Author Talks

The past four decades have been the hottest in recorded history. Author and journalist Bob Reiss first sounded the alarm on climate change 25 years ago in The Coming Storm: Extreme Weather and Our Terrifying Future—recently re-released and praised by Bill McKibben as “the most readable and intelligent summary of global warming science and politics I have read.” He later explored the rapidly melting Arctic in The Eskimo and The Oil Man. Reiss will share insights from his work, reflect on where we are now, and take questions from the audience.

New York adman Jim Blandings is ready to say goodbye to his cramped city apartment and build from the ground up a Connecticut home with room enough for his growing family and dreams. All it will cost him is his time and money ... and perhaps his job, marriage, happiness and what's left of his sanity. Goodbye, Manhattan. Hello, comedy. Following the film, renowned actress and author Illeana Douglas will discuss her book “Connecticut in the Movies: From Dream Houses to Dark Suburbia” and take questions from the audience. A copy of the book is included with each ticket.

John Trumbull saw the American Revolution firsthand, including being shot at and jailed as a spy.  He was seen by his contemporaries as a painter, but he thought of himself as a historian, wanting “to preserve and diffuse the memory of the noblest series of actions which have ever presented themselves in the history of man.”  He knew John Jay well, having served as his secretary during the negotiations of the Jay Treaty, and he painted the only portrait in the Homestead’s collection that Jay actually sat for (the rest are copies).

In Rewrite the Mother Code, Dr. Gertrude Lyons challenges limiting beliefs and expands the definition of motherhood. She blurs the lines that restrict women to narrow roles, inviting readers to embrace the truth that all women mother, and that mother energy is accessible to everyone, including men. This book celebrates motherhood by reintroducing spirituality and community, empowering women as the ultimate creators. The event will be moderated by Barri Leiner Grant, with books available for sale and signing.

Join Kelly Corrigan and Claire Corrigan Lichty as they present their new book Marianne the Maker. Making and creativity is an irreplaceable part of every life - not only as a driving factor in individual well being but also for societal progress. Thanks to widely celebrated, peer-reviewed research in neuroscience, we also know that making is key to brain health. Parents are invited to join Kelly and Claire for a Q&A session as they lay out the case for making as essential to health and progress. A copy of the book is included with each ticket.

James Frey, the literary force hailed as “America’s Most Notorious Author” (TIME) and the “Bad Boy of American Literature” (The New York Times), returns with his latest tour de force: Next to Heaven, a darkly funny, razor-sharp thriller that peels back the gilded surface of America’s wealthiest enclaves. This incendiary novel delivers an addictive and voyeuristic plunge into a world where privilege, scandal, and moral decay intertwine, culminating in betrayal, chaos, and murder. Moderated by Fran Hauser. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing.