What's Happening at Boswell (and with Boswell) This Week? John Flanagan, Shauna Singh Baldwin, Jami Attenberg, and More.

I'm repurposing the press release his week for today's blog. Sometimes it's the only way to get things done. 

Wednesday, November 7, 7 pm, at Boswell:
Joel Pickford, author of Soul Calling: A Photographic Journey Through the Hmong Diaspora.

Soul Calling is the first photographic book on the Hmong culture ever published. In his book, Joel presents a literary pairing of creative nonfiction writing and documentary photography to explore cultures and communities of Hmong immigrants and Hmong Americans living in Fresno, California, as well as the way of life of Hmong villagers in Laos. Pickford’s outside point of view offers a captivating perspective into the world of a vibrant but little-known culture. This portrait of a people who have remained resilient through war and persecution, followed by adapting to new environments, will inspire strength in all who view it.

Wednesday, November 7, 7 pm, at the Milwaukee JCC.
6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Whitefish Bay 53217:
Jami Attenberg, author of The Middlesteins.
Co-Sponsored by the Harold and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.

For more than thirty years, Edie and Richard Middlestein shared a solid family life together in the suburbs of Chicago. But now things are splintering apart, for one reason, it seems: Edie's enormous girth. She's obsessed with food--thinking about it, eating it--and if she doesn't stop, she won't have much longer to live. When Richard abandons his wife, it is up to the next generation to take control. Robin, their schoolteacher daughter, is determined that her father pay for leaving Edie. Benny, an easy-going, pot-smoking family man, just wants to smooth things over. And Rachelle-- a whippet thin perfectionist-- is intent on saving her mother-in-law's life, but this task proves even bigger than planning her twin children's spectacular b'nai mitzvah party. Through it all, they wonder: do Edie's devastating choices rest on her shoulders alone, or are others at fault, too?

Thursday, November 8, 6:30 pm, at the Shorewood Public Library
3920 N. Murray Ave., Shorewood 53211:
John Flanagan, author of Brotherband Chronicles Book 3: The Hunters and The Ranger's Apprentice series.

Hal and his brotherband crew are hot on the trail of the pirate Zavac and they have one thing only on their minds: Stopping the bloodthirsty thief before he can do more damage. Of course, they also know Zavac has the Andomal, the priceless Skandian artifact stolen when the brotherband let down their guard. The chase leads down mighty rivers, terrifying rapids, to the lawless fortress of Ragusa. If Hal is to succeed, he will need to go beyond his brotherband training. He will need to challenge the pirate one-on-one, knowing only one of them will survive.

Thursday, November 8, 8 pm (note special time), at Boswell:
Davy and Peter Rothbart on the Found Magazine 10th Anniversary Tour, with Davy also being the author of the new essay collection, My Heart is an Idiot.

Davy will share the latest magnificent and mesmerizing finds that have landed in the mailbox here at Found Magazine's HQ, plus outrageous tales from his new book and his work on public radio's This American Life, while Peter will dazzle with beautiful, haunting, and hilarious songs based on FOUND notes.Davy’s new book is a ragged, earnest collection of autobiographical essays chronicling a decade of heartfelt misadventures. Each one explores the miracle of human connection with raw honesty, and laugh-out-loud humor.

Friday, November 9, 7 pm, at Boswell
Shauna Singh Baldwin, author of The Selector of Souls, The Tiger Claw, and What the Body Remembers.

In Shauna Singh Baldwin's deeply imagined, enthralling work, two fascinating, strong-willed women deal with the relentless logic forced upon them for survival: Damini, a Hindu midwife, and Anu, who flees an abusive marriage for the sanctuary of the Catholic church. When Sister Anu comes to Gurkot village to open a clinic, their paths cross, each certain they are doing what's best for women. But what do survival, health, education, justice, equality and human rights mean to girls, women and the low caste when a country is marching toward prosperity, growth and nuclearization? If baby girls and women around them are to survive, Damini and Anu must find creative ways to break their sustaining traditions, and change this community from within.

Saturday, November 10, 2 pm, at Boswell
Michael Lowenthal, author of The Paternity Test, and Lysley Tenorio, author of Monstress: Stories.

In The Paternity Test, Pat Faunce is a faltering romantic, a former poetry major who now writes textbooks. A decade into his relationship with Stu, an airline pilot from a fraught Jewish family, he fears he’s losing Stu to other men—and losing himself in their “no rules” arrangement. Yearning for a baby and a deeper commitment, he pressures Stu to move from Manhattan to Cape Cod, to the cottage where Pat spent boyhood summers. As they struggle to adjust to their new life, they enlist a surrogate: Debora, a charismatic Brazilian immigrant, married to Danny, an American carpenter. Gradually, Pat and Debora bond, drawn together by the logistics of getting pregnant and away from their spouses. Pat gets caught between loyalties—to Stu and his family, to Debora, to his own potent desires—and wonders: is he fit to be a father?

Monstress introduces a bold new writer who explores the clash and meld of disparate cultures. In the National Magazine Award-nominated title story, a has-been movie director and his reluctant leading lady travel from Manila to Hollywood for one last chance at stardom, unaware of what they truly stand to lose. In "Felix Starro," a famous Filipino faith healer and his grandson conduct an illicit business in San Francisco, though each has his own plans for their earnings. And after the Beatles reject an invitation from Imelda Marcos for a Royal Command Performance, an aging bachelor attempts to defend her honor by recruiting his three nephews to attack the group at the Manila International Airport in "Help."

Sunday, November 11, 3 pm, at Boswell
Louisa Loveridge Gallas, author of Rescue the Good Stuff.

Milwaukee-based poet Louisa Loveridge Gallas’s new collection, Rescue the Good Stuff, introduces us young Madeleine Kidd, the smart, spunky only child of a con-man father and a mother longing for a better life. Maddie’s journey is a compelling mix of enchantment and betrayal, secrets and discovery. Often alone, she chooses imagination, the power of words and her unique pal, Shiny, for her closest companions. In this luminous sequence of story-like poems, the language is fresh, double-edged, available yet evocative, true to a young narrator’s voice. As Maddie testifies: “Words are the coolest!”

I'm going to see if I can update this with some links soon. But for now, I just want to post this and move on to our email newsletter!