Virtual Author Talks

 


April Virtual Authors 

 

The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us–A Sweeping History of Food and Culture with Smithsonian Curator Paula J. Johnson

  

tables with a lot of food on it

 

Tuesday, April 2 at 2 pm

 

Virtually step into the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History with Curator Paula Johnson as she discusses the book Smithsonian American Table: The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us. American Table is a sweeping history of food and culture that summons everyone to the table for a fresh look at some of the people, ingredients, events, and movements that have shaped how and what we eat. Johnson, curator and project director of the American Food History Project, will discuss several stories featured in the volume, with an emphasis on those that intersect most directly with the Smithsonian’s research, collecting, and programming around food history. 

This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

 

Register now! 

 


 

From Murder to Atonement–Confronting My Son’s Killer with Diane Foley & Colum McCann

  

man and woman with book cover showing sad man

 

Tuesday, April 9 at 2 pm

 

Join us for a one-of-a-kind conversation with National Book Award-winner Colum McCann as he is joined by Diane Foley, the inspiration behind the heartrending book American Mother. American Mother is the story of a mother who, in the course of confronting her son’s killer, gets to the elemental heart of violence and forgiveness. Diane Foley is the mother of Jim, a freelance journalist captured and beheaded by ISIS in 2014, an image that became one of the most iconic of the 21st century. Seven years later, Diane gets the chance to spend three days with the murderer of her son in a Virginia courthouse, inspiring her to tell her life story. What unfolds is one of the most compelling narratives in recent literary history, channeled into searing reality by New York Times bestselling author Colum McCann, who brings us on a journey of strength, resilience, and radical empathy. You are sure to be moved by McCann's writing and Foley’s uncompromising love. 

This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

 

Register now! 

 


 

A Literary Examination of Power, Love, and Art with Xochitl Gonzalez

  

colorful book covers and author

 

Wednesday, April 17 at 8 pm

 

We cannot wait for you to join us as we virtually chat with award-winning and bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez about her newest novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last. Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love, and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite. In 1985. Anita de Monte, a rising star in the art world, is found dead in New York City; her tragic death is the talk of the town. Until it isn’t. By 1998 Anita’s name had been all but forgotten―certainly by the time Raquel, a third-year art history student was preparing her final thesis. On College Hill, surrounded by privileged students whose futures are already paved out for them, Raquel feels like an outsider. But when Raquel becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she finds herself unexpectedly rising up the social ranks. As she attempts to straddle both worlds, she stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist. 

This program is presented in partnership with the Marathon Center for the Performing Arts.

 

Register now!