Eight events this week in the Buffalo literary community.

Monday, Sept. 22, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.: An Afternoon with Novelist and Art Historian Thomas Schlesser: Mona’s Eyes at the Buffalo AKG, Author Museum Tour and Book Signing.

The program will begin at 4 p.m. with a tour of the Museum led by the author, whose day job is art historian, professor and museum director. Warm, wonderfully engaging, and deeply knowledgeable, he’ll highlight some of his favorites from the Museum’s collection. Museum admission is required for this unique and memorable offering.

For the second half of the program, Talking Leaves booksellers Jonathon Welch and Lucy Kogler will lead the Q&A with Mr. Schlesser about his new novel Mona’s Eyes (Europa Editions, 2025), which is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of Talking Leaves Books. Purchasing your book from Talking Leaves is the best way to show your support. A portion of book sales will benefit the Museum.

Thomas Schlesser is the director of the Hartung-Bergman Foundation in the Antibes, France. He teaches Art History at the École Polytechnique in Paris and is the author of several books about art and its relationship to politics in the 20th century. He is the grandson of André Schlesser, known as Dadé, a well-known singer who founded of the Cabaret L’Écluse. Mona’s Eyes is Schlesser’s American debut. It has been translated into thirty-seven languages, including Braille.

Buffalo AKG Art Museum, 1285 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo.

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Tuesday Night Open Mic Series at the Em Tea Coffeecup Café. All are welcome whether new to poetry or a long-time member of the community. 80 Oakgrove Ave., Buffalo, NY. Free and open to the public.

Wednesday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.: El poema es el Animal Hundiendo la Boca en el Manantial Lectura de Poesía bilingue/ The poem is the animal sinking its mouth into the Source, a Bilingual Poetry Reading featuring Diego Espíritu, Christina Vega Westhoff, Marlon PV, and Nuno Brito. Fitz Books, 1462 Main St., Buffalo. Free and open to the public.

Thursday, Sept. 25, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Books and Bottles, a Book Fair at The Ridge West Seneca. Choose from a large sampling of beer and food, purchase a signed copy of a book from one or more of the ten participating Buffalo-area based authors and hear brief readings from each of them from their books. The Ridge West Seneca, 555 Orchard Park Road, West Seneca, NY 14224.

Thursday, Sept. 25, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Kenmore Village Improvement Society presents an Open Mic Poetry Night hosted by Geoffrey Gatza and featuring Buffalo-based poet Ed Taylor . Additional reading slots available. Free and open to the public. 7 Warren Ave., Kenmore, N.Y.

Friday, Sept. 26, 6 p.m.: Fourth Friday Reading Series at Dog Ears Books. This month’s featured reader is poet and spoken word artist Dallas Taylor. Additional reading slots available. Dog Ears Bookstore and Cafe, 688 Abbott Road, 2nd floor, in Buffalo. Admission to the event is $5. Proceeds benefit the Dog Ears Bookstore, a 501 c (3) not-for-profit organization.

Friday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m.: Ground & Sky Poetry Open Mic in Bidwell Park hosted by Joel Lesses. Caffe Aroma, 957 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo. Free and open to the public.

Sunday, 5 p.m.: Limited Palette 08, The Rejection of Tradition, a Blue Bag Press reading featuring Detroit-based poet Edie Roberts, with music and words by Chango and Sage Enderton, and a reading by Dio Torres. Fitz Books, 1462 Main St., Buffalo.