Conversational French Class at the Open Book Bookstore
Open Book is now be hosting a regular conversational French class. Mais, oui! C’est vrai! TIME: The class meets on Tuesday evenings from 7pm to 8:30 PLACE: The Open Book Bookstore, 7900 High School Rd. Elkins Park COST: $10 drop-in fee per class Participants are at different levels of ability, but we request that you have at least a basic knowledge of the language in order to be able to carry on a conversation. If you’d like to join, email lynn@openbookphilly.com We are very pleased to introduce our wonderful instructor, Christine Moisset Edelstein. Born and raised in Paris, France, Christine Moisset Edelstein came to Philadelphia in 1990 as an exchange student at the University of Pennsylvania. During that year, she discovered her love for teaching. She has been teaching French at Penn ever since. Christine has always had a love of languages. When she was a student in France, her interest lay in foreign languages. She majored in languages in high school (English, Russian, German), but it wasn’t until she started teaching French that her love for her native language blossomed. She received her Ph.D in linguistics from Penn in 2000. Christine is married to Chris Edelstein and they have three children whom she is trying to raise bilingual. She laments that it isn’t an easy task, but she is determined and will only speak French to them. Please call the Open Book Bookstore with questions: 267-627-4888 A...
Lunch with a Book: Our Souls at Night
Following up on our popular “Dinner with a Book” format, this time we’re meeting for lunch! DATE: Monday, March 28th TIME: 12:30 pm to 2 pm LOCATION: Cantina Feliz, Fort Washington Click HERE to register. Join Lynn Rosen for a lively and in-depth conversation about Kent Haruf’s novel, Our Souls at Night. We’ll convene over delicious Mexican cuisine in the private room at Cantina Feliz in Ft. Washington, PA. Like all of Haruf’s work, Our Souls at Night takes place in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado, a small agricultural town in the eastern part of the state. Here we meet Addie and Louis, who are in their 70s and each live alone, save for memories of spouses who have died and children who have moved away. Each has regrets; each is lonely. But Addie aims to change that. In what is, sadly, the author’s final work, you will encounter the moving story of these two people who somehow manage to cobble together something revitalizing and meaningful, in spite of all the obstacles, only to have forces around them try to snatch it away. COST: $50 Include a copy of the book: $70 (*Note: the hardcover retails for $24 + tax) Click HERE to register. EVENT MENU FIRST COURSE (for the table) Guacamole Traditional: avocado, jalapeno, onion, cilantro Chop Salad: romaine, baby arugula, cucumber, green apple, honey-yogurt dressing SECOND COURSE (choose 1) Carnitas Tacos: pulled pork, salsa roja, onions,cilantro, avocado or Chicken Tinga Quesadilla: poblanos, crema, guacamole or Vegetable Enchiladas: cauliflower, butternut squash, rajas corn, mole Amarillo DESSERT (for the table) Chocolate Cake: Caramel sauce, whipped cream Click HERE to...
The 2nd Annual Writers at Work Conference: Managing the Business of Being an Author
As a published author, you wear many hats: entrepreneur, writer, designer, public speaker, publicist, and more. How can you best juggle all these roles, and support your book in the best way possible? And how can you manage the business side of your writing life without losing time for your art, or your other jobs, or your family? This one-day conference will address these challenges and introduce you to range of publishing experts who can help you learn ways to successfully manage your authorial career. You’ll learn a range of new skills and make new industry contacts, all in an inspiring setting! DATE: Sunday, March 13, 2016 TIME: 9am – 5:30pm LOCATION: The Manor House at Whitpain Farm, Blue Bell, PA Click HERE to register. The Writers at Work Conference is a joint production of Open Book and Philadelphia Stories magazine. THE PROGRAM 9 am-9:30 am: Registration 9:30 am – 10:20 am A Conversation with Andy Kahan of the Free Library of Philadelphia For the past fifteen years, Kahan has directed the star-studded series of author events and readings at the main branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Readers and book lovers know that this series is the place to be to hear a steady stream of top authors share stories, read from their work, and interact with the audience, year after year. Here Kahan will speak about his experience: how he chooses authors, what makes for a successful program (and what doesn’t), and how you can strive to be the best presenter possible and enlarge your speaking opportunities. Kahan will share backstage stories and answer your questions about author events. 10:30 am-11:45 am Career Management: How to Be a Successful Published Author Your book has been published (hurrah and congratulations!) and now, as some say, the hard part begins. You have a lot to do! You have to get involved in promotion and publicity and marketing and sales and …. so much more! And possibly pay some attention as well to another job, a family, and myriad other things in your life. In this session, you’ll get expert advice on how to anticipate what the authorial demands on your time will be, and how to successfully manage those demands. Moderator: Lynn Rosen, Open Book Bookstore Panelists: Jennifer Kasius, Editorial Director, Running Press Clare Pelino, President, Pro Literary Consultants & Profile Public Relations Eric Smith, Associate Literary Agent at P.S. Literary 12 pm-12:30 pm: Lunch 12:30 pm-1:30 pm: Lunch Keynote Publishing Industry Updates and What They May Mean for You Kat Meyer is one of the publishing industry’s most respected analysts of trends. During her many years as...
