This fall, Wally Lamb launches his latest novel, famous authors visit and book festivals welcome adults and kids. Here are some fall highlights:
The free Russell House Series, presented by Wesleyan University at 350 High St., Middletown, opens Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa. On Sept. 25, author Salvatore Scibona reads with poet and author Tonya Foster. Also: poet Ben Lerner on Oct. 9; memoirist Ta-Nehisi Coates Oct. 10; poet and essayist Robert Glück Nov. 13, author Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore Nov. 18; and poet and author Fred Moten Nov. 20. Information: 860-685-3448.
One Book One Hartford offers free events in October and November celebrating Angela Johnson’s “A Certain October.” Johnson has won awards for her children’s and young adult books and a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant. She speaks Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. at Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St., Hartford. Information: 860-695-6300 or www.hplct.org .
The Mark Twain House & Museum 351 Farmington Ave., Hartford, mixes literature with laughs. Christopher Moore, whose fantasy novels blend hilarity and horror, speaks Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. His books include “The Island of The Sequined Love Nun.” Tickets are $25. Penn Jillette, the bigger, louder, funnier half of the Penn & Teller comedy and magic duo, visits on Halloween, Oct. 31, at 7:30 p.m. to talk about his book, “Every Day Is an Atheist Holiday.” Tickets are $35. Reservations: 860-280-3130.
The Mark My Words fundraiser for the Mark Twain House & Museum presents an onstage conversation with mystery writer Sue Grafton, literary novelist Alice Hoffman and legal mystery author Scott Turow,” moderated by thriller author David Baldacci, Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. at the Shubert Theater, 247 College St., New Haven. The event launches Volume 2 of “Autobiography of Mark Twain: The Complete and Authoritative Edition.” Benjamin Griffin, chief editor of the Mark Twain Papers Project at UC Berkeley, will sign copies there and at a Twain House and Museum talk Oct. 10. Tickets: $28 to $68 at www.twainmarkmywords.com or 888-736-2663
Wally Lamb, the acclaimed Connecticut author, launches his fifth novel, “We Are Water,” (Harper, $29.99) Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. at the UConn Co-op Bookstore, 2075 Hillside Rd., Storrs. Purchase of the new book at the Co-op admits two. His son, Justin Lamb, a spoken word poet, and author Zack Lamothe open the program. Reservations: 860-486-5027.
Dina Nayeri, author of “A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea”, gives a free talk, which I will moderate, on Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Renbrook School, 2865 Albany Ave., West Hartford. Nayeri, named a 2012 New Voices author by Granta magazine, writes about a girl whose life is upended by the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Information: 860-236-1661 or pa@renbrook.org or http://www.renbrook.org/nayeri.
The 18th Annual Wallace Stevens Birthday Bash welcomes modern poetry authority Bonnie Costello of Boston University, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m. at Hartford Public Library, 500 Main St., Hartford. Tickets are $50 for the wine and hors d’oeuvres reception, Costello’s talk, birthday cake and champagne. Reservations: jforjames@aol.com or 860-508-2810.
The 21st annual Jewish Book Festival at the Mandell Jewish Community Center, 335 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford, opens Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. with a “Food & Foodies” program with Mark Russ Federman, author of “Russ & Daughters — Reflections and Recipes from the House that Herring Built,” Louisa Shafia, author of “The New Persian Kitchen” and Allen Salkin, author of “From Scratch — Inside the Tumultuous Billion-Dollar World of the Food Network.” Food blogger Martha Kalen moderates. Other events are in January, March and May. Tickets: $20 per event or $75 for the series. On Nov. 11 at 11:30 a.m., a $20 Book Meets Film lunch and talk features Jane Weitzman, author of “Art & Sole — A Spectacular Selection of More Than 150 Fantasy Art Shoes from the Stuart Weitzman Collection” and the film “Dressing America: Tales from the Garment Center.” Reservations: 860-231-6316 or www.mandelljcc.org .
The 22nd Annual Connecticut Children’s Book Fair is Nov. 9 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Rome Hall Ballroom on the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus. Famous children’s authors and illustrators, including Tomie dePaola and Steven Kellogg as well as Aaron Becker, Jonathan Bean, Nicholas Blechman, Elise Broach, Nick Bruel, Paul Catanese, Elisha Cooper, Diane deGroat, Etienne Delessert, Elizabeth Eulberg, Robie Harris, Jeff Hirsch, Alaya Dawn Johnson, David Johnson, Jarrett Krosoczka, Michaela MacColl, Rita Marshal, Ann Martin, Michael Northrop, Shelley Rotner, David Schwartz, Phobe Stone, and Mark Teague will speak and sign copies. Information: 860-486-5027 or bookfair.uconn.edu/ .
