Cleveland Poetry Week and Independent Bookstore Day are converging this weekend with a multiday celebration of writers and local bookstores.

Why it matters: Our literary scene is thriving. After years of patient growth, Cleveland is building real literary momentum with yet another event that celebrates authors both locally and nationally.

Driving the news: Literary Cleveland's annual Poetry Festival runs through Saturday, culminating in a poetry crawl at bookstores citywide.

• The theme this year — inspired by a yearlong Toni Morrison celebration — is "Language as Liberation."

Stop by: See the full list of events here.

• Thursday: A virtual workshop led by Columbus poet Scott Woods focuses on creative experimentation via "genre-bending edits."
• Friday: A free reading at the Heights Theater brings together Cleveland Arts Prize-winning poets — including Mary Biddinger, Dave Lucas and Philip Metres — plus a tribute to former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove.
• Saturday: The main event — a Poetry Crawl to eight independent bookstores, featuring more than 30 poets and an open-mic finale at Visible Voice.

Fun fact: Northeast Ohio is a poetry hub, having produced heavyweights like Langston Hughes, Hart Crane, Mary Oliver and Dove.

The bottom line: Organizations like Literary Cleveland are building on that legacy, celebrating Northeast Ohio's literary tradition while nurturing a pipeline of emerging writers to keep that tradition alive.

📆 What's next: For nonfiction lovers, Patrick Radden Keefe will be in town next week as part of the William N. Skirball Writers Center Stage series.

Cleveland's in the catbird's seat in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Why it matters: Not only are Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and the Cavs up 2-0 against the Toronto Raptors, they are the only Eastern Conference favorite to remain undefeated.

Driving the news: Games 3 and 4 will be played in Toronto — Thursday at 8pm (Amazon Prime) and Sunday at 1pm (ESPN).

• The official local Cavs watch parties will take place at the Clevelander Bar and Grill today and at the new Shooters in the Flats Sunday.

🔒 Weekly winners: Mitchell, Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have anchored a dominant starting lineup.

• But the defensive prowess of fifth starter Dean Wade — the "White Blanket" — has been most impressive of all.
• Wade held Raptors' leading scorer Brandon Ingram to just seven points on 3-of-15 shooting in Monday's victory.

📉 Weekly losers: Regular-season sharpshooters Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson have yet to get comfortable in the brighter lights of the postseason.

• They combined for just eight points Monday.

🙌 Stunning stat: The longest playoff winning streak against a single team in NBA history is 12 — the Cavs against the Raptors; the Cavs against the Detroit Pistons; and the Cavs against the Atlanta Hawks.

• All three streaks are active, meaning the Cavs can break their own NBA record if they win today.

💭 Sam's thought bubble: I have tickets to Game 5 in Cleveland, and I figure I'm in a win-win situation.

• If the Cavs sweep in Toronto, I get my money back. If they don't, I get the chance to see them clinch the series at home.

👀 Cuyahoga County canceled a special meeting yesterday without explanation that was expected to help clear legal hurdles and restart planning for the county jail. (Cleveland.com)

⚽️ The National Women's Soccer League officially awarded Columbus its 18th franchise this week. The team will start play in 2028. (Axios Columbus)

🤫 Elyria officials plan to correct a city law that has erroneously listed a curfew of 12pm — noon, not midnight — for decades. (Cleveland.com)

North Royalton Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz plans to retire at the end of the month due to health issues. (Fox 8)

"Who cares? Give it to somebody else. Fantastic."

Mariah Carey has responded to once again missing out on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.

The intrigue: TMZ caught up with the pop diva, who brushed off the snub and thanked her fans for their support.

• Carey was nominated for the third consecutive year but failed to make the class of 2026, which will be honored during a ceremony in Los Angeles on Nov. 14.

Stunning fact: This is your annual reminder that Carey's lawyer (yes, her lawyer!) was inducted four years ago.

• Apparently, singing on 19 No. 1 hits doesn't beat filing the copyright paperwork for them.

Go deeper: The Rock Hall's Mariah Carey problem

More U.S. home sellers are becoming what Zillow calls "accidental landlords" — 2.3% of rental listings on its platform in October were previously for sale, according to the real estate site.

The big picture: That's the highest level since late 2022, when mortgage rates topped 7%.

• As buyers gain leverage and homes take longer to sell, a growing share of homeowners are renting their properties out instead.

Zoom in: Fortunately, the trend hasn't taken off in Cleveland, where just 1.5% of listings fall into the "accidental landlord" category.

• That's the ninth-lowest percentage among major metros.

Zoom out: Shares were lowest in Providence (0.6%), Boston (0.6%) and New York (0.7%).

• Texas and Florida had seven of the 10 metros with the highest shares of accidental landlords, while Denver led at 4.9%.

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