Good dialogue is essential to good fiction. It should help reveal character and advance the plot. But how do you make sure your characters say the right thing? In this workshop, Alex Kourvo and Bethany Neal will show you how to write dialogue that helps the action unfold and deepens characterization while sounding natural on the page.​

This is part of the monthly Emerging Writers Workshops, which offer support, learning, and advice for local authors. Each month, two weeks after the workshop, there is a Meet-Up where the instructors will read samples of your work and offer advice and assistance in a casual, supportive atmosphere.

Do you have a completed manuscript? The library has an imprint, Fifth Avenue Press, and we're looking for local authors!

Come with questions, a work in progress, or an empty notebook. All writers are welcome in this casual, supportive environment. Authors Bethany Neal and Alex Kourvo will be on hand to answer questions and give encouragement. This is an excellent opportunity to meet your fellow Ann Arbor writers as well as get feedback from published authors.

This is a monthly meet-up that welcomes all writers to ask questions, connect with other writers, or simply have a dedicated time and place to work on their projects.

Do you have a completed manuscript? Check out our imprint, Fifth Avenue Press and stay tuned for a online submission form!

Once the first draft of a book is finished, the real work begins. Taking a book from rough draft to finished manuscript isn’t easy, but revisions don’t have to be overwhelming. In this workshop, Bethany Neal and Alex Kourvo will share a solid plan to shape your novel or nonfiction book, tackling everything from the big-picture edits to the last comma.

This is part of the monthly Emerging Writer’s Workshops, which offer support, learning, and advice for local authors. Each month, two weeks after the workshop, there is a Meet-Up where the instructors will read samples of your work and offer advice and assistance in a casual, supportive atmosphere.

Do you have a completed manuscript? The library has an imprint, Fifth Avenue Press, and we're looking for local authors!

Calling all writers! Get into the groove of writing in a quiet space with lots of outlets to plug in a laptop!

Whether you're working on a novel as part of National Novel Writing Month or something else, all are welcome.

Calling all writers! Get into the groove of writing in a quiet space with lots of outlets to plug in a laptop!

Whether you're working on a novel as part of National Novel Writing Month or something else, all are welcome.

Calling all writers! Whether you participated in this year's National Novel Writing Month or you just love to write, come hear a published author's take on revising your work and getting published.

This program is associated with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and all aspiring authors are welcome!

U of M faculty psychiatrist Dr. Monica Starkman discusses the psychological impact of infertility and pregnancy loss, with examples from her research and clinical work. She will also discuss the writing and themes of her new novel The End of Miracles as well as themes of other novels that touch on infertility.

Dr. Starkman has a particular interest in conditions that are related to child-bearing. She has done extensive research about conditions resulting from infertility, such as false pregnancy and did the very first study of the psychological reactions to the use of the fetal monitor during labor. She has also been an Assistant Editor of the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The End of Miracles was an International Book Awards 2016 finalist for literary fiction and delves deeply into the relationship of a couple facing infertility, and the grief and psychological upheavals of a late miscarriage.

This event includes a book signing and books will be for sale.

The Draplin Design Company got a book deal! The call up to the big leagues!

Go behind the scenes with the DDC and the harrowing account of making their first book, "Draplin Design Co.: Pretty Much Everything," released in May 2016.

From the contracts to the scheming, from the pagination to the design, from the tears to the nightmares, Aaron James Draplin will tell you what it’s like to cram your whole half-wit design career into 256 pages and live to tell the story about it. He'll pack in stories from the run-up, release, and surreal fallout, as well as updates to other tricky ventures DDC has been up to. The entire presentation is dipped in Pantone Orange 021!

Aaron James Draplin is a graphic designer and the founder of the Draplin Design Company, based in Portland, Oregon. His clients include Nike, Burton Snowboards, Esquire, Red Wing, Field Notes, Ford Motor Company and the Obama Administration. Originally from Michigan, Aaron is making a whirlwind mini-tour of Toledo, Detroit, and Ann Arbor in early October and AADL is excited to be one of those stops!

So, leave work for an early lunch and then spend some time at AADL for this peek behind the curtain of how DDC's book came to be. This event will include a book signing and books will be for sale.

If you've ever thought about writing a novel, join the fun at the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) Kick Off Party! Hosted by Ann Arbor municipal liaison Hilary Braley, you'll find fellow first-time and experienced writers to get inspired! This event includes light refreshments.

National Novel Writing Month is a non-profit event that encourages teens and adults to tackle the challenge of writing a novel during the month of November. Participants begin writing on November 1 with the goal of writing a 50,000 word (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59 pm, November 30.

Official NaNoWriMo writing sessions will be held at AADL during November, but get a head start and celebrate with this great kick off party!

You always have your nose in a book. As matter of fact, you don’t mind letting people know that sometimes you’re not only reading a book, you’re thinking about how wonderful that book smells! Get ready to uncover the science behind the smell of books (old and new, there’s a difference) and read passages that illustrate just how powerful the sense of smell can be in the hands of a gifted writer. Aromatic references in various texts will be accompanied by smelling specific scents mentioned in these passages. Warning: Attending this Smell and Tell may lead to increased time spent nosing around various branches of the Ann Arbor District Library. Fear not; librarians with scratch and sniff bookmarks are ready for you.

Michelle Krell Kydd is a trained “nose” in flavors and fragrance. She is also the editor of Glass Petal Smoke, an award-winning blog that explores the world of scent and taste. Kydd received a finalist award from University of Michigan President Mark S. Schlissel at the 2016 President's Staff Innovation Awards for contributions as an educator and community builder through unique presentations focused on olfaction.