Mark Guerin Debut Novel Book Launch- YOU CAN SEE MORE FROM UP HERE at Porter Square Books

“In this novel, author Guerin beautifully captures the powerful contradictions of the relationship between father and son, which combines elements of friendship and antagonism. The author only gradually discloses Walker’s epiphanies about his dad, which not only transform the protagonist’s personal opinion of him, but also the future arc of his own life. The prose is confident and confessional throughout, and Guerin draws the reader into the compelling story by having Walker unflinchingly reveal his sense of disappointment in himself. Like the journalist he is, Walker clamors for the truth, whether it’s consoling or not. A poignantly told story of ruminative remembrance.”– Kirkus Reviews

In 2004, when middle-aged Walker Maguire is called to the deathbed of his estranged father, his thoughts return to 1974. He’d worked that summer at the auto factory where his dad, an unhappily retired Air Force colonel, was employed as plant physician. Witness to a bloody fight falsely blamed on a Mexican immigrant, Walker kept quiet, fearing his white co-workers and tyrannical father. His secret snowballs into lies, betrayals and eventually the disappearance of the Mexican’s family, leading to a life-long rift between father and son that can only be mended by bringing 1974 back to life in 2004 to reveals its long-hidden truths.

Mark Guerin is a 2014 graduate of Grub Street’s Novel Incubator program in Boston. He also has an MFA from Brandeis University and is a winner of an Illinois Arts Council Grant, the Mimi Steinberg Award for Playwriting and Sigma Tau Delta’s Eleanor B. North Poetry Award. A contributor to the novelist’s blog, Dead Darlings, he is also a playwright, copywriter and journalist. He currently resides in Harpswell, Maine, with his wife, Carol, and two Brittany Spaniels. YOU CAN SEE MORE FROM UP HERE will be his first published novel.

Mindful by Design Book Launch and Reading: Mindfulness, Design, and Storytelling

Come meet the founder of MindWise, Caitlin Krause, when she presents her new book, Mindful by Design.

Written for those looking to develop future-forward skills including innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and communication, Mindful by Design “is a guide to well-being, a practical resource, and a creative call-to-action, as Caitlin Krause helps readers to bridge the gap between prioritizing true connection and achieving it.”
—Leah Weiss, author of How We Work: Live Your Purpose, Reclaim Your Sanity, and Embrace the Daily Grind; Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Mindfulness is the building of three capacities: awareness, advancement, and authenticity. Built upon these facets, Mindful by Design provides 24 detailed practices for individuals and communities, including step-by-step embedded mindfulness exercises, ready to implement immediately. Where passion meets purpose, Mindful by Design empowers readers to start designing ways to transform mindsets and daily quality of life.

“Krause shares valuable strategies that will help any educator, coach, manager, or learning professional bring out the best in those they serve.”
—Dorie Clark, adjunct professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and author, Entrepreneurial You and Stand Out

“With the framework of the Three A’s — being Aware, Advancing, Authentic – Krause has crafted a wonderful book for educators that shares her teaching experience and deep inquiry as a scaffold for integrating mindfulness into the classroom. This book skillfully provides an informed and practical set of guidelines and exercises for designing mindful experiences for the benefit of teachers and students. ”
—Philippe Goldin, PhD, Director, Clinically Applied Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, University of California Davis

“In Mindful By Design, Caitlin Krause shares her passion for mindfulness and how it can be applied in our lives and in our classrooms. Through a wealth of examples, Caitlin brings mindfulness to life and helps her readers become more ‘aware, advancing and authentic.’ A needed resource for us all.”
—Jennifer Abrams, Speaker, Consultant, and Author, Having Hard Conversations

“Mindful by Design is grounded in an ethic of care. To see what I mean, and if you just picked up this book wondering if it’s for you, flip through a few pages and read the many quotes of student’s voices. Caitlin has written a book that speaks to the heart of what teachers do in classrooms: create a safe culture of care where we all learn to listen to each other to understand.”
—Darren Kuropatwa, Professional Learning Consultant

BOOK LAUNCH: The Chef’s Secret by Crystal King

Come hear Crystal King discuss and read from her newest novel, The Chef’s Secret.

A captivating novel of Renaissance Italy detailing the mysterious life of Bartolomeo Scappi, the legendary chef to several popes and author of one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time, and the nephew who sets out to discover his late uncle’s secrets—including the identity of the noblewoman Bartolomeo loved until he died.

Wine and treats made from Renaissance-era recipes will be served.

Belmont Bookseller Susan Bernhard presents WINTER LOON

Join us for the book launch of our very own bookseller Susan Bernhard’s debut novel Winter Loon!

A haunting debut novel about family and sacrifice, Winter Loon reminds us of how great a burden the past can be, the toll it exacts, and the freedom that comes from letting it go.

Award Winning Poet MARILYN CHIN with TARA SKURTU at Boston University

Award-winning poet MARILYN CHIN will read at Boston University as part of the Robert Lowell Memorial Reading Series. She will also be launching her new book PORTRAIT OF THE SELF AS NATION. BU Creative Writing MFA alumna TARA SKURTU will also read. The event will be introduced by Robert Pinsky and hosted by the Robert Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University. Free and open to the public, with a reception to follow.

Book Launch for “My Real Name Is Hanna”

TARA LYNN MASIH’S debut novel for young readers and adults launches this month. My Real Name Is Hanna won a 2018 Skipping Stones Honor Award and comes highly recommended by the Jewish Book Council. Inspired by a real family who sought refuge in underground caves in Ukraine during World War II. Free, with refreshments and book signing at the Andover Bookstore’s new location (parking free and behind the store).

Reading from Forest Hills Cemetery-inspired Novel

BETH CATRODALE will read from her new novel In This Ground, which is set almost entirely in a cemetery. She will also discuss how Jamaica Plain’s historic Forest Hills Cemetery served as an inspiration for the book.

Paperback Launch of Crystal King’s FEAST OF SORROW

Come celebrate the paperback launch of Crystal King’s acclaimed debut, FEAST OF SORROW (Touchstone Books/Simon and Schuster), hailed as “a delight to the senses” by Library Journal (starred review) and long-listed for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. Crystal, a culinary enthusiast, will speak about the food customs of Ancient Rome and share the story of Apicius, the famous first-century gourmand who inspired the world’s oldest cookbook, and the ambition that led to his destruction.

 

Book Launch: SUSAN TAN’s “Cilla Lee-Jenkins: This Book Is a Classic”

About the Book:

Priscilla “Cilla” Lee-Jenkins has just finished her (future) bestselling memoir, and now she’s ready to write a Classic. This one promises to have everything: Romance, Adventure, and plenty of Drama–like Cilla’s struggles to “be more Chinese,” be the perfect flower girl at Aunt Eva’s wedding, and learn how to share her best friend.

In Cilla Lee-Jenkins: This Book Is a Classic, author Susan Tan seamlessly weaves experiences as a Chinese American with universal stories about being a big sister, making friends, and overcoming fears. Cilla Lee-Jenkins will bulldoze her way into your heart in this winning middle grade novel about family, friendship, and finding your voice.

About the author:

SUSAN TAN has lived many places in her life, but calls Concord, Massachusetts, home. She grew up in a mixed-race family, and, like Cilla Lee-Jenkins, had very little hair until the age of five. After studying at Williams College, she earned her PhD from the University of Cambridge, where she studied children’s literature. She currently lives in Somerville, enjoys frequent trips to Chinatown to eat tzuck sang, and teaches at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.