Summer Reads and Bestselling Authors Return!
These bright, sunny days send me outside on the porch with a cool beverage and a good book. How about you?
It’s hard to describe the past year in any way other than a rollercoaster: canceled shows and shows with 1,000 people watching (live and virtually); outdoors in the sunshine and inside because it was too darn hot! Fall’s calendar is packed with shows and I’m hopeful we can return to a “normal” number of events for our book lovers.
One of the ways we’re doing that is by renovating the Loft! Now dubbed The Lounge, the space is wide open with cabaret tables, comfy chairs, and a full bar. (If you need to find me, I’ll be in one of the plush armchairs by the fireplace with a book.) As your friendly neighborhood Literary Producer, I’ve booked two events for July with more 2022 shows fast incoming! Please join me in welcoming authors back to the space.
First is Tom Perrotta on July 12, the author’s author with tons of film and TV connections, and the rockstar guest moderator Richard Russo. Several of Perrotta’s books were adapted for the screen, including Election (the cult classic with Reese Witherspoon), Little Children (Oscar-nominated film), The Leftovers (award-winning HBO series), and Mrs. Fletcher (also an HBO series). Perrotta will discuss Tracy Flick Can’t Win, a sequel “even more piercing than its predecessor, Election” (The New York Times). And we welcome back Richard Russo, who last visited the Loft in 2018 with The Destiny Thief. I’m thrilled to have these two kick off Literary in the Lounge. Tickets are still available and come with a signed book and a drink from our fancy new bar!
On Sunday, July 31, Caldecott Medalist Chris Van Allsburg will join us and our partners, the Portsmouth Historical Society, to talk about his children’s books, including The Polar Express, Jumanji, and Zathura. Tickets are moving fast, so get yours now (plus you can purchase autographed copies of his books).
Looking ahead, don’t miss the Writers on a New England Stage series “suite:” Nina Totenberg, Huma Abedin, and John Irving! More shows are getting announced all the time (I’m hoping to announce more very soon). Please let us know if you think someone should be on my quarterly email list and see you in the Lounge soon.
Happy reading!