Performance by this award-winning local slam poet, community activist, and Neutral Zone literary arts director. Raynor is known for her emotional honesty, particularly in exploring how past trauma affects present action. The program begins with open mike readings.
7-8:30 p.m., Sweetwaters, 123 W. Washington. Free. 994-6663.
U-M English professor emeritus Richard Tillinghast reads from his latest book, Journeys into the Mind of the World, an essay collection that purports to explore “the mind of the world” by examining chosen locations-Ireland, England, India, the Middle East, Tennessee, and Hawaii-and their unique historical, cultural, artistic, religious, and ethnic dimensions. Also, widely published Detroit poet Kevin Gerard Rashid reads from his work, which is known for its blend of sharp observations, humor, and lyricism. Followed by a poetry and short fiction open mike.
7-9 p.m., Crazy Wisdom, 114 S. Main. Free. 665-2757.
Literati is thrilled to welcome author Michael Zadoorian who will be sharing his latest novel, Beautiful Music.
About Beautiful Music:
Set in early 1970s Detroit, a divided city still reeling from its violent race riot of 1967, Beautiful Music is the story of one young man’s transformation through music. Danny Yzemski is a husky, pop radio-loving loner balancing a dysfunctional homelife with the sudden harsh realities of freshman year at a high school marked by racial turbulence.
But after tragedy strikes the family, Danny’s mother becomes increasingly erratic and angry about the seismic cultural shifts unfolding in her city and the world. As she tries to hold it together with the help of Librium, highballs, and breakfast cereal, Danny finds his own reason to carry on: rock and roll. In particular, the drum and guitar-heavy songs of local legends like the MC5 and Iggy Pop. In the vein of Nick Hornby and Tobias Wolff, yet with a style very much Zadoorian’s own, Beautiful Music is a touching story about the power of music and its ability to save one’s soul.
Michael Zadoorian is the author of the critically praised The Leisure Seeker–now a film starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland, released by Sony Pictures Classics this year. Zadoorian is a recipient of a Kresge Artist Fellowship in the Literary Arts, the Columbia University Anahid Literary Award, the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award, and the Michigan Notable Book Award. His other books are Second Hand: A Novel,and the story collection The Lost Tiki Palaces of Detroit. His fiction has appeared in the Literary Review, Beloit Fiction Journal, American Short Fiction, Witness, Great Lakes Review, and the North American Review. He lives with his wife in the Detroit area.
Literati is excited to host author Scott Stern who will be discussing his latest book The Trials of Nina McCall Smith: Sex, Survelliance, and the Decades-Long Government Plan to Imprison “promiscous” Women.
About The Trials of Nina McCall Smith:
The nearly forgotten story of the American Plan, one of the largest and longest-lasting mass quarantines in American history, told through the lens of one young woman’s story.
In 1918, shortly after her eighteenth birthday, Nina McCall was told to report to the local health officer to be examined for sexually transmitted infections. Confused and humiliated, Nina did as she was told, and the health officer performed a hasty (and invasive) examination and quickly diagnosed her with gonorrhea. Though Nina insisted she could not possibly have an STI, she was coerced into committing herself to the Bay City Detention Hospital, a facility where she would spend almost three miserable months subjected to hard labor, exploitation, and painful injections of mercury.
Nina McCall was one of many women unfairly imprisoned by the United States government throughout the twentieth century. The government locked up tens, probably hundreds, of thousands of women and girls–usually without due process–simply because officials suspected these women were prostitutes, carrying STIs, or just “promiscuous.”
This discriminatory program, dubbed the “American Plan,” lasted from the 1910s into the 1950s, implicating a number of luminaries, including Eleanor Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller Jr., Earl Warren, and even Eliot Ness, while laying the foundation for the modern system of women’s prisons. In some places, vestiges of the Plan lingered into the 1960s and 1970s, and the laws that undergirded it remain on the books to this day.
Scott Stern tells the story of this almost forgotten program through the life of Nina McCall. Her story provides crucial insight into the lives of countless other women incarcerated under the American Plan. Stern demonstrates the pain and shame felt by these women and details the multitude of mortifications they endured, both during and after their internment. Yet thousands of incarcerated women rioted, fought back against their oppressors, or burned their detention facilities to the ground; they jumped out of windows or leapt from moving trains or scaled barbed-wire fences in order to escape. And, as Nina McCall did, they sued their captors. In an age of renewed activism surrounding harassment, health care, prisons, women’s rights, and the power of the state, this virtually lost chapter of our history is vital reading.
