Pen Parentis is excited to announce the Spring 2014 line up for its popular downtown literary salon, featuring a phenomenal group of acclaimed authors, including Andre Dubus III, Ann Hood, Rick Moody, and Elissa Schappell.

Pen Parentis presents salons in the classic tradition; authors come together in a comfortable, intimate setting to read from their newest work and then take part in lively conversations about writing and their busy family lives. These events are warm and relaxed, providing attendees the unique opportunity to gather close and discuss their work without microphones or scripted questions. Authors often linger afterward over drinks and to sign books, which are vended in partnership with a local bookstore.

Each evening is jointly hosted by Pen Parentis founding director and accomplished author M.M. De Voe, and curator Brian Gresko, editor of the anthology When I First Held You, out from Berkley Books/Penguin in May. The Pen Parentis Literary Salons take place at 7pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the elegant Andaz Hotel, at 75 Wall Street, which graciously provides happy hour prices on beer and wine to Salon guests.

The Spring 2014 season gets started on January 14th with a night of accomplished poets, including James Arthur (Johns Hopkins University), Timothy Donnelly (Columbia University), Miranda Field (New York University), Lynn Melnick, and KC Trommer.

February 11th, features writers from the acclaimed literary magazine, Tin House. Cari Luna (The Revolution of Every Day), Elissa Schappell (Blueprints for Building Better Girls, contributing editor at Vanity Fair and editor-at-large at Tin House), and Matthew Specktor (American Dream Machine, optioned for television by Showtime) will share the stage.

March 11th sees bestselling authors Ann Hood (Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting) and Rick Moody (On Celestial Music: And Other Adventures in Listening) discussing not only their parenting and writing, but how their passions for knitting and music (respectively) have influenced their work. They are joined by raconteur and splendid creative non-fiction writer Max Watman, whose books are known for laugh-out-loud prose accompanied by jaw-dropping fact.

On April 8th, itโ€™s Writers on the Verge, with special co-host Julia Fierro (Cutting Teeth, forthcoming in May from St. Martin’s Press). Featured authors will include Sara Lippmann, recipient of a 2012 Fellowship in Fiction from the New York Foundation for the Arts, renowned Chicago author Ben Tanzer (Orphans), andCaeli Wolfson-Widger, celebrating her debut novel, Real Happy Family.

The season closes on May 13th with Miranda Beverly-Whittemore (Bittersweet out from Crown/Random House in June), bestselling author Andre Dubus III (Dirty Love), and Alexi Zentner (celebrated author ofTouch, new novel The Lobster Kings out in May).

We invite you to join us at any or all of these events!