Event with Novelist Anne Korkeakivi at Words Booksore Tonight is On

Dear Friends,

For so many, this has been a stressful time--no heat or electricity, hot water, stranded friends and family.  And yet for me, walking into Maplewood Village has been a bright spot.  The streets are teeming, people waving, chatting; business are offering oases of warmth, cell phone charge and even showers!  Restaurants are packed, as is the bookstore.

I'm reminded of another book I've just finished, Joseph Anton, the recently published memoir by Salman Rushdie about his years living under the fatwa.  Of the many accomplishments of the book is his account of the struggle undertaken by him and many brave writers to create normalcy, to make a space for the right to read and think about books, in the midst of the dark forces of intolerance and censorship.  And while ours is a very different kind of catastrophe, I do like to think that all of us need another kind of sustenance besides food and gas and heat--books, conversation, and community. 

Thus, we've decided to go ahead and host our reading with Anne Korkeakivi, author of a first novel, An Unexpected Guest.  The liveliness of this community is, in fact, our lifeline, so why not bring ourselves a bit of book pleasure in the midst of this catastrophe?

There will be a small reception at the bookstore.  So, if you are itching to get  out, to enjoy yourself and want to support and listen to a first time novelist, please do join us. More on the novel ealier in Patch: A Present Day Mrs. Dalloway.

All Best,

--Marina Budhos & GlobalSOMA

Reading: 7:30 p.m., Words Bookstore, 179 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, NJ.