Please feel free to contact me at tomfate8@gmail.com regarding my visiting your college or library or book group or church this summer or fall. I’ve had the pleasure of doing dozens of readings/talks and workshops in the last year or two. And I always enjoy the learning and conversation.
Events/Readings (2025)
Forthcoming: September 20 (Sat.): 1:00-2:30 p.m. “Writing Your Life: An Intro to Memoir Workshop.” Free. Geneva Public Library. Geneva IL.
Forthcoming: August 8 (Fri): (9:00-1:00): “Writing Your Life: An Intro to Memoir Workshop.” (Lunch Included). The Prairie Retreat, 2664 145th Avenue, Wheatland, Iowa.
Forthcoming: August 6 (Wed): 6:00-7:30 p.m. “Writing Your Life: An Intro to Memoir Workshop.” Free. Des Moines Public Library. Des Moines, IA.
March 2: 10:30 a.m. “The Presence of Absence” (reading/sermon). Also reading/discussion from The Long Way Home, 9:30-10:15. Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ. Oak Park, IL.
Jan. 22 : 6:00-8:00. Writing Workshop on Memoir. Glen Ellyn Public Library. Glen Ellyn IL 60137.
Jan. 8: 7:00-8:30. “Deep Time: Writing and Art from an Ancient Forest.” Reading/Lecture: PraX Center for the Creative Arts. Oregon State University. Corvallis, OR.
2024
Nov. 12: 6:30-8:00 p.m. Writing Workshop on Memoir. Wheaton Public Library. 225 Cross St. Wheaton, IL.
Oct. 8: 6:30-8:00. Writing Workshop on Memoir. Eisenhower Library. 4613 N Oketo Ave. Harwood Heights IL.
April 28: 2:30-4:00. Writing Workshop on Memoir. Eisenhower Library. Harwood Heights IL.
April 11: 12:30-2:00. Writing Workshop on Memoir. College of DuPage. Humanities Fest. 425 Fawell Blvd. Glen Ellyn IL.
April 6: 11:00-12:30. Writing Workshop on Memoir (free). Register here. Wheaton Public Library. 225 Cross St. Wheaton, IL.
Events/Readings: 2023
Nov. 4 (Saturday) Panel: “The Importance of Place.” “SE Wisconsin Festival of Books.” Info here. UW-Milwaukee. Waukesha, WI.
Oct. 22 (Sunday) 10:00. Reading followed by Q/A. First Congregational Church of Minnesota. 500 8th Ave. SE Minneapolis, MN.
Oct. 1 (Sunday). 9:30 a.m. Reading followed by Q/A. First Cong. UCC. 220 S. Main St. Lombard IL.
Sept. 28. 8:00 p.m. Reading/Discussion/Signing. Info here. Grinnell College. Rosenfield Center 101. Grinnell, Iowa.
Sept. 27 (Wednesday). 6:30-8:00. Writing Workshop. Info Here. Ames Public Library. 515 Douglas Ave. Ames, Iowa.
Sept. 26 (Tuesday). 6:30 p.m. Reading/Discussion. Info here. Beaverdale Books. 2629 Beaver Avenue. Des Moines, IA.
Feb. 26 (Sunday). 9:30 a.m. Reading followed by Q/A. Downers Grove U.C.C. 1047 Curtiss Street. Downers Grove, IL.
March 16 (Thursday). 12:00 noon. “Writers Read.” SRC 2000. College of DuPage. 425 Fawell Blvd. Glen Ellyn IL.
March 18 (Saturday). 1:30-3:00 p.m.. Writing Workshop. Maquoketa Art Experience. 124 S. Main St. Maquoketa, IA.
March 19 (Sunday). 10:00 a.m. Maquoketa U.C.C. Reading followed by signing/coffee. 206 E. Platt St. Maquoketa, IA.
March 19 (Sunday). 5:00 p.m. Reading/Discussion. Carnegie Stout Public Library. 360 W. 11th St. Dubuque, Iowa.
March 21 (Tuesday). Loras College. 9:30 a.m. “Writing Your Life into Memoir” workshop. 1450 Alta Vista St. Dubuque, Iowa.
March 27 (Monday). 12:30. (Virtual/Zoom.) Reading/Discussion. Paradise Valley Community College. Phoenix, Arizona.
