# Event Details

- **Event Name**: Maze Books February Book Club Discussion: Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman
- **Event Start and End Date**: Thu, 26 Feb, 2026 at 06:30 pm
- **Event Description**: Weird Black Girls: Stories
by Elwin Cotman

February is Black History Month and Maze Books is proud to showcase this collection of short stories by author Elwin Cotman. The Book Club Discussion will be held at Maze Books on Thursday, February 26th at 6:30pm. There is no cost to attend, and you do not need to purchase the book from Maze Books to attend. Copies are available at Maze Books and on our bookshop.org affiliate page. https://bookshop.org/a/86784/9781668018859

About the Book
“From Philip K. Dick Award finalist Elwin Cotman, an irresistibly unnerving collection of stories that explore the anxieties of living while Black—a high-wire act of literary-fantastical hybrid fiction.

A rural town finds itself under the authoritarian sway of a tree that punishes children. A pair of old friends navigate their fraught history as strange happenings escalate in a Mexican restaurant. A pair of narcissistic friends wreak havoc on an activist community. An aloof young man finds himself living through his lover’s memories. And a day of LARPing takes a cosmic turn.

In each of the seven stories in this collection, characters pursue their obsessions on paths to glory and destruction while around them their worlds twist and warp, oscillating between reality and impossibility. On display throughout is Cotman’s ability to reveal truths about the human experience—about friendship, love, betrayal, bitterness—through whimsy, horror, and fantasy. Elegiac in tone, imaginative and humorous in their execution, the character-driven stories in Weird Black Girls challenge, incite, and entertain.” (Simon & Schuster)

About the Author
Elwin Cotman was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the post-industrial landscape greatly influenced his love for myth and adventure. He is the author of three prior collections of speculative short stories: The Jack Daniels Sessions EP, Hard Times Blues, and Dance on Saturday, which was a finalist of the Philip K. Dick Award. Cotman is the recipient of a Whiting Award and holds a BA from the University of Pittsburgh and an MFA from Mills College. (Simon & Schuster)
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/rockford/maze-books-february-book-club-discussion-weird-black-girls-stories-by-elwin-cotman/200029675573305
- **Event Categories**: art, literary-art, contests, trips-adventures, black-history-month
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 30

## Ticket Details


## Event venue details

- **city**: Rockford
- **state**: IL
- **country**: United States
- **location**: 406 E. State St. , Rockford, IL, United States, Illinois 61104
- **lat**: 42.26833
- **long**: -89.08838
- **full address**: 406 E. State St. , Rockford, IL, United States, Illinois 61104

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: Maze Books February Book Club Discussion: Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/188e47c5d3a16bd91ba0011277d70ea859175b79bd9935733cbaede8496a5267-rimg-w1200-h1500-dc85efc3-gmir?v=1772007071

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is Maze Books February Book Club Discussion: Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman being held?
  - **A:** Maze Books February Book Club Discussion: Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman takes place on Thu, 26 Feb, 2026 at 06:30 pm to Thu, 26 Feb, 2026 at 06:30 pm at 406 E. State St. , Rockford, IL, United States, Illinois 61104.
- **Q**: Who is organizing Maze Books February Book Club Discussion: Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman?
  - **A:** Maze Books February Book Club Discussion: Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman is organized by Maze Books.

## Structured Data (JSON-LD)

```json
[
    {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "Event",
        "name": "Maze Books February Book Club Discussion: Weird Black Girls: Stories by Elwin Cotman",
        "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/188e47c5d3a16bd91ba0011277d70ea859175b79bd9935733cbaede8496a5267-rimg-w1200-h1500-dc85efc3-gmir?v=1772007071",
        "startDate": "2026-02-26",
        "url": "https://allevents.in/rockford/maze-books-february-book-club-discussion-weird-black-girls-stories-by-elwin-cotman/200029675573305",
        "location": {
            "@type": "Place",
            "name": "406 E. State St. , Rockford, IL, United States, Illinois 61104",
            "address": {
                "@type": "PostalAddress",
                "streetAddress": "406 E State St, Rockford, IL 61104-1015, United States",
                "addressLocality": "Rockford",
                "addressRegion": "IL",
                "addressCountry": "US"
            },
            "geo": {
                "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
                "latitude": "42.26833",
                "longitude": "-89.08838"
            }
        },
        "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode",
        "description": "Weird Black Girls: Stories\nby Elwin Cotman\n\nFebruary is Black History Month and Maze Books is proud to showcase this collection of short stories by author Elwin Cotman. The Book Club Discussion will be held at Maze Books on Thursday, February 26th at 6:30pm. There is no cost to attend, and you do no",
        "organizer": [
            {
                "@type": "Organization",
                "name": "Maze Books",
                "url": "https://allevents.in/org/maze-books/19582465"
            }
        ]
    }
]
```