Lit Crawl Boston 2025

Comics have long been a space for raw truth and real emotion — not just action or laughs. Join comic artist-authors Michael Anthony (Just Another Meat-Eating Dirtbag) and Damian Alexander (Other Boys) as they explore how the medium tackles the big stuff: identity, love, grief, the awkward, the ugly, the beautiful, and everything in between. It’s honest, it’s complex — and, just like life, still kind of hilarious. Moderated by Fin Leary.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.
 

Earfull is a hosted performance series featuring writers and musicians doing their respective things in an intimate setting. WRITERS read from their new books, or about-to-be books, or right from their crumpled up notes. MUSICIANS range from harpists to horn blowers, from solo songwriters to full-on rock bands. Earfull evenings offer food & drink at the venue, and time between acts to socialize.

On Thursday, June 12, we welcome author Jane Roper and musical act Highway Hosiery (with Elizabeth Steen and Jude Heichelbech). Hosted by Jen Trynin.

More about Earfull at earfull.org.

Beer, wine, and soft drinks available for purchase.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

It’s a party, celebrating the publication of Generation Queer, a vibrant collection spotlighting LGBTQ+ youth activists! Drop in to meet and chat with author Kimm Topping and create your own bio-or write one in honor of an LGBTQ+ activist, education, or artist. Signed copies of Generation Queer will be for sale.

Beer, wine, and soft drinks available for purchase.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

Celebrate Greater Boston's vibrant international community with live storytelling. Four extraordinary storytellers from diverse backgrounds will share meaningful personal stories on courage, community, culture, and more. Explore a world of experiences with Stellar Story Company.

Soft drinks and food available for purchase.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

It's almost summer, so some of Somerville's outstanding poets and outstanding citizens will be warming up our lives reading some of their own poems, including some about Somerville. It should be something Somervillians will never forget. Featuring Jennifer Badot, David Blair, Jennifer Clarvoe, Linda Haviland Conte, Doug Holder, Denise Provost, Hilary Sallick, Lloyd Schwartz, and Patrick Sylvain.

Jennifer Badot, author of A Violet, A Jennifer, has been greeting the sun and writing poems in Somerville for over 30 years.

David Blair is a poet you’d love walking around Somerville with, especially after reading his book of essays, Walk Around.

Jennifer Clarvoe has lived in Rome (Rome Prize) and Ohio (teaching at Kenyon College), but is now happily living in Somerville “for good.” Her next book is Piano Piano.

Linda Haviland Conte welcomes members to New England Poetry Club and is the author of the collection Seldom Purely.

Doug Holder is founder of the Ibbetson Street Press, and keeps poetry alive as arts/editor for The Somerville Times.

Denise Provost is a poet and writer who has been known to dabble in politics. Her most recent book is City of Stories.

Hilary Sallick teaches adult literacy classes at Somerville’s SCALE. Her most recent book, Love Is a Shore, is on the “poetry longlist” for the Mass Book Award.

Lloyd Schwartz is Somerville’s poet laureate.

Patrick Sylvain wears many hats: poet, writer, social and literary critic, and photographer. His most recent bilingual poetry collection is Unfinished Dreams.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

Two Page Tuesday brings the passion to Thursday! Come discover literary readings that are a little irreverent, a lot of fun, not too long, and about what's happening now, what folks have got going on in the works. The event kicks off with a brief generative writing game followed by (very) short reading of new work by local writers.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

Celebrate queer literature and creative expression at this hands-on workshop! Select a page from a book by a queer author and use that page, markers, and a range of art supplies to create, decorate, and share blackout poems. It's emotion by subtraction! QT Library is a Boston-based collective of LGBTQIA+ artists and organizers preparing to open a brick-and-mortar lending library and community space.

Wine available for purchase.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

The women of COVEN (a Charitable Organization of Very Enthusiastic Nerds) invite you to wear your lit-love proudly. Swing by to create a literary-themed button and, while you are there, step up to the Wheel of Fortune for a chance to spin the wheel, answer literary trivia, and win a prize that you know will be awesome because Very Enthusiastic Nerds selected it!

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

Watch poetry come to life as celebrated Boston-area poets write custom poems for Lit Crawlers. Offer a subject, word, image, or feeling, tell a story, or chat with the poets to discover a topic. Armed with honest-to-goodness clickety-clack typewriters, handmade paper, and their literary imaginations, they will create a poem for you in minutes - free of charge!

Soft drinks, alcohol, and food available for purchase.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

Two cartoonists, two easels, two markers -- and only one will win! The Boston Comic Arts Foundation presents an ultimate Comics Draw-Off with local cartoonists Betsey Swardlick and Andy Ristaino, who will take their pens to new creative heights in this interactive competition. Hosted by Braden Lamb.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

Massachusetts poets Stephanie Burt, Catherine Rockwood, and Rachel Trousdale take turns sharing their original work and writing custom couplets for the audience. Expect a mix of humor, insight, and lyricism from three distinctive and compelling voices.

Soft drinks and food available for purchase.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

Celebrate Bloomsday with humor, heart, and the rich language of James Joyce! The Here Comes Everybody Players bring short, light-hearted theatrical adaptations from Joyce’s celebrated novel Ulysses, featuring the famous character Leopold Bloom.  They also include material from Dubliners, and there’s traditional Irish music performed by the HCE Trio. Whether you're new to Joyce or a longtime fan, you’ll enjoy fresh takes on classic scenes—and discover new ones!

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

Join us for a festive celebration of four incredible years of Boston in 100 Words, the city’s beloved flash fiction contest. This special event will spotlight standout stories from years past while unveiling a selection of finalist pieces that have never before been shared publicly—until now! Be among the first to hear these powerful micro-narratives, and help make history by casting your vote in our inaugural “People’s Choice” awards. It’s an evening of storytelling by Bostonians, for Bostonians, and about the city we all call home. Don’t miss this chance to honor Boston’s vibrant literary spirit—one hundred words at a time.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

Boston Poetry Slam is back at Lit Crawl this year with their fan-favorite Haiku Slam! Audience members are encouraged to sign up to read haiku in a variety of categories. The slam is judged by audience reaction -- whoever gets the loudest cheers wins their round! Come hear more about the Boston Poetry Slam's programming and battle it out for short-form glory.

Soft drinks and food available for purchase.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

Love a good mystery? Come watch suspense come to life—unscripted and on the spot! A fun, fast-paced improv game in which mystery authors invent a new mystery story using suggestions from the audience. You decide how, where, and whodunnit! This event is presented by authors Edwin Hill, Tilia Klebenov Jacobs, Joanna Schaffhausen, and J. M. Taylor from the Mystery Writers of America - New England.

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.

“Tell all the truth but tell it slant.” Inspired by the immortal words of Emily Dickinson, come partake in this generative workshop that pairs the visual art form of collage with poetry! Poet and artist Leticia Priebe Rocha guides participants through an exciting process of discovery with different collaging materials and text to create your own hand-crafted collage. You will walk away with seeds of poems, deeper knowledge and experience with a visual art form, and a found poetry technique to help you “tell it slant.” All levels of experience with poetry and visual art are welcome!

Please note that Lit Crawl Boston events are NOT ticketed. All events are on a first come first served basis.