Three Rounds with Three Irish Lassie Writers
DATE: Thursday, March 17th TIME: 7 pm to 9 pm LOCATION: Open Book Bookstore, 7900 High School Rd. Elkins Park PA What could be a better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s day in literary style? Join us as three local writers, all of whom have a bit o’ the Irish in them, sit around talking blarney about literature, their new books, and whatever else comes up! We’re pleased to present: Kelly Simmons’ novels have been hailed as electrifying, complex and poignant, and aren’t those nice words? Her third novel, ONE MORE DAY, just came out and everyone calls it riveting, so don’t buy it unless you want to stay up all night reading it. She’s a member of The Liars Club, a group of published novelists dedicated to helping fledgling writers. Liz Moore is the author of the novels The Words of Every Song and Heft. Her novel The Unseen World is forthcoming in July 2016 from W.W. Norton. A winner of the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature, she lives in Philadelphia and teaches at Holy Family University. Kate Moretti lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two children. She’s worked in the pharmaceutical industry for ten years as a scientist and is the author of New York Times bestselling THOUGHT I KNEW YOU. She enjoys traveling and cooking, although with two kids, a day job, and writing, she doesn’t get to do those things as much as she’d like. Her lifelong dream is to buy an old house with a secret passageway. BYO favorite Irish beverage to share, and we’ll provide a few as well, along with snacks. Oh hey, anybody make a great Irish soda bread? If you’d care to prove it, bring it along. You might just win a...
I Am a Bookstore
This past Sunday I attended the kickoff event for this year’s Philadelphia area One Book One Jewish Community program. I am a volunteer member of the implementation committee for this group, and I help review selections and choose a book. This year we selected a memoir called A Backpack, A Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka by Lev Golinkin. It tells tells the story of Lev and his family. Soviet Jews, leaving the USSR and settling in America. The kickoff event took place at Gratz College and about 400 people attended. I had the honor of interviewing Lev on stage after his talk, which was fun. Open Book Bookstore, our store, was also the official bookseller for the event. After the event, a woman came up to the book table and asked me where I got the books, i.e. from whom I purchased them. I replied to her: “I am a bookstore.” It turned out she too worked at a bookstore, and she was hoping no doubt that her store might provide the books. A good thought on her part, but I’ve got it covered. But what really struck me the next day as I was recalling this interaction was the way I replied to her, how, without really stopping to think, I simply said: “I am a bookstore.” It’s what, in high school English, we learn to call personification. Actually, now that I think of it, it’s the opposite of that. In personification, human qualities are given to inanimate objects. Here I made myself into an inanimate object. Except our bookstore is not inanimate. It’s a very vital, living place, full of activity and conversation, and filled with a stream of thoughtful, interesting people. I spend a lot of time there, and it has begun to feel like part of me. Most of my conversations these days, anywhere and with anyone, are in some way about books, and I spend huge chunks, if not most, of my time reading books or ordering books, managing inventory, and selling books. Indeed, I have become, and I am, a bookstore. Come visit me and my bookstore at 7900 High School Road in Elkins Park, PA. And if you’d like to read Lev’s memoir, which I recommend, we have it in stock or you can get it...