"Fourteen Days" - Author Discussion

The Hickory Stick Bookshop is thrilled to welcome authors Roxana Robinson, Mary Pope Osborne and Rachel Vail who will be in conversation with Elissa Altman about their one-of-a-kind collaborative book “Fourteen Days” which came out in February.

This is a ticketed event. Tickets include a copy of the book.

Sales of the book will benefit the Washington Arts Council to "increase support of cultural institutions and community events in order to foster independent artists and craftspeople".

ABOUT THE BOOK -

Storytelling helps us navigate hard times. So, what might have happened if, during the early days of COVID-19, the locked-down tenants of a New York apartment building had gathered on the rooftop of their shabby tenement to tell each other stories? That’s the intriguing premise and inspired impetus of "Fourteen Days", an irresistible collaborative novel from the Authors Guild made possible by the efforts of Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston. Thirty-six American and Canadian writers, spanning all genres, ranging in age from their thirties to mid-eighties, and from a remarkable variety of cultural, political, social, and religious backgrounds, have come together for what Literary Hub calls “an interesting experiment in collective storytelling” and heralds as one of the Most Anticipated Books of the Year.

"Fourteen Days", with a clever, suspense-filled framing narrative conceived and written by Preston, finds the offbeat, somewhat intransigent super of the Fernsby Arms on the Lower East Side seeking refuge on the roof in the early days of the pandemic. Much to her chagrin, the super is soon joined by others from the building. At first, none of the nameless tenants speaks, but soon, to pass the time and ease the tension, stories begin to flow. The woman they call Merenguero’s Daughter begins with a tragic story harkening back to another dark time in New York City. The floodgates open and others join in over the ensuing days, their competing personal narratives intersecting as gossipy intrigue builds. What secret has The Lady with the Rings been hiding for the last thirty years? Just who was the green-haired exterminator, anyway? How much can the neighbors trust the stories being told? Conflicts arise, differences are breached, and surprising moments of empathy and redemption break through, as these modern-day heirs to The Decameron or The Canterbury Tales shelter from the loss and suffering wrought by the pandemic.

The authors who give these characters their stories remain invisible (unless you peek at their bios in the back to see who wrote what). They are eminent in their various genres, from romance to thriller, from literary to children’s books, from poetry to nonfiction. Hence, "Fourteen Days" proves a celebration of the diversity of North American authors and a thumb in the eye of the literary balkanization of our culture.

The contributors are: Charlie Jane Anders, Margaret Atwood, Jennine Capó Crucet, Joseph Cassara, Angie Cruz, Pat Cummings, Sylvia Day, Emma Donoghue, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Maria Hinojosa, Mira Jacob, Erica Jong, CJ Lyons, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Mary Pope Osborne, Doug Preston, Alice Randall, Caroline Randall Williams, Ishmael Reed, Roxana Robinson, Nelly Rosario, James Shapiro, Hampton Sides, R. L. Stine, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Monique Truong, Scott Turow, Luis Alberto Urrea, Rachel Vail, Weike Wang, De’ Shawn Charles Winslow, Meg Wolitzer.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with fellow book lovers and immerse yourself in the world of literature. See you there!

If you are unable to attend the event but would like a copy of "Fourteen Days" please call The Hickory Stick Bookshop at (860) 868 0525 or shop online 24/7 on our website - www.hickorystickbookshop.com