Scott W. Stern is a graduate of Yale University, with a BA and MA in American Studies, summa cum laude. His thesis, on the American Plan, won Yale’s Norman Holmes Pearson Prize. A native of Pittsburgh, Stern is continuing his studies at Yale Law School.
Literati is thrilled to welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning journalsit Charlie LeDuff to share his new book Sh*tshow!: The Country’s Collapsing… and the Ratings Are Great
About Sh*tshow!:
A daring, firsthand, and utterly-unscripted account of crisis in America, from Ferguson to Flint to Cliven Bundy’s ranch to Donald Trump’s unstoppable campaign for President–at every turn, Pulitzer-prize winner and bestselling author of Detroit: An American Autopsy, Charlie LeDuff was there
In the Fall of 2013, long before any sane person had seriously considered the possibility of a Trump presidency, Charlie LeDuff sat in the office of then-Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, and made a simple but prophetic claim:The whole country is bankrupt and on high boil. It’s a shitshow out there. No one in the bubbles of Washington, DC., New York, or Los Angles was talking about it–least of all the media. LeDuff wanted to go to the heart of the country to report what was really going on. Ailes baulked. Could the hard-living and straight-shooting LeDuff be controlled? But, then, perhaps on a whim, he agreed. And so LeDuff set out to record a TV series called, “The Americans,” and, along the way, ended up bearing witness to the ever-quickening unraveling of The American Dream.
For three years, LeDuff travelled the width and breadth of the country with his team of production irregulars, ending up on the Mexican border crossing the Rio Grande on a yellow rubber kayak alongside undocumented immigrants; in the middle of Ferguson as the city burned; and watching the children of Flint get sick from undrinkable water. Racial, political, social, and economic tensions were escalating by the day. The inexorable effects of technological change and globalization were being felt more and more acutely, at the same time as wages stagnated and the price of housing, education, and healthcare went through the roof. The American people felt defeated and abandoned by their politicians, and those politicians seemed incapable of rising to the occasion. The old way of life was slipping away, replaced only by social media, part-time work, and opioid addiction.
Sh*tshow is that true, tragic, and distinctively American story, told from the parts of the country hurting the most. A soul-baring, irreverent, and iconoclastic writer, LeDuff speaks the language of everyday Americans, and is unafraid of getting his hands dirty. He scrambles the tired-old political, social, and racial categories, taking no sides–or prisoners. Old-school, gonzo-style reporting, this is both a necessary confrontation with the darkest parts of the American psyche and a desperately-needed reminder of the country’s best instincts.
Charlie LeDuff is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, formerly at the New York Times and the Detroit News, and Detroit’s Fox 2 News. The author of Detroit, US Guys, and Work and Other Sins, he lives near Detroit.
Literati is delighted to welcome award-winning author Richard Russo for a discussion his newly released essay collection The Destiny Thief: Essays on Writing. Richard will be joined by Sam Krowchenko for a post-reading discussion.
About The Destiny Thief:
A master of the novel, short story, and memoir, the best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Everybody’s Fool now gives us his very first collection of personal essays, ranging throughout writing and reading and living.
In these nine essays, Richard Russo provides insight into his life as a writer, teacher, friend, and reader. From a commencement speech he gave at Colby College, to the story of how an oddly placed toilet made him reevaluate the purpose of humor in art and life, to a comprehensive analysis of Mark Twain’s value, to his harrowing journey accompanying a dear friend as she pursued gender-reassignment surgery, The Destiny Thiefreflects the broad interests and experiences of one of America’s most beloved authors. Warm, funny, wise, and poignant, the essays included here traverse Russo’s writing life, expanding our understanding of who he is and how his singular, incredibly generous mind works. An utter joy to read, they give deep insight into the creative process from the prospective of one of our greatest writers.
Ricahrd Russo is the author of eight novels, most recently Everybody’s Fool and That Old Cape Magic; two collections of stories, with Trajectory published in 2017; and the memoir Elsewhere. In 2002 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Empire Falls, which like Nobody’s Fool was adapted to film, in a multiple-award-winning HBO miniseries; in 2016 he was given the Indie Champion Award by the American Booksellers Association; and in 2017 he received France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine. He lives in Portland, Maine.
