Wellesley is fortunate enough to draw multiple authors to town each month who write across a wide range of genres, and who visit to connect with readers and promote their work. Attending an author’s talk—whether you’ve read the book, or just want to learn more about the topic at hand—is a great way to meet the current stars of the literary scene. Here are just a few author events happening soon.
EVENT: Talk on the Russo-Ukrainian War
DATE: March 21, 7pm
AUTHOR: Serhii Plokhy, a leading historian of Ukraine and the Cold War
BOOK: The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History
LOCATION: In-person at the main branch of the Wellesley Free Library, and online through Zoom
COST: Free
DESCRIPTION: Wellesley Historical Society Speaker Series event
MORE: In person and online. Register here.
An authoritative history of Europe’s largest military conflict since World War II, from the New York Times best-selling author of The Gates of Europe.
Despite repeated warnings from the White House, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shocked the world. Why did Putin start the war―and why has it unfolded in previously unimaginable ways? Ukrainians have resisted a superior military; the West has united, while Russia grows increasingly isolated.
Serhii Plokhy, a leading historian of Ukraine and the Cold War, offers a definitive account of this conflict, its origins, course, and the already apparent and possible future consequences. Providing a broad historical context and an examination of Ukraine and Russia’s ideas and cultures, as well as domestic and international politics, Plokhy reveals that while this new Cold War was not inevitable, it was predictable.
Book:
AUTHOR: Melinda R. Boroson; edited by Wellesley’s own Marie Brown
DATE: Thursday, April 4
TIME: 1:30pm
LOCATION: Tolles Parsons Center
GENRE: Illustrated children’s book
DESCRIPTION: The Red Sox have embodied the heart and soul of Boston for more than a hundred years, but never more than in 2013 when the city was rocked by the tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombings. This Red Sox team, not a native Bostonian among them, caught the spirit and fortitude of the city. The Red Sox and the city of Boston inspired each other in a partnership that gave us all the courage to move forward—one step at a time. A companion volume to 86 Years: The Legend of the Boston Red Sox, This Is Our City: How the 2013 Red Sox Kept Boston Strong,tells the story of another remarkable Red Sox season–remarkable in ways that extend far beyond the game of baseball.
COST: Free
RSVP REQUIRED: Contact the Tolles Parsons Center at 781-235-3961
Book: Each Knuckle with Sugar
AUTHOR: Wellesley High School graduate Sarah Levine
DATE: Thursday, April 9
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Books
GENRE: Poetry
DESCRIPTION: A soft yet powerful deep-dive into love and grief told through multiple fascinating perspectives. Join Wellesley Book for this event to celebrate National Poetry Month.
COST: Free
RSVP HERE
Coming soon: A Sky Full of Song
AUTHOR: Wellesley College professor Susan Lynn Meyer
PUBLICATION DATE: April 11, 2024
GENRE: Historical novel for middle-school aged readers
DESCRIPTION: North Dakota, 1905. After fleeing persecution in the Russian Empire, eleven-year-old Shoshana and her family, Jewish immigrants, start a new life on the prairie. Shoshana takes fierce joy in the wild beauty of the plains and the thrill of forging a new, American identity. But it’s not as simple for her older sister, Libke, who misses their Ukrainian village and doesn’t pick up English as quickly or make new friends as easily. Desperate to fit in, Shoshana finds herself hiding her Jewish identity in the face of prejudice, just as Libke insists they preserve it.
MORE INFO HERE.
Coming soon: What We Can’t Burn
CO-AUTHORS: Wellesley High School graduate Eve Driver and Tom Osborn
PUBLICATION DATE: Spring 2024
DESCRIPTION: Forming an unlikely friendship amid the fossil fuel divestment campaign at Harvard University, Kenyan clean energy entrepreneur Tom Osborn and American climate writer and strategist Eve Driver reckon with coming of age in a generation confused and divided about how to save itself, the meaning of ‘climate justice,’ and what it will take to build a global climate movement.
GENRE: Non-fiction
MORE INFO HERE.
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Author events that have past:
EVENT: A Night with author Adrienne Brodeur
DATE: Tuesday, March 19
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.
GENRE: Memoir
COST: Free
DESCRIPTION: Arnold Lecture Series event, sponsored by the Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries and held annually in honor of Margaret J. Arnold.
COST: Free
REGISTER HERE or call 781-235-1610
This year’s lecture features Adrienne Brodeur, the talented author behind Little Monsters and her gripping 2019 memoir, Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover and Me. Praised by The New York Times Book Review as “exquisite and harrowing,” her work, Wild Game, captivates readers from start to finish. Its film rights have been acquired by Chernin Entertainment, with Nick Hornby lined up for adaptation and Deniz Gamze Ergüven to direct.
Boasting over two decades in the industry, Adrienne has been passionate about discovering voices, cultivating talent, and working to amplify underrepresented writers. In 2017, she launched the Aspen Words Literary Prize — a $35,000 annual accolade, awarded for a significant work of fiction that sheds light on a crucial contemporary issue and showcases literature’s ability to inspire thought and shape culture.
REGISTER HERE or call 781-235-1610
