Thursday, October 8, 5:00pm

Join Dr. Karen Shaw of King University for The Novel in Letters Reading Group to explore epistolary novels, starting with Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson.

Saturday, October 10, 12:00-7:00pm

Join us on Saturday, October 10 as we join other organizations, festivalgoers, entertainers, and lots of other folks to celebrate TriPride in Bristol!

Dragonfly Book Bar will be open as normal (11:00am-8:00pm), and we will also have a booth at Bristol’s TriPride Festival in Cumberland Square Park. We’ll have a wide selection of LGBTQIA+ books for sale at the festival, and we invite folks to stop by Dragonfly throughout the day to take a break for additional book shopping, a drink, and our cozy vibe!

Monday, October 12, 5:30pm

Join us on Monday, October 12, 5:30pm for our monthly book club meeting. We’ll be discussing The Odyssey by Homer and translated by Emily Wilson. Dragonfly Book Club is free and open to the public, and you can purchase the book at a 10% discount as a book club attendee! You can join the Facebook group via the link below.

Please note that Dragonfly is closed on Mondays, but we are open to book club and the doors will be unlocked at 5:15pm.

Saturday, October 17, 3:00-5:00pm

Every third Saturday of the month we invite writers of all types - from published and aspiring authors to poets to journalers, and more - to hang out at Dragonfly with like-minded folks. This is a great space to share your creativity with others, network with other writers, get feedback on your work, and get inspired. Each gathering begins with a 10-15 minute writing prompt exercise, but then the rest of the time is guided by the participants. Join us and get writing!

If you are interested in signing up for the Writers’ Gathering email list, please use the link below.

Saturday, October 17, 5:30-7:00pm

Join us on Saturday, October 17, as we welcome author Daniel J. Rice and singer/songwriter Roger Ramsey for an entertaining and introspective evening. Rice will discuss the backstory of his new novel, Young but Free. and provide readings. Ramsey will share stories of the trail and play songs from his new album, Folk Singer.

Young but Free follows an 18-year-old through his last semester in high school during 1999, the final graduating class of a century and millennium. He experiences a family tragedy which lures him into a life of crime. As he begins to realize the impact that his lifestyle has on the people around him, he decides to change. But change is never easy, and the temptations grow stronger, so he begins to separate himself by traveling alone into the mountains with a fly rod.

Everyone who purchases a book will receive a drink token from the author that can be redeemed for $5 off your bar purchase!

Roger Ramsey played at the 2026 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. He is a western-country songwriter based out of the smoky hills of Tennessee, by way of the Northeastern river lands. He was a finalist in the 2023 & 2024 Tennessee Songwriter’s Contest, and sings stories about traveling across the Rockies & beyond as an outdoorsman, busker, and chuckwagon cook.

Friday, October 23, 5:00-8:00pm

Every fourth Friday, we invite fellow puzzlers and board/card gamers to hang out with us throughout the evening. You can bring your own puzzles and games, or borrow some of ours!

Saturday, October 24, 2:00-4:00pm

Join us on Saturday, October 24, 2:00-4:00pm for an afternoon of poetry from Had I a Dove: Appalachian Poets on the Helene Flood, winner of the 2025 Weatherford Award for Poetry.

Edited by North Carolina poet Hilda Downer, this collection gathers the voices of poets—many directly impacted by the Helene Flood—whose work bears witness to devastation, resilience, and the urgent realities of climate change in Appalachia. The poems span the spectrum of grief, resilience, and reflection, while also drawing attention to the broader issues of environmental exploitation and its consequences.

Readers include Wally Smith, Bristol’s own David Winship, Eleanor Hjemmet with accompanist Tom Antonucci, Ann Shurgin, and Hilda Downer.

Proceeds from book sales at the event will benefit the Helene Flood Relief Fund.

Saturday, October 24, 5:30-7:30pm

Join us on Saturday, October 24 for a fun evening with Jordan Glover Creations! This month’s painting is Halloween-themed to get us ready for spooky season.

The class is $25 (drinks not included), and you can reserve your spot by messaging Jordan via her Facebook page linked below.

Sunday, Novemer 1, 2:00-5:00pm

Every first Sunday, we invite creators of all types to hang out at Dragonfly and get their craft on. Bring your crochet or knitting, coloring books, journals, models, and more!

Our only restriction: No glitter please!

Saturday, November 7, 2:00pm (Almost sold out!)

Join us on Saturday, November 7, 2:00pm at the Cameo Theatre in Bristol as we welcome bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Barbara Kingsolver for the only local release event for her newest novel, Partita! Barbara will discuss and read from the book, and take questions from the audience for a lively conversation with her hometown and regional crowd.

Livia Cable has made her peace with her marriage and modest livelihood in the farm country where she grew up, until a shocking phone call from an old lover shakes her to the core. Decades earlier, this man knew her as Livia Bohusz, a music conservatory student estranged from her home and family, uncertain of anything except her passion for music and promise as an extraordinary pianist. His request, now, to see her again stirs up ghosts she’s kept at bay for a lifetime.

With her customary acuity and deep affection for southern Appalachia, Barbara brings us a new cast of unforgettable characters in Partita: farmers, musicians, mothers and daughters, lovers and leavers, the hopeful and the bereft. Together their story offers fresh reflections on class barriers, the risks of ambition, and the timeless, transformative powers of art.

Two ticket tiers are available: $45 includes a hardcover copy of the book and entry to the event; $25 includes entry to the event. Partial proceeds will benefit Higher Ground Women’s Recovery Residence in Lee County, Virginia, which was established by Barbara with royalties from Demon Copperhead. 

Please note that copies of Partita will not be signed, and this event does not include an author signing of any other books or memorabilia or a photo line.