Sam Krowchenko is the host of Literati Bookstore’s podcast Shelf Talking. His work has appeared in Salon, Full Stop, and The Michigan Quarterly Review. A graduate of the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan, he is currently a Zell Fellow.
On June 8th at 5pm, Literati is thrilled to welcome David Sedaris back to Ann Arbor and to Literati Bookstore as he tours independent bookstores across the country in support of his latest essay collection, Calypso!
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE MAKING YOUR PURCHASE
Seating for this event is incredibly limited, as the reading will take place on our main floor. For a chance to attend the reading, purchase a priority signing line ticket between 4/20-4/27! Purchasing this ticket will not only enter you into a raffle for a chance to see David read in-store, but also pre-buys a hardcover copy of Calypso through Literati and reserves a priority spot in the signing line following the event!
Limit two priority signing line tickets per person. Purchase is non-refundable.
When the priority signing line ticket offer ends on 4/27 at 5pm, we will randomly draw a limited number of names to attend the reading on Literati’s main floor, and notify those winners directly via email. The remainder will have priority access to the signing line, according to the signing line number printed on their ticket, and following all event attendees.
All priority signing line ticket holders will be able to pick up their books starting 5/29 in-store, or the night of the event when they join the signing line. For additional signing line procedures, see FAQ below.
A free signing line ticket will become on 4/27 at 5pm. These tickets will grant access to the signing line following priority signing line ticket holders. Calypso will go on sale at Literati on 5/29, and we will have additional copies of all David’s books available for purchase on June 8th to all signing line ticket holders.
To eliminate long lines and time spent in them, we will call signing line numbers up by groups via our twitter account (@literatibkstore) to join the line at our store, so that you can explore downtown Ann Arbor (or avoid the weather) while you wait.
David is willing to sign as long as there are still people in line (four years ago our signing went into the early morning the following day)! David is incredibly gracious and takes his time with each person in line, so please do note that we expect him to sign late into the evening.
Click here, or click the button below to purchase tickets.
FAQ
Q: Why are you doing a raffle for attendance?
A: Not everyone receives our newsletter at the same time, and there very limited seats which would be snapped up near-instantly. A raffle increases your chance to attend!
Q: How will raffle winners be notified?
A: You’ll receive an email directly from Literati, with a special ticket attachment. We ask that winners arrive, ticket-in-hand, no later than 4:55pm on June 8th to be allowed into the store to your seat, otherwise your seat may be given away. Seating is first come, first serve.
Q: I purchased a priority signing line ticket, when do I pick up my book?
A: You can pick up your book beginning 5/29 at Literati Bookstore, just show your signing line ticket. You can also pick up your book the night of the event when you join the line (please note Literati will be closed during the day on the 8th to set up for the event).
Q: How do I find my signing line number?
It will appear on your ticket as Sec: Space in Line, Row: LINE, Seat: (1, 2, 99,etc., this is your number in the line)
Q: I purchased a priority signing line ticket, my ticket is signing line number #47, does this mean I’ll be the 47th person to get their book signed overall?
A: Not exactly. Following David’s reading in the store, guests attending the reading (those who won the raffle) will be first through the signing line. Then, ticket numbers will be called to line up at the store in groups, starting with the earliest priority signing line ticket numbers.
Q: I don’t have twitter, and I don’t want twitter.
A: No problem! Access our feed on any mobile browser at https://twitter.com/literatibkstore the day of the event!
Q: I would like to enter the signing line, but I don’t necessarily want to purchase a hardcover copy of Calypso in advance, is this possible?
A: Yes. Free, general signing line tickets become available when the priority signing line ticket offer ends on 4/27 at 5pm.
Q: Do I need a signing line ticket to enter the signing line?
A: Yes. We encourage you to go through Brown Paper Tickets to get a signing line ticket. Free tickets will become available when the priority signing line ticket off ends on 4/27 at 5pm. Note that those who purchased the priority signing line ticket receive the initial signing line numbers. We will be calling ticket holders up by groups according to their assigned numbers, via our twitter, until there are no more numbers to call. This helps us stay in fire code and eliminate long lines and your time spent waiting in one.
