The Willett Library has become one of my favorite places in Rhode Island—small, intimate and very welcoming. The library is at the heart of this vibrant community and I’m honored to be invited to read from Without Shame: Learning to Be Me and lead a discussion about transgender experience. Join us!

Ballston Spa is a great town—a quintessential small town with really good restaurants and antique stores. And what other town has the National Bottle Museum? The library is at the heart of this vibrant community and I’m honored to be invited to read from Without Shame: Learning to Be Me and lead a discussion about transgender experience.

This reading will be a homecoming. I lived in this Adirondack community for 30 years, and Susanne established deep connections here through her yoga studio. I’ve written a lot about Adirondack people and places; I’ll be reading some of those stories with gratitude for the relationships I’ve been honored to have during my time in the mountains.

I used to frequent the Golden Notebook for an intellectual respite when I had an office in Woodstock in the ‘80s. It was an excellent store then—and still excellent store now—a vital independent bookseller with lots of author events and support. The store is in the heart of Woodstock, The reading is scheduled for the historic Petersen House in nearby Bearsville. I spent many years in Woodstock and Bearsville—so kind of a homecoming for me! PLEASE NOTE: This event starts at 5pm, not 5:30 as initially advertised!

This will be a delightful outdoor event in the Clifton Park Library reading garden. The library is a cultural hub for the Capital District and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to return… I played there as a musician about 15 years ago. Great people and a wonderful facility!

Rarities is a great new bookshop on Main Street in Wakefield, the blooming cultural center of South County. Kelly is a wonderful and discerning host. A fascinating selection of books graces the shelves of her shop. She’s also a skilled bookbinder and can rehab your treasured books that need a little TLC.

Rhode Island is a land of readers! Westerly is a hub of that energy with the Savoy—a terrific independent bookstore—and the Westerly Library, a vibrant center of the cultural life of the community. The library is in a spectacular Richardsonian building (think Trinity Church in Boston’s Copley Square) and has a lovely adjacent 14-acre park for strolling. So come early, enjoy the park and one of the several really good restaurants in town. The event is FREE and open to everyone. All you need to attend are an open heart and an open mind. Register on the events page or contact the library at 401-596-2877.

This beautiful library is alive with events and community outreach. I’m delighted to be part of all that with a reading, discussion and book signing. The event is in conjunction with the Nyack Pride Center.

I proud to be a volunteer for SpeakOUT Boston, an education and outreach organization now in its 50th year. I’ll be reading and discussing trans experience at All She Wrote Books in Somerville, with two other exceptional writers: Joseph Alcantara and Lisa Bunker. There’s a nice chemistry among the three of us, and it should be a energetic evening!

This event will be sponsored and hosted on Zoom by the Princeton (NJ) Chapter of PFLAG. I value PFLAG highly as a resource for LGBTQ+ folks and especially for their friends and families. I have recommended PFLAG many times to spouses, parents and siblings of LGBTQ+ folks as a place to find community and support without judgment. I’m honored to have been asked to read from Without Shame, respond to questions and lead a discussion. FREE.

I’m thrilled to be returning to Holy Cross (I am class of ‘68) to celebrate the changes in transgender advocacy at the college. The event will be held on the International Day of Transgender Visibility, and will be co-sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Education at Holy Cross and the Dinand Library. Holy Cross has been very active in transgender advocacy; among other things, it’s the home of the Digital Transgender Archive. Dinand Library, where the reading will be held, is one of the most beautiful academic buildings in New England—the reading room is magnificent. FREE to anyone.

I’m looking forward to this event, which was arranged by my treasured friend, MaryNell Morgan. These local libraries are the heartbeat of their communities and I’m always honored to be invited to be part of their programming. Greenwich is a lovely town, only 20 minutes from Saratoga, 30 minutes from Glens Falls and 40 minutes from the Capital District. I hope to see many you who will be looking for a respite from Cabin Fever!

This will be the first of two events I will be doing under the sponsorship of Holy Cross. I’m proud that the college has been so highly engaged with the LGBTQ community in recent years. For example, Holy Cross has been the home of the Digital Transgender Archive, an important repository of Trans history, images and narratives. This event will be a virtual event, open to anyone with an open heart, and open mind—and a question or two. For information, register on the events page here or email tcadigan@holycross.edu for further information. This will be a great chance to meet and share ideas from wherever you happen to be!

