The Loft’s Wordplay and Montclair Literary Festival combine forces to present: Try a Little Tenderness. Rowan Hisayo Buchanan (Starling Days: A Novel) and Festival author Douglas Stuart (Shuggie Bain) appear in conversation with local Montclair author Nancy Star (Rules for Moving).

This is a free online event. You can register for the event here or watch it from Loft.org’s website or on their Facebook page.

Starling Days is the journey of a woman reclaiming her autonomy, security, and mental health, ultimately leading her to new sources of happiness and complicated new relationships. Shuggie Bain tells the story of a young boy growing up in Scotland’s run-down public housing, revealing the raw struggles of addiction, sexuality, and love entrenched in working class life. Rules for Moving follows a beloved advice columnist whose life is falling apart.

Together, these writers explore the intersection of self-love and self-forgiveness in the realms of mental health, relationships, and forging a new identity after years of sacrifice and struggle.

You can pre-order Nancy’s new book Rules for Moving, out in May, and purchase copies of Shuggie Bain and Starling Days, from Festival partner Watchung Booksellers here. Shipping or contactless pick-up only.