Q: Are we expected to sign up exactly according to our numbers?
A: No. We simply want to eliminate waiting in a longer line by calling guests up in groups. You’re welcome to self-police outside while you initially form a line to be let inside, but once you’re let inside the store, we will not be reorganizing guests by exact signing line number.
Q: I have a pretty high signing line number. What time will I get my book signed??
A: We don’t know. We expect David to be signing late into the night. Also, the wait will be WORTH IT. David is incredibly gracious and generous with his time to *everyone* in the line. We encourage you to enjoy and hang out in our great downtown neighborhood while you wait.
Q: I can’t make the event or signing line, can I still get a book signed?
A: Yes, call Literati bookstore at 734-585-5567 to make a purchase, or order a David Sedaris title online at literatibookstore.com, and indicate you would like the book signed at the event. There will be no refunds for these orders. We will notify you when your order is ready to be picked up if you elect to pick-up in the store following the event.
Literat is excited to welcome author and artist Anne & Jerzy Drozd who will be sharing their new action-packed graphic novel, Science Comics: Rockets: Defying Gravity!
About Science Comics: Rockets: Defying Gravity:
Blast off! Discover the history of rockets and their impact on the future with Anne and Jerzy Drozd in this volume of Science Comics, the action-packed nonfiction graphic novel series for middle-grade readers!
Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic—dinosaurs, coral reefs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, flying machines, and many more. These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects. Whether you’re a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these books are for you!
This volume: In Rockets we explore the 2,000 years that rockets have been in existence. We dive into Newton’s Laws of Motion—learning all about gravity, force, acceleration, and the history of rockets made in the past and rockets to be made in the future!
Jerzy Drozd is one of the artists of The Warren Commission Report. He has drawn special projects for Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Marvel Comics, VIZ Media, and others. His favorite NASA mission is Apollo 15. He founded and runs the Ann Arbor Comics Arts Festival and also started a podcast called Galaxy of Super Adventure.
Anne Drozd is a public librarian by day and a cartoonist by night. She’s an avid space exploration enthusiast and a card-holding member of the Planetary Society. Her favorite NASA mission is Apollo 12. Anne helps to introduce people to comics through her work at the Ann Arbor District Library and as co-organizer of the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival.
All invited to read and discuss their poetry or short stories. Bring about 6 copies of your work to share.
7-9 p.m., Crazy Wisdom, 114 S. Main. Free. 665-2757
Literati is honored and especially excited to host author, bookseller, and number one human being Lillian Li who will be sharing her debut novel, Number One Chinese Restaurant.
About Number One Chinese Restaurant:
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2018 by The Millions and Cosmopolitan
An exuberant and wise multigenerational debut novel about the complicated lives and loves of people working in everyone’s favorite Chinese restaurant.
The Beijing Duck House in Rockville, Maryland, is not only a beloved go-to setting for hunger pangs and celebrations; it is its own world, inhabited by waiters and kitchen staff who have been fighting, loving, and aging within its walls for decades. When disaster strikes, this working family’s controlled chaos is set loose, forcing each character to confront the conflicts that fast-paced restaurant life has kept at bay.
Owner Jimmy Han hopes to leave his late father’s homespun establishment for a fancier one. Jimmy’s older brother, Johnny, and Johnny’s daughter, Annie, ache to return to a time before a father’s absence and a teenager’s silence pushed them apart. Nan and Ah-Jack, longtime Duck House employees, are tempted to turn their thirty-year friendship into something else, even as Nan’s son, Pat, struggles to stay out of trouble. And when Pat and Annie, caught in a mix of youthful lust and boredom, find themselves in a dangerous game that implicates them in the Duck House tragedy, their families must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice to help their children.
Generous in spirit, unaffected in its intelligence, multi-voiced, poignant, and darkly funny, Number One Chinese Restaurant looks beyond red tablecloths and silkscreen murals to share an unforgettable story about youth and aging, parents and children, and all the ways that our families destroy us while also keeping us grounded and alive.
Lillian Li received her BA from Princeton and her MFA from the University of Michigan. She is the recipient of a Hopwood Award in Short Fiction, as well as Glimmer Train‘s New Writer Award. Her work has been featured inGuernica, Granta , and Jezebel. She is from the D.C. metro area and lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Number One Chinese Restaurant is her first novel.
