The Sleeping Giant Reading Series brings writers and book lovers together. In the long shadow of Hamden’s Sleeping Giant, writers of every kind gather to hear professional readings, raise a glass, network, and support one another’s work. All are welcome, whether you’re a scribbler who hasn’t yet dared to call yourself a “writer” or an experienced published author.
Sandi Shelton, writing as Maddie Dawson, is a Washington Post and USA Today bestselling author and has written eleven novels, translated into sixteen languages. She's a former humor columnist for the New Haven Register. Her latest novel, Let's Pretend This Will Work, is a romantic comedy set in New Haven in 1982, featuring a daycare co-op, and was an instant Amazon bestseller for humorous fiction. Kirkus has called her a "generous storyteller, creating characters who are both complex and unexpected while being wholly relatable."
Called one of "New Haven’s most gifted fiction writers" by the New Haven Independent, Hirsh Sawhney is the author of South Haven, a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Pick. The novel was nominated for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature and described by Jayne Anne Phillips as “bold, accessible, funny, and heartbreaking.” Hirsh’s essays and reviews have appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, the New York Times Book Review, the Guardian, the Indian Express, Harvard Review, the Financial Times, and Outlook. He teaches at Wesleyan University.
Join us for first-hour readings by guest writers, including some of the great voices of our day, followed by Writers’ Happy Hour, a chance to meet fellow writers, ask questions, lend your support, and have fun together!
Curated by local writers Alice Mattison, Sandi Shelton (aka Maddie Dawson), Kathy Czepiel, and Heather Jessen, the Sleeping Giant Reading Series happens every third Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Best Video Film and Cultural Center in Hamden, Connecticut. The Sleeping Giant Reading Series is free to attend. Donations at the door for our guest readers are always appreciated.