Adult Coloring Night
WHEN: Thursday, July 21st TIME: 7pm to 9pm WHERE: Open Book Bookstore An evening of adult coloring and conversation, with refreshments! We’ll hang out together and get our Zen on by coloring, chatting, and sipping wine. It’s a BYO party – bring refreshments and, if you have one, bring your own coloring book! We’ll provide sheets to color for those who need them and we’ll have books for sale as well. To RSVP or with questions, contact Lynn:...
Hot Off the Press Summer 2016
In this lively monthly book discussion class led by Lynn Rosen, participants read and discuss new literary fiction. Class conversations include a thorough and thoughtful analysis of the book as well as background information provided by Lynn about the author and the book’s path to publication. We talk serious book talk, but have a lot of laughs too! Class will take place on Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 8:30pm Dates: July 27, August 24 Location: Open Book Bookstore, 7900 High School Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027 Cost: $55 To sign up click HERE. (See here as well for prices for one class session.) Class members receive discounts if they purchase class books from the Open Book Bookstore. JULY 27: Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift It is March 30, 1924: Mothering Sunday in England. How will Jane Fairchild, orphan and housemaid, occupy her time when she has no mother to visit? How, shaped by the events of this never to be forgotten day, will her future unfold? A poetically-written book about how life unfolds. AUGUST 24 The Unseen World by Liz Moore The moving story of a daughter’s quest to discover the truth about her beloved father’s hidden past. Moore, the author of Heft, a previous “Hot Off the Press” selection, is a local author and teaches creative writing at Holy Family University. To sign up click...
Capturing the Muse: A One-Day Retreat for Writers
Our creative endeavors are so important to us—and so time-consuming! But if we don’t make time to write, it just won’t happen. Your creative practices need your time and attention in order for them to flourish. Give yourself the gift of a day of work: a quiet day in a bucolic setting, surrounded by a small group of other writers. Join an Open Book one-day writing retreat and focus on your important creative work! DATE: Sunday June 26 TIME: 9am – 5:30pm LOCATION: The Manor House at Whitpain Farm, Blue Bell, PA, 19422 SIGN UP HERE. THE SETTING: Open Book one-day writing retreats take place at the Manor House at Whitpain Farm in Blue Bell, PA. This beautifully-restored colonial farm house sits on the edge of acres of green space, surrounded by trees, a brook, and a wide, sunny vista. We will occupy the entire first floor and have full use of the home’s numerous rooms, from the 1704 Room with its original colonial stone fireplace, to the modern and expansive kitchen and butler’s pantry. There is plentiful space for writing at individual tables in the various rooms. THE SCHEDULE: The retreat begins at 9am and closes at 5:30pm. We intersperse quiet, private writing time with creative breaks throughout the day. The format of the retreat is as follows: We begin with “Convocation,” a warm up which includes goal-setting and brief writing exercises. We then move to our first extended period of quiet writing. At our next group workshop we focus on “Problem Solving,” looking at any literary bumps and how to overcome them, as well as reaffirming our writing goals for the day. The afternoon group workshop is “Energy,” a break designed to refresh and ready us for the final writing stint of the day. We close with a wine & cheese and sharing of our work. FACULTY Lynn Rosen Lynn runs Open Book’s extensive program of classes, workshops, and events for writers and readers, and is the co-owner of Open Book Bookstore, located in Elkins Park, PA. Lynn is a long-time book publishing industry professional with many years of experience as an editor, literary agent, author, and teacher. Most recently, she was Editorial Director of Book Business magazine, and Director of Graduate Publishing Programs at Rosemont College. She has served as Editorial Director at Peter Pauper Press, as Senior Editor at Running Press and, earlier in her career, as an Editor in the trade division of Ballantine Books. In 1991, Lynn launched Leap First, an independent literary agency, which she ran until 1999. She is the author of Elements of the Table: A Simple Guide for Hosts and Guests...
