Three Novelists to Speak at "Spoken Interludes" on May 5, 2015

Three leading authors will read a few passages from their newly published books and answer audience questions afterwards on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at RiverView in Hastings-on-Hudson. To attend this program conducted by Spoken Interludes, the cost is $25 per person if paid in advance or $30 at the door. An Indian buffet meal and tax are included in the cost. The events in this long-running series which started in 1999, typically attract 150 to 200 attendees.

The program’s speakers will be:

Sue Miller. Book: “The Arsonist”
Charles Dubow. Book: “Girl in the Moonlight”
Dina Mengestu. Book: “All Our Names”

The evening’s activity begins with a trip to the buffet table where a large selection of Indian dishes will be available. Food service starts at 6 p.m. and concludes at 7:30 p.m. when the first author is introduced. At the end of the program, books can be purchased and signed by the authors.

The authors will be introduced by Spoken Interludes founder DeLauné Michel, a resident of Irvington.

Reviews by literary critics

1. “The Arsonist” by Sue Miller

“”Entertaining and highly readable . . . Miller’s scenes are terrific. She is expert at moving people in and out of rooms in a visual and easy way [and] describing physical chemistry and attraction in a way that manages to avoid all cliché . . . Fantastic sizzle, both sexual and spiritual . . . A cracking good romance . . . Will keep you reading.” (Boston Globe)

“Subtle … Miller writes effectively about the tense underpinnings of a summer community . . . Full of Miller’s signature intelligence about people caught between moral responsibility and a hunger for self-realization.” (The New York Times Book Review)

2. “Girl in the Moonlight” by Charles Dubow
“Dubow offers a heady, intoxicating tale. ... A story of the most interesting people you will ever know, told with style and verve.”( Kirkus )

“An evocative and maddening tale of obsession. ... Beautifully descriptive. ... Questions about whether a person can change, or if we are all doomed to repeat the same mistakes time and time again, will be swirling through readers’ minds.” (Publishers Weekly)

3. “All Our Names” by Dinaw Mengestu

“Deeply moving. Mengestu writes with poignancy and psychological precision. With great lyricism and ferocity.” (The New York Times)

“Taut and swift with an abiding mystery driving it forward. One reads to the end with a kind of desperate intensity. Extraordinary.” (The Boston Globe)

“Disarmingly tender. Finely calibrated.“ (The Wall Street Journal)

“A subtle masterpiece.” (NPR)

Book signings will take place from 8:30 to 9 p.m. Books can be purchased from on-site representatives of The Village Book Store of Pleasantville, NY, and paid for by cash, check or credit card.

Dinner details and cost

The dinner is catered by Navjot Arora, Executive Chef at the restaurant Chutney Masala in Irvington, NY. The buffet table has many entree selections, coffee and pastries.

The cost is $25 for advance payment up to 48 hours before the event or $30 at the reception desk.

To reserve for $25 with pre-payment: go to www.chutneymasala.com/order-form.

To reserve for $30 (without pre-payment), send an email to rsvp@spokeninterludes.com. Payment is by cash or by check at the hall. Checks should be made out to Chutney Masala.

The RiverView is located at 1 Warburton Ave., Hastings-on-Hudson, 914-965-7220, www.riverviewcaterers.com. Parking is free and a large parking lot is located directly across the street from the hall entrance.

Spoken Interludes, www.spokeninterludes.com