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Wilde Readings - November '26
Past event
About This Event
At Wilde Readings, we are thankful for you -- our audience -- and for our amazing featured authors. At our November 10 event, you'll meet and hear from two stand-out local authors, Will Cole and Linda Kay Klein. Ricky Jones and Laura Shovan will emcee the event. Bring questions for the featured-author Q&A and something to read at the open mic (2 poems or 5 minutes, max).
About our features: WILL COLE is a queer, transgender writer, scientist, educator, and “seahorse dad.” In 2026, he completed an MA in Writing Nonfiction from JHU and the Yale Writers' Workshop. He received the David Everett Award for Outstanding Thesis and his essay in Open Secrets was nominated for a Pushcart Prize (2025). His work has also appeared in The Portland Review, Welter, Jarnal, The Science Writer, Baltimore Fishbowl, and Another Jane Pratt Thing.
LINDA KAY KLEIN is the author of the award-winning book, Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free. Her writing and other work have been featured by NBC, CBS, The New York Times, and 150 other media outlets, including an hour-long interview with Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air, which was one of the 10 most listened to episodes of the year. Linda is an inspiring speaker and has given two TEDx Talks. Glennon Doyle calls her work “a fresh breath of freedom” and Gloria Steinem praises Linda for exposing a form of religious trauma that “must be understood by us all.” Linda also teaches creative writing and provides one-on-one coaching for individuals raised in purity culture.
All are welcome. We encourage you to participate in the open mic. Please prepare no more than five minutes of performance time/two poems. Sign up when you arrive. Books by both featured authors will be available for sale through Queen Takes Book. Wilde Readings is a program of HoCoPoLitSo.
About the Venue
Queen Takes Book
We are Columbia, MD's only independent bookstore. We believe that everyone should be able to see themselves in the pages of a book and are committed to providing a welcoming environment for everyone who walks through our doors. Columbia is halfway in-between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., making us accessible to people from both of these cities. We have a robust slate of book clubs and also do on-site and off-site author events and book fairs.
Visit store pageMore at Queen Takes Book
Works in Translation Club - November '26
Join us for our Works in Translation Club meeting on Monday, November 16th at 6pm. (This is a week later than usual.) We'll be reading Barbara Isn't Dying by Alina Bronsky (translated from German by Tim Mohr). Copies of the book are available at Queen Takes Book and can be purchased at 10% off in-store through November 16th. Use the code BOOKCLUB to get 10% off through our website. You can also order through Bookshop.org (paperback or ebook) to support local independent bookstores.
Sci-fi-Fantasy Pop-up Club - November '26
Join us for our final Sci-fi/Fantasy Pop-up Club meeting on Tuesday, November 17th at 6:45pm. We'll be reading The Second Death of Locke by V L Bovalino. Copies of the book are available at Queen Takes Book and can be purchased at 10% off in-store through November 17th. Use the code BOOKCLUB to get 10% off through our website. You can also order through Bookshop.org (paperback or ebook) or Libro.fm (audiobook) to support local independent bookstores.
Cushwa Winter Book Fair 2026
Come browse gift recommendations, wintry staff picks, new releases, and our 2026 winter reading guide! Queen Takes Book is so excited to be back at Cushwa & Rad Pies Taproom for our 2026 Winter Book Fair! We'll have copies of our new 2026 winter reading guide, Winter Wonderland, and plenty of copies of all of the books inside of it! We'll also have other wintry books, books that almost made the guide, and the biggest books of the season. This is the perfect place to pick up holiday gifts: for others or for yourself! This event is free to attend, but we kindly ask that you RSVP. We can't wait to see you there! Our winter reading guide is designed by the lovely and incredibly talented Sierra Lee! Be sure to check out her array of cards and other printed goods.