Dinner with an Author with Robin Black
Our popular “Dinner with an Author” is back! Join us for dinner and a conversation with author Robin Black about her novel Life Drawing, her new book, and about the writing life. DATE: Wednesday, June 15 TIME: 7pm to 9pm LOCATION: Park Plates Restaurant, Elkins Park, PA Dinner with an Author will take place in the private dining room of Park Plates Restaurant. Our guest of honor will be author Robin Black, who will join us for dinner and a discussion of her novel Life Drawing. She will also tell us about her new book Crash Course: Essays From Where Writing And Life Collide and about the writing life in general. During the discussion, we will enjoy a delicious 3-course meal from Park Plates. The menu is described below. All guests are asked to read Life Drawing in advance so they can fully participate in the discussion. Attendance is limited to 14 guests. Park Plates is BYOB. COST: Dinner: $60 Dinner plus one book: $75 Dinner plus two books: $90 Note: Attendees may select Robin’s novel, Life Drawing, which we will be discussing at the dinner. Attendees may also select Robin’s newest book, Crash Course: Essays from Where Writing and Life Collide. Or they may select both. SIGN UP HERE ABOUT LIFE DRAWING Augusta Edelman, Gus to her friends, is a painter, a wife, and not always the best judge of her own choices—one of which was bad enough that Gus and her husband, Owen, have fled their longtime city home and its reminders of troubling events. Now, three years into their secluded country life, Gus works daily on the marriage she nearly lost, discovers new inspiration for her art, and contemplates the mysteries of a childhood tragedy. But this quiet, healing rhythm is forever shattered one hot July day, when a stranger moves into the abandoned house next door, and crosses more boundaries than just those between their lands. This debut novel is a fierce, honest, and moving portrait of a woman grappling with her fate. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robin Black’s story collection, If I loved you, I would tell you this, was a finalist for the Frank O’Connor International Story Prize, and named a Best Book of 2010 by numerous publications. Her novel, Life Drawing, was longlisted for the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, the Impac Dublin Literature Prize, and the Folio Prize. Her newest book is Crash Course: Essays From Where Writing And Life Collide. Robin lives in Philadelphia with her husband, and will begin teaching in the Rutgers-Camden MFA Program, Fall 2016. THE MENU First Course Watercress and arugula salad with toasted pistachios, Manchego and a sherry vinaigrette or Anchovy hummus with zatar toasts Main Course Yogurt batter-fried chicken with honey curry glaze, feta orzo and...
Literary Mindfulness Readers Retreat
DATES: Sunday, June 5 to Tuesday, June 7, 2016 LOCATION: The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Stockbridge, MA Join us on a journey to Kripalu, a yoga retreat in the beautiful Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts. We will have three days and two nights of inspiration and rejuvenation as we exercise our bodies (yoga, kayaking, hiking, dance) and our minds in book discussions led by Lynn Rosen throughout the visit. What We’ll Do There On this trip, we will combine the pleasures of sharing and discussing literature with the physical and spiritual rewards of yoga and physical activity. And in between all our various activities, some with the group and some solo, we will feast on the delicious organic cuisine for which Kripalu is famous, and enjoy lush scenery: the lake, rolling hills and leafy green forests of the Berkshires. Books and Yoga: Mind and Body Yoga is a practice that incorporates body, mind, and spirit. Reading is a cerebral and intellectual practice, yet it also incorporates spiritual and emotional components. As to how it affects the body, surely you have read a book that has made you cry, or sent chills down your spine, or even made you jump for joy. And as we surely know, books can affect us in profound ways and sometimes change the course of our lives. Reading Ahead During the retreat, we will focus on the theme “States of Being.” We will begin by discussing a book that participants will read ahead of time: The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness. In this book, naturalist Sy Montgomery gets to know the octopus, a creature that, though it is invertebrate, has a brain, a personality and an array of amazing abilities. Montgomery brings us into a wondrous watery world where we learn to see things differently. (A copy of this book is included in your activity fee.) Reading On-Site At the event, Lynn will provide an additional selection of short readings on the same theme of consciousness and States of Being. Each reading will be integrated into enriching group discussions. We’ll look at excerpts from the works of a range of authors. Agenda The daily agenda is included below. Cost The cost for this trip is payable in two parts. Part one is an activity fee of $250, payable through Open Book (see “How to Register” below). Part two is for room & board, the cost of which varies depending on the accommodations you select (see “Book Your Housing” below). How to Register You will register for the program by paying the activity fee through Open Book. To sign...
Dinner with a Book à la française: Julia Child’s MY LIFE IN FRANCE
DATE: Wednesday, May 25 TIME: 7PM – 9PM PLACE: Spring Mill Café, 164 Barren Hill Road, Conshohocken, PA 19428 COST: Dinner + discussion: $65 Dinner + discussion + a copy of the book: $85 Sign up HERE. As Julia Child said, “People who love to eat are always the best people.” Come join some of the best people as we convene at French restaurant Spring Mill Café for a conversation with Lynn Rosen about Julia Child’s memoir My Life in France and a dinner that will be très délicieux! Julia Child went to France for the first time in 1948 with her husband Paul. There she discovered a love of all things French, particularly the cuisine. Much study, practice, and hard work went into her acquisition of her cooking mastery. Along the way, she and Paul (who were also a great love story) traveled through France, met a range of fascinating folk, and experienced life in post-war Europe. My Life in France is a lively and loving remembrance of Child’s time in France. It is full of the zestful personality for which the world came to know Julia Child. And even more, it is the inspiring story of a woman who discovered what she was meant to do in life–and then did it! Sign up HERE. MENU Soupe Parmentier or Salade Verte Choice of Entrée Steak Frites or Trout Almandine or Julia’s Roast Chicken Le Dessert Mousse au Chocolat or Sorbet with Macaroons NOTE: All tickets are...