Montclair, NJ – The authors are coming! It’s all about books this May in Montclair when more than 90 authors and speakers at Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival.
Montclair Literary Festival will be held from Wednesday, May 3 to Thursday May 11, with Festival Day on Saturday May 6, 2023, and feature student and poetry readings, book talks, discussion panels, children’s activities, a community session on banned books, and the always popular Pitchapalooza. Last year’s Pitchapalooza saw Glenfield Middle School teacher Dan Gill receive national coverage with his book pitch ‘No More Chairs’. This year’s complete schedule is live and available here succeed2gether.org/mlf23/.
In a first-time collaboration, the Montclair Story Salon will feature storytellers, actors,
singer-songwriters and artists sharing ‘Books That Changed My Life’ on Wednesday, May 3. Tickets $25 bit.ly/StorySalonMay3.
On Thursday, May 4, Broadway legend Chita Rivera will discuss her long-awaited memoir Chita: A Memoir with Broadway World correspondent Richard Ridge. Tickets cost $35 and include a pre-signed copy of the book. bit.ly/ChitaMay4
Friday, May 5 sees literary fiction writer Joyce Maynard discuss her new book The Bird Hotel
with local author Alice Elliott Dark. Free, but please RSVP here bit.ly/JoyceMay5.
This will be followed by a words-and-music show with Montclair author and musician Warren Zanes about his obsession with the making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska detailed in his new book Deliver Me from Nowhere. Co-presented with Outpost in the Burbs, the show will feature Laura Cantrell and James Maddock, and backed by house band David Mansfield, Ray Kubian, and Chris Harford (and some surprise guests…!). Tickets $45
bit.ly/Nebraska55.
Saturday May 6 sees a full day of mainly free events for adults and children at Montclair State University, Montclair Public Library, and the First Congregational Church. Featured authors include Smitten Kitchen’s Deb Perelman (tickets $40 including signed book bit.ly/DebPMay6, Margo Jefferson, Mary Beth Keane, Mary Louise Kelly, Kwame Alexander, Jai Chakrabarti, Amy Poeppel, Soman Chainani, and many many more. Full details of all authors can be found at succeed2gether.org/authors-2023/.
Then on Sunday, May 7, it’s a climate migration talk with journalists Jake Bittle and Eric Roston, followed by a community panel discussion about Banned Books. Panelists include Jake Silverstein (1619 Project/New York Times Magazine), William Johnson (PEN America), Skip Dye (ALA), Amol Sinha (ACLU), and Diane Wachtell (New Press). Both of these events will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation.
First Lady of Iceland Eliza Reid will be in town on Tuesday, May 9, for a very special talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kate Zernike, about Icelandic women and how they are changing the world. Free, but please RSVP here bit.ly/ElizaMay9.
The last event of the festival’s week of events will be held on Thursday May 11 – best-selling French author Anne Berest talking about her award-winning book The Postcard, now available in English. Tickets $30 including a signed copy of the book. bit.ly/AnneMay11
