Frances Cha’s riveting debut novel If I Had Your Face, depicts four young women making their way in a world defined by impossible standards of beauty, ruthless social hierarchies and K-pop mania. She speaks with Nancy Jooyoun Kim, author of The Last Story of Mina Lee, a Reese’s Book Club pick and New York Times bestseller. Her debut novel illustrates …
Online Book Talk: New Voices with Amir Ahmadi Arian and Ruvanee Pietersz Vilhauer
Then the Fish Swallowed Him is Amir Ahmadi Arian’s acclaimed first novel in English after a career as a journalist, author and translator in Iran. Ruvanee Pietersz Vilhauer is a psychology professor and science writer who has turned to fiction with her first novel, a hypnotic thriller: The Mask Collectors. Nancy Star talks to these two compelling debut novelists, accomplished …
Online Book Talk: Kevin Barry “That Old Country Music”
Explore contemporary Ireland with Kevin Barry, author of the wildly acclaimed Night Boat to Tangier, as he talks about his wonderful new collection of short stories, That Old Country Music. Kevin will be speaking from County Sligo, Ireland, with award-winning writer Matthew Thomas. This is a free talk, held live online via Crowdcast; register and view here. That Old Country …
Online Book Talk: Deesha Philyaw “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies”
Join us for the first Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival event for 2021 – a talk by Deesha Philyaw about her debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. Her book was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for fiction and for the Story Prize. It focuses on Black women, sex, and the Black church and features four generations of …
Online Book Talk: 2020 and The Future of American Politics
Welcome to Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival 2020! Our eighth FREE online event is a discussion about American politics in 2020 and what lies ahead. Register here. From his anti-immigration campaign in 2016 through the Democratic wave of 2018 and impeachment, Donald Trump has been the most polarizing president in modern history. New York Times National Correspondent Kate Zernike leads a discussion about the …
Online Book Talk: Virtual Brunch with Adam Platt
Welcome to Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival 2020! Join us for our last Festival event – Virtual Brunch with Adam Platt. Grab take-out from your favorite local eatery or cook your own and tell us what you’re eating! Register here. Food writer and journalist Marissa Rothkopf Bates talks with Adam Platt, New York Magazine food critic and the author of The Book of Eating: Adventures in Professional …
Online Book Talk: The Future of Reading
Welcome to Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival 2020! Our fifth FREE online event is a conversation about reading, writing, and the role of libraries. Please note this event has been pre-recorded so the Q&A function is disabled. Register here. Montclair Public Library Director Peter Coyl talks with Newark Librarian Maisy Card about her electric family saga, These Ghosts are Family, and about how being a librarian impacted …
Online Book Talk: American Poison with Eduardo Porter
Welcome to Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival 2020! Our seventh FREE online event is a discussion about American racism and the ongoing wounds. Register here. Veteran NY Times journalist Eduardo Porter’s book, American Poison: How Racial Hostility Destroyed Our Promise, is a sweeping examination of how American racism has broken the country’s social compact, eroded America’s common goods, and damaged the lives of every American—and …
Online Book Talk: Gender Politics – Breaking Boundaries
Welcome to Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival 2020! Our sixth FREE online event is a discussion about gender politics and women breaking boundaries. Register here. Montclair State University Professor and Chair of Sociology, Yasemin Besen-Cassino talks to the authors of three recent books about women breaking cultural norms and how their experience reflects on the gender politics of today. Nancy Princenthal’s Unspeakable Acts: Women, …
Online Book Talk: Addiction and the Family
Welcome to Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival 2020! Our fourth FREE online event is a discussion about addiction and how it affects the family dynamic. Register here. Eilene Zimmerman’s powerful memoir, Smacked: A Story of White Collar Ambition, Addiction and Tragedy, examines the world of white-collar drug abuse as the author pieces together the mysteries surrounding her ex-husband’s descent into drug addiction, while Dr. Larry …
Online Book Talk: Sport – In the Zone
