Writers at Wright author lecture series

• Bringing popular, cutting-edge authors to Oak Park, Writers at Wright is a collaboration between the Friends of the Oak Park Public Library [1], The Book Table [2], Unity Temple Restoration Foundation [3], & Midwest Media.

• All Writers at Wright events are held at Unity Temple [4], 875 Lake Street, Oak Park.

• Tickets are $10 (available online [5] or at The Book Table, 1045 Lake St.) and can be redeemed at the event for a discount off the cover price of the new book.

Isabel Allende, author of Maya's Notebook

On Monday, May 6, best-selling author Isabel Allende discussed her new book, Maya's Notebook [6]. This contemporary coming-of-age story centers upon Maya Vidal, a remarkable teenager abandoned by her parents. Maya grew up in a rambling old house in Berkeley with her grandmother Nini, whose formidable strength helped her build a new life after emigrating from Chile in 1973 with a young son, and her grandfather Popo, a gentle African-American astronomer.

When Popo dies, Maya goes off the rails. With a circle of girlfriends known as "the vampires," she turns to drugs, alcohol, and petty crime - a downward spiral that eventually leads to Las Vegas and a dangerous underworld, with Maya caught between warring forces: a gang of assassins, the police, the FBI, and Interpol. Her one chance for survival is Nini, who helps her escape to a remote island off the coast of Chile. In the care of her grandmother's old friend, Manuel Arias, and surrounded by strange new acquaintances, Maya begins to record her story in her notebook, as she tries to make sense of her past and unravel the mysteries of her family and her own life.

Born in Peru and raised in Chile, Allende is the author of Ines of My Soul [7], Zorro [8], Portrait in Sepia [9], and Daughter of Fortune [10]. She has also written a collection of stories; three memoirs, The Sum of Our Days [11], My Invented Country [12], and Paula [13]; and a trilogy of young adult novels. Her books have been translated into more than 27 languages and have become bestsellers across four continents. In 2004, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Search the catalog for more Allende titles [14].

 

Previous Writers at Wright presenters

Christopher Kimball: The Science of Good Cooking

Christopher Kimball discussed the latest Cook's Illustrated endeavor, The Science of Good Cooking. In this radical new approach to home cooking, America's Test Kitchen uses science to explain what goes on in the kitchen. Kimball re-launched Cook's Magazine as Cook's Illustrated in 1993 and founded Cook's Country, and serves as publisher and editor of both magazines. He is also the host of and executive producer of public television cooking shows America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen.

Mark Z. Danielewski: The Fifty Year Sword

The nationally best-selling author of House of Leaves and Only Revolutions has crafted a powerfully chilling novella - a ghost story for grownup readers. This was a special theatrical reading of the novella, conducted by Danielewski, of The Fifty Year Sword. Danielewski's full-color artwork appears throughout the book, as well as his signature use of mulitcolored text. Born in New York City, Danielewski lives in Los Angeles.

Chris Ware: Building Stories

Oak Park’s own Chris Ware unveiled his newest graphic novel, Building Stories at a special author event hosted by Writers at Wright. Building Stories imagines the inhabitants of a three-story Chicago apartment building. Taking advantage of the absolute latest advances in wood pulp technology, Building Stories is a book with no deliberate beginning nor end, the scope, ambition, artistry, and emotional prevarication beyond anything yet seen from this artist or in this medium, probably for good reason. Learn more about local author Chris Ware [15].