Recently, an imprint highlighting Indigenous authors held a retreat, an astrophysicist gave a reading, collaborators visited a setting from their story, and an author returned to a familiar place for an event.
A Heartening Retreat
Earlier this summer, the HarperCollins imprint Heartdrum invited authors for a retreat in New Braunfels, Tex. The event featured writing workshops and panels offering information about how to navigate the publishing industry. The attendees were (top row, from l.) Brian Young, Emily Bowen Cohen, Gayleen Rabakkuk, Byron Graves; (middle row, from l.) Jen Ferguson, Karina Iceberg, Kim Rogers, Dawn Quigley, Laurel Goodluck, Kaua Māhoe Adams, Marcie Rendon, Cynthia Leitich Smith Christine Hartman Derr, Leslie Stall Widener; and (bottom row, from l.) Andrea L. Rogers, K.A. Cobell, Rosemary Brosnan, and Stacy Wells.
Written in the Stars
On July 20, author and astrophysicist Marc J. Kuchner visited the Kendall/MIT Open Space, a free outdoor community space, in Cambridge, Mass., for a LEAP Lab event, programs geared towards kids and families, where he shared his new book Cosmic Collisions: Asteroid vs. Comet, illustrated by Matt Schu (Candlewick/MIT Kids). The picture book follows a speeding comet that is on course to collide with an asteroid. Here, Kuchner shows young attendees how to orbit like planetary bodies.
Past Meets Present
Chris Raschka (l.) and Nicholas Day (r.) spoke to readers at an event for their new picture book collaboration Nothing at Maverick Concert Hall in Woodstock, N.Y. on July 27, in partnership with local bookstore The Golden Notebook. The picture book highlights David Tudor’s performance of John Cage’s 4’ 33”, which he performed at the same theater the creators spoke at. The duo gave a reading, a living drawing demonstration, and their own performance of 4’ 33”.
An Event Built to Enjoy
Minh Lê, a former resident of Washington, D.C., returned to his old stomping grounds for a visit to Politics & Prose on July 27, where he discussed his new book Built to Last, illustrated by Dan Santat (Knopf). The picture book features two boys who enjoy the process of creating, even when things collapse and give them an opportunity to imagine something new. Lê held a conversation with illustrator Ann Kim Ha about art and their experiences making books and closed the event with a book signing.