The sponsor of this event is a dynamic new organization for LGBT+ folks in the Newport area. You can find out more about the organization at NewportOut.com. Here’s a link for information about the event:
https://www.newportout.com/post/lgbtq-creative-club

Transtalk is an informal time to meet and talk, ask questions and offer support. There are many dimensions to transgender experience, and many ways in which that experience affects a person’s sense of self, well-being and relationships with others. Join us to discuss those dimensions and to share our reflections and experiences. This casual workshop is open to everyone, including trans folks, allies, loved ones, friends and seekers. There is no agenda; just bring an open heart and an open mind. Note: this program will not be recorded. Via Zoom. FREE.

I’ll be returning to the TCNE First Event Conference at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston for this workshop on crafting your trans narrative. We have an open discussion around several key themes: How to get started (hint: think small), how to keep going (getting unstuck), knowing your audience, trusting memory, the value of authenticity and celebrating the surprises that inevitably pop up as you write. First Event is a trans conference that is extremely well organized and has an international impact on the awareness of trans identity and trans experience. It’s also a lot of fun! The event will be in the Brookline Conference Room. FREE for conference attendees.

My friend Bruce Piasecki is a visionary thinker and writer of NY Times best-selling books on ecology and economics. I’ll be playing guitar to provide atmosphere for his readings. It should be an intriguing afternoon! You can register for this event at caffelena.org. FREE.

I call Lena's "The Fenway Park of Folk Music." I've written in Without Shame about my many memories of playing Lena's, starting in 1976. It will bring things full circle to share those memories and other stories with old and new friends. I'm looking forward to this with keen anticipation. A discussion and book signing will follow the readings. You can register on this events page or email connelly@connellyakstens.com. FREE.

It doesn’t need to be a book! Everyone has a story to tell—and sometimes it’s best to start small, with an anecdote or a character sketch. We’ll be talking about effective strategies to help you bring your story to the page—and let’s be honest, we all face personal and technical challenges when we sit down to write. It doesn’t matter if you’ve written one page or a thousand—just join us if you’re interested in telling your story and would like to meet folks who are interested in telling theirs. Use the SIGN UP FORM at the top of this page, or email connelly@connellyakstens.com with any questions or ideas. Via Zoom. FREE.

Connelly Akstens’ ground-breaking transgender memoir has been called “intimate, bold, relevant to our time and funny as hell… an extraordinary journey… a sharp and beautifully-written book.” Connelly will read from Without Shame: Learning to Be Me and will lead a discussion of transgender experience as it continues its dynamic evolution. A book signing will follow. FREE. For more information and registration, visit the events page at: https://www.cranstonlibrary.org

Interest has been so high in our Memoir Workshops that we’ve added a third. Folks reported that they went home and jotted things down, woke up with ideas, edited things they had written and thought in new ways about the writing process. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve written one page or a thousand. Just join us if you’re interested in telling your story and would like to meet folks who are interested in telling theirs. You don’t have to have attended the earlier workshops to register for this one. Use the SIGN UP FORM at the top of this page to register, or email connelly@connellyakstens.com with any questions. Via Zoom. FREE.

I have delighted to have been invited to speak to the Providence Rotary Club  about my new book, Without Shame: Learning to Be Me. If you’d like to see my talk via Zoom, simply email me by July 12 and I will make sure you have the link. Non-members are welcome to attend the event in person, but will need to register in advance; for in-person registration please contact secretary@ProvidenceRotary.org a week before the event. Note that here is a charge for lunch….

Our first workshop was a good time and a real energizer. Folks reported that they went home and jotted things down, woke up with ideas, edited things they had written and thought in new ways about the writing process. So by popular demand, we’ve added another one! It doesn’t matter whether you’ve written one page or 10,000. Just join us if you’re interested in telling your story and would like to meet folks who are interested in telling theirs. Use the SIGN UP FORM at the top of this page to register, or email connelly@connellyakstens.com with any questions. Via Zoom. FREE.

Everybody had such a good time at the first book launch that we all decided to do another one! There will be one or two short readings, lots of spirited conversation and probing questions. 

Via ZOOM. Use the SIGN UP FORM at the top of this page to register, or email connelly@connellyakstens.com with any questions. FREE.

We each have a story to tell and personal challenges that confront us when we sit down to write. Still, there are some effective strategies that can help you bring your story to the page, where it can be shared. Connelly has led many workshops in memoir writing. Please join us for this one. Free, but limited to ten participants.

Please join us for a virtual book launch party on the evening of April 21st! There will be some brief readings from Without Shame, some background about the origins of the project and a discussion of memoir and life writing. Most importantly, it will be a chance to meet up with old friends and make new ones.