Six Massachusetts Libraries To Host ‘Wicked’ Author Gregory Maguire In Conversation With Lemony Snicket On October 14 

Six Massachusetts libraries have joined forces to host bestselling author Gregory Maguire in conversation with bestselling author Daniel Handler (aka “Lemony Snicket”) for a Zoom webinar on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 7pm.

Maguire will discuss the 25th Anniversary of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, and his latest book, A Wild Winter Swan.

Space is limited.  Registration is required and can be found at www.tinyurl.com/gregorytalkswicked.

While this virtual event is completely free, attendees can purchase an autographed copy of the book to be shipped to their homes from the event’s bookstore partner - Wellesley Books. Wicked can be purchased at www.tinyurl.com/buywicked. A Wild Winter Swan can be purchased at www.tinyurl.com/buyawildwinterswan.

Gregory Maguire is the New York Times bestselling author of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister; Lost; Mirror Mirror; and the Wicked Years, a series that includes Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. Now a beloved classic, Wicked is the basis for a blockbuster Tony Award–winning Broadway musical. Maguire has lectured on art, literature, and culture both at home and abroad. He also helped found and for 25 years codirected Children’s Literature New England, Inc., a nonprofit that raises awareness of the significance of literature in the lives of children. He lives with his family near Boston.

After brilliantly reimagining the worlds of Oz, Wonderland, Dickensian London, and the Nutcracker, the New York Times bestselling author of Wicked turns his unconventional genius to Hans Christian Andersen's "The Wild Swans," transforming this classic tale into an Italian-American girl's poignant coming-of-age story, set amid the magic of Christmas in 1960s New York. As he explores themes of class, isolation, family, and the dangerous yearning to be saved by a power greater than ourselves, Gregory Maguire conjures a haunting, beautiful tale of magical realism that illuminates one young woman’s heartbreak and hope as she begins the inevitable journey to adulthood.

Daniel Handler is the author of seven novels. As Lemony Snicket, he is responsible for numerous books for children, including Swarm of Bees, illustrated by Rilla Alexander. His books have sold more than 70 million copies and have been translated into 40 languages, and have been adapted for screen and stage. The first season of Netflix’s adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, for which he served as Executive Producer and Writer, won a 2018 Peabody Award for its “lively excellence, strange silliness, and compelling storytelling,” and the teleplay won a 2019 Writers Guild Award. He lives in San Francisco with the illustrator Lisa Brown, to whom he is married and with whom he has collaborated on several books, and one son.

This event is sponsored by a collection of North of Boston libraries, including the Memorial Hall Library in Andover, Flint Memorial Library in North Reading, Tewksbury Public Library, Wilmington Memorial Library, and Woburn Public Library. The Maynard Public Library is also co-sponsoring this event.

This event is a part of a series of virtual discussions with bestselling authors these libraries are holding this fall. Their next virtual event will take place on Monday, October 26 at 7pm with Karen Kingsbury, who will be discussing her brand new book -- Truly, Madly, Deeply.