Appearances
Readings, book-club visits, and classroom hours — in person, by invitation. New public dates are announced here and in the Reader's Circle.
No public dates on the calendar
The standing invitations below are open. When a reading, workshop, or course date is set, it will appear here first.
Three Ways to Invite James
A reading
About twenty-five minutes of reading from the poems of Crossings or from the fiction, followed by conversation with the audience. Selections can be matched to a season, a theme, or a single book.
A book-club visit
James joins your group in person for the discussion of one of his books. Each title has a free book-club companion with questions your members can use before the visit.
A classroom hour on allusion and close reading
An hour on how a story or poem carries older texts inside it — scripture, Joyce, Whitman, the fairy tale — drawn from three decades of teaching English. The free student guides and downloadable studies can serve as preparation.
What to include when you write
- Venue and audience — bookstore, library, club, or classroom, and roughly how many people.
- Preferred dates — two or three options help.
- Length — the formats above can be shortened or lengthened.
- Books — whether the venue would like copies available; titles are listed on the Books page and in the Store.
- Fee or honorarium — by arrangement.
A biography, photographs, and review lines for your announcement are in the Press Kit.
The Art of Telling
James teaches The Art of Telling, a ten-session in-person course on developing a story, informed by thirty years in the classroom. Explore the course.
Be first to hear about new dates
Join the Reader's Circle for word of new essays, poems, guides, and upcoming appearances — plus The Quiet Craft, a free notebook on fiction, poetry, and memoir craft.