Hear Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and #1 New York Times bestselling author Jon Meacham discuss his new book And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle in an online event on THURSDAY DECEMBER 8 (NEW DATE) at 7 p.m. (EST). Jon will be in conversation with Rutgers University professor and political historian Louis Masur.

In this new illuminating portrait, Meacham chronicles the life of Lincoln from his birth on the Kentucky frontier in 1809 to his leadership during the Civil War to his assassination in 1865: his rise, his self-education, his loves, his bouts with depression, his political fairness, his deepening faith, and his persistent conviction that slavery must end.

Tickets cost $40 and include a signed copy of the book (value $40). Online event only tickets are available for $10. The event will be held on Crowdcast; a registration and viewing link will be sent after ticket purchase.

Books can be picked up at Festival partner watchung booksellers in Montclair, or shipped to your home address (additional cost, select option when selecting ticket; shipping only available within the US). Books should be picked up within two weeks after the event and will not be held after that date (unless otherwise agreed).

Any proceeds from the festival benefit parent organization, Montclair-based non-profit Succeed2gether, which offers after-school one-on-one tutoring and enrichment classes with the aim of closing the education and opportunity gaps in Essex County, NJ. You can read more about Succeed2gether and the festival at www.succeed2gether.org.

The festival organizing committee wishes to thank its event partners, festival sponsors, and community members.