Four events this week: Jai Chakrabarti with the Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center, Claire Saffitz (SOLD OUT), UWM Creative Writing presents United We Read, and Robert Simonson for two back-to-back events at Bryant's!

Tuesday, November 15, 7:30 pm
Jai Chakrabarti, author of A Play for the End of the World
A virtual event - click here to register. 

Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center present a virtual event featuring Jai Chakrabarti, author of A Play for the End of the World, a dazzling novel set in early 1970s New York and rural India about a turbulent, unlikely romance, a harrowing account of the lasting horrors of the Second World War, and a searing examination of one man's search for forgiveness and acceptance. Cohosted by Boswell Book Company.

Warsaw Ghetto survivor Jaryk Smith and southerner Lucy Gardner are in the first bloom of love when they receive word that Jaryk's oldest friend has died under mysterious circumstances in a rural village in eastern India. Travelling alone to collect his friend's ashes, Jaryk soon finds himself enmeshed in the chaos of local politics and staging a protest play against the government. Torn between the survivor's guilt he has carried for decades and his feelings for Lucy, Jaryk must decide how to honor both the past and the present, and how to accept a happiness he is not sure he deserves.

A remarkable debut, A Play for the End of the World is an unforgettable love story, a provocative exploration of the role of art in times of political upheaval, and a deeply moving reminder of the power of the past to shape the present.

Jai Chakrabarti’s writing has been anthologized in The O Henry Prize Stories and The Best American Short Stories and awarded a Pushcart Prize. Chakrabarti was an Emerging Writer Fellow with A Public Space and received his MFA from Brooklyn College. He was born in Kolkata, India.

Wednesday, November 16, 6:30 pm

Sold Out! Claire Saffitz, author of What’s for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People
in conversation with Kyle Cherek, in-person at Boswell

This event is sold out. You can still order a signed copy. If you haven't heard about this event until now, we suggest you sign up for the Boswell email newsletter. Find the link on the right-hand column of the front page of the Boswell website.

UWM Creative Writing presents United We Read
In-Person at Boswell Friday, November 18, 6:30 pm

Boswell hosts the November edition of the UWM Creative Writing Graduate Program student and faculty reading series, United We Read, on Friday, November 18, 6:30 pm. This is the monthly reading series presented at locations around the city put on by the UWM English Department and features readings of new work by Creative Writing graduate students as well as UWM faculty members.

This evening will feature readings from graduate students Cassandra Bruner, Sass Denny, and Camilla Lee, and Professor Rebecca Dunham.

Saturday, November 19, 3 pm doors, 3:30 pm event

Second Show Added! - Robert Simonson, author of Modern Classic Cocktails: 60+ Stories and Recipes from the New Golden Age in Drinks
in-person at Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, 1579 S 9th St - click here to purchase tickets! 

Bryant's Cocktail Lounge and Boswell Book Company are excited to welcome twice James Beard nominated author Robert Simonson, a native Wisconsinite and the New York Times cocktail and spirits writer, to discuss his latest book, Modern Classic Cocktails, featuring recipes culled from today's modern classics with entertaining backstories from the cocktail revival of the past thirty years.

The first seating of this event (5 pm doors, 6 pm event) is now sold out, but a second show has been added! To purchase tickets for the 3 pm doors, 3:30 pm event showing, please click this sentence and visit the ticketing site. Tickets cost $40 plus tax and ticket fee, and each ticket includes a copy of Modern Classic Cocktails, one special cocktail, and gratuity.

Robert Simonson is author of A Proper Drink, The Old-Fashioned, and The Martini Cocktail. His writing has appeared in Saveur, GQ, and Bon Appetit, and has been nominated for two James Beard Awards and has won one IACP Award and two Spirited Awards.

Photo credits
Jai Chakrabarti by Peter Dressel
Claire Saffitz by Alex Lau