TOMORROW

Thursday, May 16th at 7 PM (in-person)

Melanie Brooks, author of Writing Hard Stories, joins us to discuss her new memoir, A Hard Silence. Melanie will be in conversation with Andre Dubus III, author of House of Sand and Fog and his latest novel, Such Kindness.

A Hard Silence is an intimate glimpse into Melanie's memories of coping with the tragedy of her father's illness and enduring the loneliness and isolation of not being able to speak. With candor and vulnerability, Melanie opens her grief wounds and brings her reader inside her journey, twenty years after her father died, to finally understand the consequences of her family's silence, to interrogate the roots of stigma and discrimination responsible for the ongoing secret-keeping, and to show how she's now learned to be authentic.

“A profound and riveting journey through shame and grief, A Hard Silence is, quite simply, unforgettable.” Monica Wood, author of When We Were the Kennedys

Friday, May 17th at 3pm (in-person)

Horn Book Honoree Loree Griffin Burns joins us for a Meet & Greet in honor of her new book, One Long Line: Marching Caterpillars and the Scientists Who Followed Them. No need to RSVP, just come by anytime between 3:00–4:00pm to say hi!

About the book:

The first title in a brand-new early chapter book series from Loree Griffin Burns, Jamie Green, and MITKids spotlights remarkable creatures, inquisitive people, and fascinating conversations. The creatures? Pine processionary caterpillars with mysterious group marching habits. The people? Jean Henri Fabre and, many years later, Terrence Fitzgerald—scientists who became intensely curious about the caterpillars and their marching. And the conversations? They span lifetimes, as one researcher continues a dialogue started by the other. In this playful, candid, and accessible book for young readers, Burns pulls readers straight into the “ask, test, repeat” nature of the scientific process, demonstrating how human curiosity creates one long line of learning.

Sunday, June 2nd at 1 PM (in-person)

Todd Boss, author of the picture book The Boy Who Said WOW, joins us along with the book's star, Ronan Mattin, for a meet-and-greet. No need to RSVP, just come by anytime between 1:00–2:00pm to say hi!

About the book:

Inspired by the beautiful true story of a nonverbal boy moved to speech at his first Mozart concert, this picture book is a testament to the power of art and the boundless joy it can bring.

When Grandfather comes to take his grandson to a concert, Ronan is quiet as they leave the house, quiet in the car, and quiet at the concert hall. But when the performance is over and the beautiful music fades out at last, Ronan opens his mouth…and lets out a great big WOW!

Not any old WOW, but Ronan’s very first WOW! That one word fills up the hearts of Ronan’s family, the musicians, the audience, and—when the recording goes viral—the world.

Thursday, June 6th at 7 PM (in-person)

Ann Leary, bestselling author of The Foundling and The Good House joins us to discuss her new collection of essays, I've Tried Being Nice.

Having arrived at a certain age (her prime), Ann Leary casts a wry backward glance at a life spent trying—and often failing—to be nice. With wit and surprising candor, Leary recounts the bedlam of home bat invasions, an obsession with online personality tests, and the mortification of taking ballroom dance lessons with her actor husband. She describes hilarious red-carpet fiascos and other observations from the sidelines of fame, while also touching upon her more poignant struggles with alcoholism, her love for her family, her dogs, and so much more.

“[A] winning essay collection…The humor lands and the lithe prose elevates Leary’s musings on life’s mundanities. This is a gem.” —Publisher's Weekly