Simon & Schuster Summer Series Celebrates Female Authors in Westhampton Beach
Avid readers will be treated to a series of events with famed authors coming to Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. Simon & Schuster’s 2014 summer series highlights four female authors, meant to celebrate the “power, perseverance and resilience of women.”
Books & Books of Westhampton Beach will be at each lecture selling the featured books.
Owner Jack McKeown spoke to his excitement for the series produced by Simon & Schuester. “This is a fine example of how a leading publisher, a distinguished arts venue, and an independent bookseller can join forces to help build and inspire an entire community,” he said.
The series kicks off Thursday, June 26 with a lecture from Amanda Lindhout, the author of A House In The Sky. The memoir documents her war reporting past, including her 2008 kidnapping and imprisonment in Somalia.
Zhena Muzyka, the author of Life By The Cup, speaks on Monday, July 14. Her story chronicles how she started an organic tea business when her son needed a live-saving surgery. Today, Zhena’s Gypsy Tea has evolved into a multimillion-dollar brand. Her lecture will include a demonstration of a tea ceremony and discussion on the benefits of tea drinking in addition to her inspirational story.
On Monday, July 21, the series hosts Susannah Cahalan, the author of Brain On Fire: My Month of Madness. When Cahalan was a young reporter at the New York Post, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in which her body attacked her brain. The lecture includes the story of her survival of the medical mystery.
The series concludes with a presentation from Helen Thorpe, the author of Soldier Girls: The Untold Stories of Women at War on Monday, August 18. She followed three women over 12 years, documenting their experiences in the military, including everything from enlisting to returning home.
Each presentation begins at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $75. Tickets for each event are available at whbpac.org or by calling 631-288-1500. For more information on the featured authors and their stories, visit simonsays.com.