Join us for an unforgettable evening at the Bedford Playhouse celebrating New York Times bestselling author Lara Love Hardin, hosted by Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship.

We invite you to experience Lara Love Hardin’s remarkable journey— A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing. OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • New York Times bestselling author Lara Love Hardin recounts her slide from soccer mom to opioid addict to jailhouse shot caller and her unlikely comeback as a highly successful ghostwriter in this harrowing, hilarious, no-holds-barred memoir.

Much like Lara’s story of moving through trauma toward healing and purpose, Endeavor’s Equine Prison Program provides incarcerated women with a way forward: a place to rebuild confidence, gain skills, and plant the seeds of a new life. Her words and our work converge in a shared belief: that healing is possible, that hope can shine through, and that when we invest in second chances—through pen and page, or through horse and heart—the ripple effects can transform lives.

6:00 PM | Cocktails & Meet The Author

Guests are welcomed at the Bedford Playhouse for a cocktail and the opportunity to meet Lara. Book signing will take place during this hour, with books available for purchase through our partnership with local bookstore Bedford Books. If you can’t make it for cocktails, feel free to join us just for the talk at 7pm.

7:00 – 8:00 PM | Author Talk
Lara will share her story and engage in conversation about writing, resilience, and the mission behind The Gemma Project, followed by an audience Q+A. The discussion will be moderated by Elisabeth Weed.  Lara will leave promptly following the talk.

Elizabeth Weed is a founder and partner at The Book Group. She began her publishing career at Curtis Brown in 1999 and later launched Weed Literary, focusing on upmarket, plot-driven fiction. She values long-term author relationships, and her clients have appeared on major bestseller lists worldwide.

8:00 PM | VIP Dinner at OHHO
Join us for a VIP dinner with Lara Love Hardin immediately following the talk, hosted at OHHO. Guests will enjoy drinks, dinner, meaningful conversation, and the opportunity to connect with Lara in a smaller setting. Tickets are available exclusively through Endeavor’s website. Limited quantity – purchase before the sell out!

(Tickets to the talk are NOT included with the dinner ticket.)

Giving Back – In support of Lara’s work, 25% of all proceeds from the evening will be donated to The Gemma Project, helping restore hope, opportunity, and community for justice-involved women.

LARA LOVE HARDIN is a literary agent, author, prison reform advocate, and president of True Literary. Her memoir, The Many Lives of Mama Love is a 2024 Oprah Book Club pick and a New York Times bestseller. She has an MFA in creative writing and apart from her own book, is also a five-time New York Times bestselling collaborative writer, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Designing Your Life, and 2018 Oprah Book Club pick, The Sun Does Shine, which she co-authored with Anthony Ray Hinton about his 30 years as an innocent man on Alabama’s death row. In 2019, she won a Christopher Award for her work “affirming the highest values of the human spirit,” nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and short-listed for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Lara is also the co-founder of The Gemma Project, a gender-responsive organization serving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women with integrity and compassion. 

About Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship

Endeavor Therapeutic Horsemanship is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Bedford Corners, NY, dedicated to empowering individuals through the healing potential of the horse. Founded in 2014 by a team of highly experienced and credentialed therapeutic horsemanship professionals, Endeavor provides equine-assisted services to individuals with a broad range of disabilities (ages 4 through seniors), at-risk populations, veterans and active-duty military, self-contained and neurotypical school groups, and incarcerated women. As a Premier Accredited Center through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.), Endeavor is recognized for its outstanding programs, exceptional staff, dedicated volunteers, and equine partners. Our facility includes indoor and outdoor arenas, a main stable, an equine-assisted learning center, a tack room, a veteran center, and a sustainability center. Each year, Endeavor enriches over 900 lives by providing the highest quality equine-assisted services in an inclusive and welcoming environment.

About The Gemma Project

“The Gemma Project is a nonprofit providing gender- and trauma-responsive programming and services, dedicated to restoring hope, opportunity, and community for justice-involved women. In the past three decades alone, the number of women incarcerated in prisons and jails in the U.S. has increased more than 750%, making the work we do all the more necessary. Our model begins inside correctional facilities and continues into the community through therapeutic groups, individualized reentry planning, system navigation, care coordination, and warm hand-offs. We are actively working toward replication across the country, as the challenges we address – trauma, family separation, and barriers to reentry – are shared by women nationwide. With proven results, including a 40% reduction in recidivism among participants, we are committed to bringing this approach to jails and prisons across the U.S.”

Lara Love Hardin