March 28 (Tuesday). University of Indianapolis and the Indiana Writer’s Center. 6-7:30 Workshop. 8-9 Reading/Discussion. Indianapolis, IN.
April 3 (Monday). Wheaton College. 7:00 p.m. Lowell Grabill Contest/Reading. 501 College Ave. Wheaton IL.
April 10-12. Elon University. Reading/Discussion. CNF and Env. Studies classes. Elon, NC.
April 13-14. Catawba College. Reading/Discussion. 2300 W Innes St, Salisbury, NC.
April 24 (Monday): North Hennepin Community College. Reading/Discussion. 1:00 p.m. 7411 85th Avenue North,
Brooklyn Park, MN
April 25 (Tuesday): St. Olaf College. Reading/Discussion. Viking Theater. 7:00 p.m. 1520 St. Olaf Ave, Northfield, MN.
April 27-28: Luther College. Reading/Discussion. Center for Faith and Life. 6:00 p.m. Recital Hall. 700 College Dr. Decorah, IA.
April 30 (Sunday): First Congregational Church of Dundee. 10:00 a.m. Reading/Discussion. 900 S. 8th St. West Dundee, IL.
May 25 (Thursday): Glen Ellyn Public Library. 6:30 p.m. No Shush Salon. Featured reader (after open mike). 400 Duane St. Glen Ellyn, IL
June 11 (Sunday): First Cong. Church of Glen Ellyn. 10:00 a.m. 535 Forest Ave., Glen Ellyn IL
June 18 (Sunday/Father’s Day). St. Charles Congregational UCC. 9:30 a.m. 40W451 Fox Mill Boulevard St. Charles, IL.
June 19-July 10: Writer-in-Residence, Lakeside Lab (Univ of Iowa, Iowa State Univ.), Lake Okoboji, Iowa.
August 20 (Sunday): 9:30 a.m. Reading. St. Matthew U.C.C. 1420 S. Gables Blvd. Wheaton, IL.
2022 EVENTS/READINGS
Thursday, Dec. 8. 6:00 p.m. Prairie Path Books. 255 Town Square Wheaton.
Sunday, Nov. 13. 9:45 a.m. Faith Lutheran Church. 41 N. Park Blvd. Glen Ellyn, IL.
Saturday, Nov. 12. Keynote: “The Framed Moment.” St. Francis Writer’s Conference. 9:00 a.m. University of St. Francis. Joliet, IL.
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 12:00/noon. Friends of American Writers reading series. The Fortnightly Club, 120 E. Belleview Place. Chicago.
Sunday, Oct. 9. Reading/Discussion. 9:15 a.m. Iowa City UCC. 30 N. Clinton St. Iowa City, IA.
Thursday, Oct. 6. Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
Kalamazoo MI. 10:00p.m: “The Craft of CNF”; 2:00 p.m.: Public Reading from The Long Way Home.
Sunday, Oct. 2. 9:00 a.m. Ames UCC. 217 6th St. Ames, Iowa.
Saturday, Oct. 1st. Reading with John Price and Debra Marquardt and The Bone People. 6:00 pm. C.Y. Stephens Aud, The Goldfinch Room. Ames, Iowa.
Monday, Sept. 26. Red Dragan Reading Series. 7:30 p.m. Morris Conference Center. SUNY-Oneonta. Oneonta, NY.
Sunday, Sept. 25. Riverstone Books. Squirrel Hill. 5:00 p.m. Pittsburgh PA.
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 7:00 p.m. Prairie Lights Bookstore, Iowa City, Iowa.
Sunday, Sept. 11. Printers Row Lit Fest. 11:00 a.m. “In conversation with Amity Carruba.” Grace Place.
637 S. Dearborn St. Chicago.
Saturday, Aug, 20. Book signing. The Bookstore.
Glen Ellyn IL. 1-2 p.m.
Sunday, July 31, 2:00 p.m. Maquoketa, Iowa. Iowa
Book Launch: Maquoketa Arts Experience. Reading/Discussion/Signing. 124 S.
Main. (In Person.)
Thursday, July 28. 7:00 p.m. Reading/Discussion. Glen Ellyn Public Library. 400 Duane Ave. (In Person.)
Wednesday, July 20. 7:00 p.m. College of DuPage:
Reading and Discussion. Live via Zoom. REGISTER HERE FOR THE EVENT.
Tom Montgomery Fate 