R.J. Julia's Roxanne Coady On What We Can Look Forward To For October

Dear Reader,

There are so many times that customers tell me they wish that we could get "so-and-so" to the store.  Then, they lament when I let them know that the author has just been here to the store.  We all get so much info that I thought a letter might be better way to highlight events for you - so here are a few October events that might entice you.

Julie Salamon Wendy and the Lost Boys:  The Uncommon Life of Wendy Wasserstein
Julie has written a great big delicious biography of this brilliant playwright.  Many of us have experienced Wendy's plays - Heidi Chronicles, Uncommon Women etc with laughter, understanding and a deep connection with her characters. Where did all this great material come from? Julie explores Wendy's complicated family, politics, psychology, the theatre business, culture and sexuality (yes-all in one book) to answer these questions. And as a bonus- Julie, who is a highly respected critic for the New York Times and the author of 7 fantastic books is herself, fascinating to listen to.  So for those of you interested in theatre, playwriting and great family psychology this is for you. Plus how utterly refreshing and gratifying to read about a celebrity so deserving of the attention.  Click here.

The Kenyon Review with David Lynn and Gretchen Henderson
I think The Kenyon Review is one of the finest literary magazines being published today (ok I may be  biased as a long time board member, but there is 3rd party confirmation!). Each issue contains glorious poetry, sparkling short stories, provocative new writers and an ethos of the beauty and power of language. We will be joined by the charming managing editor, David Lynn and Gretchen Henderson, one of their new young writers. Please join us as David and I discuss the state of publishing, the world of writing and the opportunity to hear a few pieces from the latest issue.  Please click here to reserve your seat.

Hillary Jordan When She Woke
Provocative.  Riveting.  Unputdownable. That's the buzz about  Hillary Jordan's new book, When She Woke.  She weaves every hot topic issue involving women, religion and government intervention you can think of into this imaginative novel.  There is plenty here to keep your bookclub or friends engaged in lively conversation.  Many of you are fans of her previous book Mudbound and she has created more intriguing story telling in this new book.  This is one of the books that is expected to be all the rage this fall.  Be first on your block to hear about it and meet the author.  Click here.

Steven Brill Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America's School System
For any parent or concerned citizen  interested in understanding and/or fixing one of the most critical and vexing issues today-the failure of our education system-please join us.  Steve Brill is a gifted journalist (many of you may have read his brilliant article of the so called Rubber Rooms in the NYC educational system) and in this new book he manages to relay the complexity and magnitude of the problems.  Appealingly he offers a vivid, balanced and impeccably researched view. The Connecticut Council for Educational Reform is co-sponsoring this event and we hope you will join us at The Study at Yale Hotel in New Haven to discuss the challenges and possibilities for our educational system.  Click here.

Business Bookclub: Featuring Drive by Daniel Pink. Facilitated by Camille Murphy CPA and myself
So many of us are constantly on the run, never getting to the important but not urgent items on our to-do lists. One of those items for me is the opportunity to talk with other business people about ways to improve how we operate as business owners and managers. Inevitably when we host these discussions participants are energized and we all come away with new ideas and a fresh direction.  There are rave reviews for Drive, praising how it explores what motivates people and what ingredients contribute to their decision making.  Please join us for a great discussion, an opportunity to meet other people seeking ways to improve their business, and what is likely to be a session of fresh ideas.  Click here. 

Pitchapalooza Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry
Ok this is one of the coolest events we've offered in a long time.  Arielle Eckstut has been a literary agent for 18 years at The Levine Greenberg Literary Agency and David Henry Sterry is the best-selling author of 12 books, on a wide variety of subject including memoir, sports, YA fiction and reference.  They are bringing Pitchapalooza to us!  It is basically American Idol for books (only without Simon). Twenty writers will be selected at random to pitch their book. Each writer gets one minute-and only one minute! (In the last month, three writers have gotten publishing deals as a result of participating in Pitchapalooza in other locations).  At the end of Pitchapalooza, the winner with the best pitch receives an introduction to an agent or publisher appropriate for his/her book.  Click here for more info.

And... there are even more events-click here for a whole listing.

See you in the store,

Roxanne

P.S. The other night our beloved Gina Barreca was here for her latest book --- joined by eight of the contributing writers. It was a glorious night-over 150 people packing the bookstore, laughing out loud, listening to  new young writers and enjoying the energy. Nights like these make me thrilled  to be a bookseller-how lucky are we that it happens right here in our community. The book is a charming, funny examination of the ways in which we women relish, cherish or avoid the place that drinking has in our lives. We have only 10 copies left signed by all the writers there that evening-treat yourself or a friend.

PPS Please let me know the best way to let you know about events-this kind of email?  Weekly emails? Snail mail calendar of events?  More info in store? Other ideas?

PPPS We are holding a booksigning with Jodi Picoult, David Baldacci, and John Grisham!  Yes, you read that right!  Need I say more?  Click here for details.