books
Storytelling Star Power
Montclair Literary Festival returns for a fourth year of readings and special events
F
ans of great
storytelling have
come to think
of the Montclair
Literary Festival
as their Coachella
or Lollapalooza — with bet-
ter parking, proximity to
artists and bathroom access.
Now in its fourth year, MLF,
which runs from March 25 to
March 29, presents bestselling
authors in one-on-one inter-
views and panel discussions,
readings and Q&A sessions.
The cost of ticketed appear-
ances usually covers a copy of
the author’s book for signing,
but the majority of events —
which include poetry slams
and activities for kids — are
free and held at the Montclair
Public Library or First
Congregational Church
next door.
Proceeds support sponsor
Succeed2gether, a nonprofit
that promotes literacy through
after-school programs. For
information about ticket
prices, times and locations,
go to succeed2gether.org/
montclair-literary-festival.
Confirmed authors s
in this year’s lineup
are TEDDY WAYNE
(Apartment), LILY
KING (Writers and
PLATT
Lovers), LAURA SIMS
MS
(Looker), ADA CALHOUN
(Why We Can’t Sleep) and
ADAM PLATT (The Book of
Eating) as well as dozens of
others, including celebrated
local authors. Here, just a few
of this year’s literary stars.
10
SPRING 2020 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
MARCH 25 (7-9:00 pm)
NICHOLAS KRISTOF & SHERYL WUDUNN
MLF’s opening event features New
w
York Times columnist Nicholas
D. Kristof and his wife, former
New York Times reporter Sheryl
WuDunn. Both are Pulitzer Prize-
winning authors whose most recent
ent KRISTOF
book, Tightrope: Americans
Reaching for Hope (Knopf)
examines the lives of kids who
rode Kristof’s school bus in rural
Oregon — many of whom are
WUDUNN
now homeless, addicted, in prison
or dead. Kristof and WuDunn will appear in con-
versation with former New Jersey gubernatorial
candidate and Montclair resident Jim Johnson. MARCH 28 (6:30-7:30 p.m.)
ERIK LARSON
The bestselling author of Devil
in the White City and In the
Garden of Beasts discusses his
LARSON
just-published historical non-fiction
work, The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of
Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
(Crown). The story focuses on the leadership of
British prime minister Winston Churchill, whose
first day on the job began with Hitler invading
Holland and Belgium. As described on the book’s
Amazon page, “The Splendid and the Vile takes
readers out of today’s political dysfunction and
back to a time of true leadership.” He will be
interviewed by former longtime Montclair resi-
dent and bestselling author Christina Baker Kline.
MARCH 27 (7-9:00 p.m.)
AMBASSADOR SUSAN RICE
Ambassador Rice most recently
authored Tough Love: My Story
of the Things Worth Fighting For,
RICE
(Simon & Schuster), in which she
writes candidly about her duties as a mother,
wife, scholar and fierce defender of American
values. She will recall pivotal moments from her
diplomatic career with Jeh Johnson, Montclair
resident and former Secretary of Homeland
Security. MARCH 29 (4-6 p.m.)
PAUL KRUGMAN
MLF’s final event presents New
York Times columnist, bestsell-
ing author, and Nobel prize-
winning economist Paul Krugman
KRUGMAN
in conversation with former White
House press secretary and journalist Bill Moyers.
Krugman will talk about today’s major policy
issues as well as his latest book, Arguing with
Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for
a Better Future.
CHRISTOPHER
WRITTEN BY CINDY SCHWEICH HANDLER