Welcome to Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival 2020! Our third FREE online event is a discussion about sports and being ‘in the zone’. Register here. The Hot Hand: The Mystery and Science of Streaks by Ben Cohen, Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed by Matthew Futterman, and Astroball: The New Way to Win it All, by Ben Reiter, are …
Online Book Talk: Race/History – America’s Journey
Welcome to Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival 2020! Our second FREE online event is a Race/History discussion about America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation. Register here. An exploration of the legacy of slavery in our country and its impact on racial segregation, African-American culture, and the preservation of African traditions and identity, with Steve Luxenberg, author of Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and …
Online Fiction Book Talk: Dark Matters – Outsider Female Narrators
Welcome to Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival 2020! Kicking off our day of FREE online events is a Fiction discussion about Dark Matters: Outsider Female Narrators. Register here. Mona Awad (Bunny, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl), Lauren Acampora (The Paper Wasp, The Wonder Garden) and Laura Sims (Looker) consider their female characters’ tendencies toward loneliness, obsession, delusion, and, ultimately, violence. Why are these characters and …
Online Book Talk: Bill Buford “Dirt” with Ruth Reichl
Join us for an entertaining and gastronomic evening with former editor of Granta magazine and writer and editor for The New Yorker Bill Buford talking about his latest book Dirt with bestselling author, food editor and restaurant critic, and former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine Ruth Reichl. Dirt is a hilariously self-deprecating, highly obsessive account of Bill’s adventures in the world of French haute cuisine; a great read for anyone who has found …
Online Book Talk: Paul Krugman “Arguing with Zombies”
For one of our final Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival at Home events, we welcome New York Times columnist, best-selling author, and Nobel prize–winning economist Paul Krugman to discuss our economic future and the impact of the covid pandemic and national recession on inequality, drawing from his latest book, Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future, as well as current events. Don’t miss this …
Saturday Storytime with author Diana Murray & illustrator Amber Alvarez “Wild About Dads”
Celebrate dads of all kinds with author Diana Murray and illustrator Amber Alvarez as they read from Diana’s new book Wild About Dads on Saturday June 27 at 10am for Suceed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival’s Storytime Saturday via Zoom. Suitable for children ages 3 to 7. Registration required. Zoom link here. Everyone loves dads—humans, lions, frogs, prairie dogs, and even pelicans! …
Saturday Storytime with author Michael Rex “Fact vs Opinion vs Robots” “Eat Pete”
Join Michael Rex, author and illustrator of over 40 books for children, on Saturday June 13 at 10am for Succeed2gether and the Montclair Literary Festival’s first Storytime Saturday via Zoom. Suitable for children ages 4 to 8. Registration required. Zoom link here. Mike will read his recently released picture book Fact vs. Opinion vs Robots, in which he uses humor …
Saturday Storytime with author Lori Richmond “Bunny Business (Mama’s Day at Work)”
Don’t miss author-illustrator Lori Richmond as she reads her new book Bunny Business (Mama’s Day at Work) on Saturday June 20 at 10am for Suceed2gether and the Montclair Literary Festival’s Storytime Saturday via Zoom. Suitable for children ages 4 to 6. Registration required. Zoom link here. It’s morning when Mama gets the call that the bunnysitter is sick. But Papa …
Online Book Talk: John Sayles “Yellow Earth” with Joe Morton
Join acclaimed film director, screenwriter, actor, and author, John Sayles in conversation with actor Joe Morton as they discuss John’s latest novel Yellow Earth and their past movie collaborations, including The Brother from Another Planet. In Yellow Earth John introduces an epic cast of characters. When rich layers of shale oil are discovered beneath the town of Yellow Earth, all hell breaks loose. Through the intertwining lives of its …
Online Book Talk: Maria Russo “How to Raise a Reader”
Learn about How to Raise a Reader with Maria Russo, former children’s book editor of The New York Times Book Review, as she discusses her book with New York Times national correspondent Kate Zernike. The book, an indispensable guide to welcoming children—from babies to teens—to a lifelong love of reading, combines clear, practical advice with inspiration, wisdom, tips, and curated reading lists. Maria debunks common myths, assuages …