Author Events: May 2017

PREVIEW WRITTEN WORD

April 2017 Author Events

Illustration by Comfreak/Pixabay

What does having an amazing university, a plethora of fantastic local independent bookstores, and a pretty slam-bang public library system (if we do say so ourselves) bring to a town?

Authors. Lots and lots of authors.

In fact, so many authors pass through the area that sometimes it can be hard to keep track of who is speaking and when and where. To help guide you, Pulp curated a highlights list of May 2017 author events.

Ruth Behar
➥ Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at Literati Bookstore, 7 pm
Behar, an anthropology professor at the University of Michigan, has penned her first book for young readers. Lucky Broken Girl tells the story of a young immigrant from Cuba, who has moved with her family from Havana to New York in pursuit of the American Dream. Behar will read from Lucky Broken Girl at this event.

The Moth Storyslam
➥ Tuesday, May 2 at Ann Arbor Distilling Company, 7:30 pm
This month’s first iteration of The Moth Storyslam is on the theme “first impressions.” Ten storytellers are selected at random from those who sign up and tell a 3-5 minute tale. Judges, selected from among audience members, decide who will continue on to a semiannual “Grand Slam.” Doors open and storytelling signup begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $10.

Patricia Lockwood
➥ Saturday, May 6 at Literati Bookstore, 7 pm
Lockwood’s new memoir, Preistdaddy, tells of her childhood growing up with a married Catholic priest as a father. Her irreverent dad enjoys playing guitar and watching action movies, but worlds collide when an unexpected crisis forces Lockwood and her husband to return to her parents’ rectory as an adult.

Amor Towles
➥ Sunday, May 7 at Nicola’s Books, 3 pm
New York Times bestselling author Amor Towles will read from his book A Gentleman in Moscow. The book tells the story of Count Alexander Rostov, who is placed under house arrest by a Bolshevik tribunal in 1922. Inside the Metropol, a grand hotel directly across from the Kremlin, Count Rostov witnesses some of the most amazing events of the next three decades.

Jo Nesbo
➥ Sunday, May 14 at Ann Arbor Distilling Company, 6 pm
Literati Bookstore will host bestselling author Jo Nesbo in celebration of his latest thriller, The Thirst, which is the 11th installment in his Harry Hole crime fiction series. In this latest book, a serial murderer has been targeting users of the dating app Tinder, and Inspector Hole and the rest of the Oslo Police Force must solve the case. Tickets must be purchased for this event.

Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal
➥ Monday, May 15 at the Downtown Library Multipurpose Room, 7 pm
Dr. Rosenthal will discuss her new book, An American Sickness: How American Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. In the book, she covers the history of American medicine, the dangers and dysfunctions of the current healthcare system, and options for solving its problems. Books will be available for sale at the event courtesy of Nicola’s Books.

Stephen Hunter
➥ Tuesday, May 16 at the Downtown Library Multipurpose Room, 7 pm
Pulitzer Prize-winner Hunter will discuss his new book in the Bob Lee Swagger series, G-man. The thriller series has spawned a hit TV show and the movie Shooter. In this latest installment, Swagger uncovers family secrets surrounding involvement with 1930s gangsters. Books will be for sale at the event courtesy of Literati.

The Moth Storyslam
➥ Tuesday, May 16 at Ann Arbor Distilling Company, 7:30 pm
Missed the first Storyslam of the month? You can catch this second one, where the theme is “traps.” Ten storytellers are selected at random from those who sign up and tell a 3-5 minute tale. Judges, selected from among audience members, decide who will continue on to a semiannual “Grand Slam.” Doors open and storytelling signup begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $10.

Laura Hulthen Thomas
➥ Wednesday, May 17 at Literati Bookstore, 7 pm
Thomas has just written her debut collection of short stories, States of Motion. The eight stories are set in both real and fictional Michigan cities, and they tell of characters battling economic turmoil and the domestic repercussions of the war on terror. Thomas will read from her collection at the event.

Paula Hawkins
➥ Wednesday, May 17 at Nicola’s Books, 7:30 pm
Paula Hawkins, the international best-selling author of The Girl on the Train, will read from her new book, Into the Water, at this event and meet readers and answer questions. Into the Water, a thriller of the same caliber as The Girl on the Train, will be published on May 2.

Stephen Hamilton
➥ Wednesday, May 17 at the Downtown Library Multipurpose Room, 7 pm
Hamilton has written numerous mystery novels that have hit the NYT bestsellers list and has won the Edgar Award for both Best First Novel and Best Novel. He launched a new mystery series last spring with the publication of The Second Life of Nick Mason, and the series continues with his recent volume, Exit Strategy. Books will be available for sale at the event courtesy of Aunt Agatha’s Bookstore.

Gina Sorell, with Ian Bassing-Thwaighte and Colin Corrigan
➥ Thursday, May 18 at Literati Bookstore, 7 pm
Sorrell's debut novel, Mothers and Other Strangers, was a staff pick at Literati. In the book, a young woman works to understand her recently deceased mother, a cruel woman who left her daughter an inheritance of debt and mystery. Also reading at the event are two graduates of the University of Michigan Helen Zell Writers’ Program, Bassing-Thwaighte and Corrigan.


Elizabeth Pearce is a Library Technician at the Ann Arbor District Library.