Alan Andres Writing Fellows Reading

About The Associates of the Boston Public LibraryThe Associates is an independent non-profit that raises funds to preserve, digitize, and promote the Boston Public Library’s Special Collections and its historic, literary, and artistic treasures. Since its inception in 1972, the Associates has been the driving force and sponsor behind an extensive range of programs, includingLiterary Lights— an annual black-tie dinner that honors exceptional New England authors, theWriter-in-Residenceprogram—which provides an emerging writer with the financial support and office space within the Boston Public Library to complete a literary manuscript for children or young adults, thePierce Performance Series—free public performances that seek to raise the visibility of the Boston Public Library’s Special Collections—, and other programs.For more information, please visit www.AssociatesBPL.org or connect with us onFacebook\Instagram\LinkedIn\Twitter\YouTube

Associates of the Boston Public Library

Celebrate the Associates of the BPL's 2026-27 Alan Andres Writer-in-Residence and Alan Andres Picture Book Writer Fellow

Boston Public Library - Rabb Hall

The Associates of the Boston Public Library is hosting our annual Alan Andres Writing Fellows Reading to welcome our 2026-27 Writer-in-Residence, Janaea Eads, and 2026-27 Picture Book Writer Fellow, Jade Hawes. We will also be celebrating our outgoing writers, Zarlasht Niaz and Jessica Ruan.

LogisticsGeneral Admission (in-person): Join us at the Boston Public Library's Rabb Hall, located on the lower level of the Boylston Street Building in Copley Square. Seating is first-come, first-served.Virtual Ticket: This hybrid event will be held in-person and virtually on the video conference platform Zoom. Please click this URL to join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Android: <a href="https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87026766430" title="https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87026766430" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87026766430</a>For questions, contact the Associates of the Boston Public Library at <a href="" title="" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">hello@associatesbpl.org</a> or (617) 536-3886.

Janaea Eads is an avid reader, writer, and cook who loves to dream up stories and recipes. She was adopted from Pune, India, at age four to parents who encouraged her love of books and food. She is a master’s candidate in Boston University’s Gastronomy program, where her research interests include the intersections between adoption, food, and identity. She is also represented by Starling Literary + Media Agency and is currently working on young adult books that center adoptee narratives. When she isn’t writing, cooking, or thinking about food, she is being outsmarted by her mischievous pitador rescue.

Zarlasht is an Afghan American writer from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She earned a B.A. in Global Studies from the University of Minnesota and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. She was an inaugural Mirrors and Windows Fellow, a PB Rising Stars Mentee, and her picture book manuscripts earned a Walter Dean Myers Grant from We Need Diverse Books. In her free time, she enjoys reviewing Afghan books on her website TheAfghanReview.com. Her proposed novel-in-verse, UNFURLING, is a double-perspective story about Afghan American teens Yasaman and Zubair, who navigate issues of identity, Islamophobia, and sibling violence in post-9/11 rural Wisconsin. Upon hearing the news, Zarlasht said, "When I got the call that I won, I couldn't believe it. It's a great reassurance to know that the stories we feel most afraid to tell can find such profound support in the world.”

Jade is an aspiring child therapist whose humanitarian work around the world showed her the incredible ways that children process difficult experiences through art, storytelling, and play. She believes deeply in children’s innate capacity for healing and growth and that all children deserve unconditional acceptance and empathy. She is currently providing play therapy in a school as a clinical mental health counselor in-training. She lives in Vermont and loves picking blueberries, riding bikes, and playing in swimming holes with her husband and two kids.

Jessica Ruan is an illustrator, writer, designer, and lover of picture books. She graduated with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and currently resides in Boston, MA. Her work draws from her upbringing in the Pacific Northwest, revolving around a love for nature, family, and the Chinese American experience.

Alan Andres Writing Fellows Reading

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Boston Public Library - Rabb Hall

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Alan Andres Writing Fellows Reading

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Location

Boston Public Library - Rabb Hall

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