demo of inking and printing
* Time to experiment and enjoy the printmaking process!
Space is limited, so if you’re interested, reserve your ticket now.
No experience necessary; open to participants 15+.
Reading for Change Nonfiction Book Club:
On Tyranny,
by Timothy Snyder
Thursday, March 25
6:30pm-8pm
Mermaid Books
In our newest book club, we’ll read and discuss nonfiction titles that illuminate the issues of the moment and help us find ways to be better citizens of the world.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re feeling it, too: We’ve entered into a period some observers refer to as “hypernormalization,” a term coined to describe a society where norms and systems are breaking down, yet life carries on, per usual. How do we persist, in a world like this? Where do we put our anxious energy? How do we find purpose?
We’ll tackle these and other big questions in this new club, inviting experts into our meetings to enhance our understanding of the themes and issues we unpack. Our hope? To learn; to find hope in the darkness, in each other; to reject inertia and apathy, and find new ways to make a difference.
Admission is rolling, and we’ll announce our reads each month, before we meet. For our inaugural meeting we’ll discuss “On Tyranny,” by former Yale scholar Timothy Snyder.
As with all of our clubs, we’ll top out at 15 members, so if you’re interested, please drop us a line to claim your spot and let us know if you need a copy of the book.
Mermaid Books 