MONTCLAIR, NJ (October 30, 2025) — On Thursday, November 13, at 6:30 p.m., the Montclair Public Library will be welcoming award-winning writer Cleyvis Natera (“Neruda on the Park”) to talk about her new novel, “The Grand Paloma Hotel” with fellow novelist Caroline Palmer, author of the recent “Workhorse.” Both novels are about class struggle, though Natera’s takes place at a glamorous resort in the Dominican Republic with echoes of White Lotus, and Palmer’s takes place in the heyday of New York fashion magazines. The two books have both generated a lot of buzz in recent months.
The program will be co-presented by Latinos of Montclair as part of their VOCES series.
Doors open at 6 p.m. The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A and signing with Watchung Booksellers. The program is part of Open Book / Open Mind, MPL’s popular, long-running literary conversation series.
“We’re happy to be presenting two of the many talented authors who call Montclair home in one program,” says Library Director Radwa Ali. “And we’re delighted to be partnering with Latinos of Montclair again!”
Cleyvis Natera is the author of “Neruda on the Park.” She was born in the Dominican Republic, migrated to the United States at ten years old, and grew up in New York City. Her writing has won awards and fellowships from the International Latino Book Awards, PEN America, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, The Kenyon Review’s Writers Workshops, the Vermont Studio Center, the Hermitage Artist Retreat, Rowland Writers Retreat, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is currently a Fulbright Specialist. She lives with her husband and two young children in Montclair. “The Grand Paloma Resort” is her second novel.
“This is…the beauty of Natera’s novel: It’s one of those entertaining beach reads that also make you think. ‘Grand Paloma’ will transport you, and it will insist that you take note not only of your surroundings but also of the people who made them the way they are — beautiful or not, real or manufactured, sturdy or at risk of annihilation.”—The New York Times
Caroline Palmer is the author of the new novel “Workhorse,” which has been compared to “‘The Talented Mr. Ripley,’ another sinister story with a paranoid and untrustworthy antihero…[though] less homicidal.” (The Washington Post). From 2014 to 2019, Palmer was the director of editorial, video, and social media at Amazon Fashion. Before her tenure at Amazon, she spent seven years as the editor of Vogue.com. Her work has appeared in various publications, including The New York Times, Life, Seventeen magazine, and Vogue. She lives in Montclair, with her husband and three children.
The Open Book / Open Mind series is presented by the Montclair Public Library with the generous support of The Montclair Public Library Foundation, Watchung Booksellers, Dr. Alex and Doris Malaspina, David and Mary Lee Jones, and our individual Underwriters, the First Congregational Church, Amanti Vino and The George Montclair.
Latinos of Montclair aims to create a more inclusive community by uplifting the varied experiences of American Latinos, advocating for Latino rights and representation, supporting professional and educational advancement, and promoting the awareness and preservation of Latino culture and history. Their VOCES program features Latino thought leaders – authors, artists, elected officials, business leaders, community advocates, culture carriers – and uplift the stories, perspectives, and ideas shaping Latinidad today.
This season of Open Book / Open Mind will also include Angela Flournoy (“The Wilderness”).