Hot Off the Press Spring 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 monthly on Tuesday evenings from 7pm to 8:30pm Dates: April 5, May 3, May 31 ,June 28 Location: The Open Book Bookstore at 7900 High School Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027 Cost: $105 To sign up click HERE. Class members also receive discounts if they purchase their class books from the Open Book Bookstore. Here are the book selections: April 5 Forty Rooms by Olga Grushin Deals with issues of women’s identity and women’s choices with a unique literary conceit: it proposes that a modern woman will inhabit forty rooms in her lifetime. They form her biography, from childhood to death. May 3 Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss Follows a critic, an artist, and a desirous, determined young woman as they find their way—and ultimately collide—amid the ever-evolving New York City art scene of the 1980’s. May 31 The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett In one moment, two lives will be changed forever… and forever… and forever. A tale of possibilities and consequences rings across the shifting decades, from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and on to the present, showing how even small choices can define the course of our lives. June 28 Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler A debut about a year in the life of a young woman is set in the wild, alluring world of a famous downtown New York restaurant. This is a story about discovery, enchantment, and the power of what remains after disillusionment. To sign up click HERE. NOTE: All tickets are...
The Genre Mix ‘n’ Match Class for Writers
Open Book presents a new series of writing classes offering you the opportunity to try your hand at writing in a variety of genres. It’s a genre smorgasbord! Need help jumpstarting that novel? We’ve got a class for that! Have you ever wondered if you have a poet in you? Try a poetry class! Memoir? Give it a shot! This is a great chance to exercise your writerly muscles with some innovative and stimulating writing instruction. Each class is taught by an expert in the genre. You can try something you’re already working on, or something new, and try one, or try a few. Class will meet at the Open Book Bookstore in Elkins Park. Classes take place either on Sunday afternoons from 3:15pm to 5:15pm or on Monday evenings from 7pm to 9pm. Details and specific class descriptions are below. COST: Classes cost $30 each. Sign up HERE. Bonus: Those who sign up for 4 classes receive an Open Book Bookstore gift card worth $20. Limited time offer. Note: all purchases are final and non-refundable. CLASS DATES, DESCRIPTIONS AND INSTRUCTORS DATE: Monday Jan 11 TIME: 7pm to 9pm TOPIC: Mystery vs. Thriller: Which one are you writing and why does it matter? INSTRUCTOR: Jon McGoran CLASS DESCRIPTION: There are plenty of similarities between mysteries and thrillers, and sometimes plenty of overlap. But there are important differences as well, including some outright contradictions. Jon McGoran will help you determine which genre is best for you by looking at some of the critical differences between these two closely related categories. He’ll teach you ways to incorporate elements of each into the other without making your mystery less mysterious or your thriller less thrilling. TEACHER BIO: Jon McGoran is the author of six novels, including the biotech thrillers Drift and Deadout, as well as their forthcoming sequel, Dust Up (April 2016), all from Tor/Forge Books, as well as the novella After Effects, from Amazon StoryFront. Writing as D. H. Dublin, he is also author of the forensic thrillers Body Trace, Blood Poison and Freezer Burn, from Penguin Books. His short fiction and nonfiction can be found in a variety of anthologies, and his short story “Bad Debt” received an honorable mention in Best American Mystery Stories, 2014. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, and a founding member of the Philadelphia Liars Club, a group of published authors dedicated to writers helping writers. Sign up HERE. DATE: Sunday Jan 31 TIME: 3:15pm to 5:15pm TOPIC: Building a Fictional World in Young Adult Novels INSTRUCTOR: Elizabeth LaBan CLASS DESCRIPTION:...
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...