McNally Jackson—Great Store, Great SISTERS Celebration!

There are some events that involve a lot of stress and hustle, and then there are some that just go beautifully from beginning to end. Our SISTERS Celebration at the wonderful independent bookstore, McNally Jackson Books in NYC, was a dream from beginning to end. We are so grateful to Dustin Kurtz, who took great care of us while the reading was happening and let us store everything afterward—we couldn't have done it without him!

The reading was packed! We actually ran out of chairs, and people were standing in the aisles of the store. Audience members came from all over the city came to hear Catherine Chung, Ana Maria Jomolca, and Myra Shapiro read their work from SISTERS. Editor Jan Freeman kicked off the reading, which was dedicated to the memory of Rhonda Copelon, a lifelong fighter for women and women's rights, with Joan Baez's excerpt from Daybreak and Muriel Rukeyser's poem "Two Years."

Cathy followed with her heartbreaking and beautiful story, "Hannah," leaving people visibly moved, and Myra's reading of her own poem and those of Lucille Clifton, Joyce Armor, and Grace Paley was powerful and restorative. Ana Maria's amazing comic performance of "Twin Bed" was the perfect end to the night: funny, energetic, and emotionally charged.

Afterward, the three editors—Jan, Deborah Bull, and Emily Wojcik—mingled with the writers and audience members, answering questions about the anthology and the Press. It was such a thrill to meet our readers, to be able to talk about this oft-neglected subject, and to sign books for fans! Perhaps best of all, the NYC audience got the chance to sample the famous SISTERS macaroons, made by Lisa Newman.

All in all, the McNally Jackson celebration was a great success. We were thrilled to be able to have an event at such a wonderful store, and hope to return soon!

Our next SISTERS Celebration will be at the Chilmark Library on Martha's Vineyard, on July 14, at 5:30pm. We hope to see you there!