JENNIFER EGAN
Author Jennifer Egan will open the third annual Hoboken Literary Weekend, March 31 at 7 p.m. The Literary Weekend will continue through April 2; all events, organized by the vital independent bookstore Little City Books, will take place at the store’s downtown location at 100 Bloomfield Ave.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning Egan, who penned six previous books of fiction, will discuss her latest, “The Candy House.”
Little City Books co-owners Kate Jacobs and Donna Garban have developed a welcoming cultural hub, inviting artists and book lovers into their space. Jacobs is looking forward to introducing N.K. Jemisin to her patrons. Jemisin will discuss her latest book — “The World We Make,” described as speculative fiction — on April 1 at 4 p.m.
“Egan and Jemisin are two really interesting authors who have zeitgeist-y cross-generational appeal,” said Jacobs.
April 1 at 2 p.m., children’s author and lawyer Jenna Beatrice, who hails from northern New Jersey, will read from her picture book, “The Loud Librarian.” Beatrice serves as a trustee of a children’s advocacy center.
Also for children, April 1 at 2 p.m., Sharon Guynup and Steve Winter will discuss two books they have co-authored: “Tigers Forever: Saving the World’s Most Endangered Big Cat” and “The Ultimate Book of Big Cats.”
MAYA KAIMAL
Maya Kaimal will discuss her new cookbook “Indian Flavor Every Day: Simple Recipes and Smart Techniques to Inspire,” April 1 at 2 p.m. “My friend and former Hoboken roommate Maya Kaimal — you’ve seen her vibrant Indian sauces and condiments in stores all over the country — is coming to cook and talk about her gorgeous new book,” said Jacobs. “I adore Maya and look forward to chatting with her about family and travel and home cooking.” There will be free samples.
The theater company Elevator Repair Service will present a workshop performance of their take on James Joyce’s novel “Ulysses,” April 1 at 7 p.m., with writer Fintan O’Toole moderating.
According to promotional material, “Using the simple format of an academic panel discussion turned wild theatrical embodiment, the piece will reverberate with both the literary achievement of the novel and its notorious chaos, debauchery, and revelry.”
Writer and publisher David Levithan will moderate a panel discussion featuring Young Adult authors, April 2 at 2 p.m.
Playwright and songwriter Rupert Holmes — whose mystery musicals include “Curtains” and “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” and whose first novel “Where the Truth Lies” became a motion picture featuring Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon — will discuss his latest thriller, “Murder Your Employer,” April 2 at 6 p.m.
“Rupert Holmes is a legend,” said Jacobs “with Tonys for musicals, Edgars for mysteries, and a Billboard No. 1 for ‘Escape (The Piña Colada Song)’! He’s had an insane career.”
April 2 at 8 p.m., comedy producer Leah Williams, returns with “Little City Laughing,” a night of stand-up comedians including “Saturday Night Live” cast member James Austin Johnson, Brittany Carney, Steven Castillo, Sam Wiles and Joey Dardano.
Started in 2019, the Hoboken Literary Weekend began as a way to bring the community together to celebrate the arts. In a prior preview, Jacobs said of the Literary Weekend that she and Garban were inspired to create such an event after a New York Times editor moved to town and complained that none existed.
CINDY STAGOFF
Richard Thompson performed at the 2022 Hoboken Literary Weekend.
On hiatus for two years due to the pandemic, the event returned in 2022, featuring O’Toole, Colm Tóibín, Richard Thompson and others.
Jacobs noted that in addition to the Literary Weekend, her store has other events, including a comedy show, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m., featuring Gara, Michael Good, Mika Stein and Divya Gunasekaran.
The store’s May schedule will include author and musician Warren Zanes, who will discuss his new book, “Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska,” May 11 at 7 p.m. Zanes will be accompanied in song by some of his bandmates from Paul Muldoon’s band Rogue Oliphant.
For tickets and more information, visit hobokenliteraryweekend.com or littlecitybooks.com.
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