Historical Fiction Unbound: Lisa Gornick with Christina Baker Kline

Two authors discuss the pleasures and perils of writing fiction set in other eras. 

Lisa Gornick’s novel The Peacock Feast spans the 20th century, ricocheting between the Tiffany mansions, Anna Freud’s office, a California commune, a Texas death row unit, and today’s Manhattan. An historical saga about love, class, and the past we never escape, it is described by Meg Wolitzer as "one of those rare books that feels both grand and intimate." Christina Baker Kline’s A Piece of the World was inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting, "Christina’s World." An atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, it is described by Michael Chabon as "a graceful, moving and powerful demonstration of what can happen when a fearless literary imagination combines with an inexhaustible curiosity about the past and the human heart."
 
Gornick (Louisa Meets Bear, Tinderbox, and A Private Sorcery) and Kline (Orphan Train) will discuss the pleasures and perils of writing about other eras, and their approaches to combining historical and fictional events and characters.

Mid-Sentence presents a series of conversations with groundbreaking literary voices. Indie authors and cult favorites explore the intersections between literature and lived experience.

ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing accessibility@nypl.org.