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November 18: Lisa Belkin, “Genealogy of a Murder: Four Generations, Three Families, One Fateful Night.” In conversation with Christina Baker Kline. An award-winning journalist in conversation with a bestselling novelist about the true crime account of three families whose paths collide one summer night in 1960 with the murder of a police officer. Belkin gave a spellbinding account of her winding research path that included the infamous Leopold and Loeb murder case, parole prediction theory, and a 1906 tragic train crash.
October 14: Rachel Swarns, “The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church.” In conversation with Khalil Gibran Muhammad. An NYU journalism professor discusses her investigation of the fate of 272 slaves sold by the Catholic Church with the director of Harvard’s Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project. In perhaps the most moving moment, Swarns explains why her research has not shaken her Catholic faith.
October 7: Adam Nagourney, “The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism.” In conversation with David Folkenflik. A longtime New York Times reporter and former L.A. bureau chief talked about his new tell-all history of “The Gray Lady” with the media correspondent of NPR. It was a great opportunity to hear two distinguished journalists candidly discuss their profession–past, present and future.
September 23: Colson Whitehead, “Crook Manifesto.” In conversation with Kate Tuttle. Co-sponsored by Suceed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival at The First Congregational Church of Montclair. The two-time Pulitzer winning novelist discussed the latest installment of his Harlem saga, “Crook Manifesto,” a hilarious novel of New York City in the ’70s, with a distinguished book critic.
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June 24: Lenny Kaye, “Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll.” In conversation with Cindy Stagoff. The legendary guitarist and founding member of the Patti Smith Band, talked with a music journalist of NJArts.net and Outpost in the Burbs about Kaye’s latest book, “Lightning Striking,” about 10 pivotal moments in rock & roll. Their funny, poignant, and philosophical conversation included reminiscences, a reading from the book, and even a few songs on the guitar. The event was co-presented by NJArts.net.
May 6: Dionne Ford, “Go Back and Get It: A Memoir of Race, Inheritance, and Intergenerational Healing.” In conversation with Benilde Little. Co-presented by Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival.Co-presented by Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival.
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May 6: Eliza Minot, “In The Orchard,” and Laura Spence-Ash, “Beyond That, The Sea.” In conversation with Alice Elliott Dark (“Fellowship Point.)” Co-presented by Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival.
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April 15: Michelle Zauner, “Crying in H Mart.” In conversation with Elisabeth Egan. Co-sponsored by AAPI Montclair at The First Congregational Church of Montclair. Michelle Zauner, who also leads the award-winning indie pop band Japanese Breakfast, discussed her longtime bestselling memoir with an editor of The New York Times Book Review about learning to write, her climb to musical success and her mother’s favorite recipe.
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April 1: Robert Pinsky, “Jersey Breaks: Becoming an American Poet.” In conversation with Kate Tuttle. Three-time U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky talked about his memoir, “Jersey Breaks: Becoming an American Poet,” with Kate Tuttle, books editor of People magazine. Their lively conversation was, by turns, funny, poignant, political. Pinsky also read both a poem by Yeats and one of his own unpublished works.
March 18: Kate Zernike, “The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science.” In conversation with Dale Russakoff. Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Kate Zernike discussed her new book, “The Exceptions,” with Dale Russakoff, a former longtime reporter for The Washington Post. They addressed the continuing gender imbalance in science faculty, our puzzling tendency to attribute “genius” to men and not women, and how to get a biographical subject to open up.
February 25: Toluse Olorunnipa, “His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice.” In conversation with Jon Fortt of CNBC. Washington Post White House correspondent Toluse Olorunnipa talked with Jon Fortt of CNBC about Olorunnipa’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, “His Name Is George Floyd.” Their insightful and thought-provoking conversation started off with a tragic similar case and addresses the question of who gets sent out to cover riots and uprisings and why.
We are grateful to all of the wonderful authors, conversation partners, library staffers, and, of course, attendees who have made Open Book / Open Mind Online such a success in 2023.
Open Book / Open Mind is presented by the Montclair Public Library through the generous financial support of The Montclair Public Library Foundation, Watchung Booksellers, New Jersey Council for the Humanities, Josh Weston, Rosemary Iversen, and an anonymous donor. Many thanks to our generous in-kind sponsors, First Congregational Church of Montclair, The George Montclair, and Amanti Vino.
And, as always, the series is made possible by the support of the Open Book / Open Mind Advisory Comittee: Co-chairs: Kate Tuttle and David Jones; Jonathan Alter, Neal Carruth, Reagan Arthur, series co-founder Jennifer Dorr, Elisabeth Egan, Dionne Ford, Jon Fortt, DT Max, Juan Milà, Dale Russakoff, Margot Sage-el, Rachel Swarns, and Susan Weinberg.
