Claire McMillan & Alchemy of a Blackbird

August 18, 2023

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Question?

What do capitalism, the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, and occultist painters have in common: this summer, we explore the subjects through our favorite fiction authors in this three-part series. 

August 18, 6 pm: In Claire McMillan’s Alchemy of a Blackbird, she reimagines the dynamic female friendship that became an artistic collaboration between two giants of the art world and their mutual muse, the Tarot.

June 23, 6 pm: At once an immersive story and a brilliant literary puzzle, HernanDiaz in Trust, winner of a 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, engages the reader in a quest for the truth while confronting the deceptions that often live at the heart of personal relationships, the reality-warping force of capital, and the ease with which power can manipulate facts.

July 21, 6 pm: Mariah Fredericks's The Lindbergh Nanny is a powerful, propulsive novel about America’s most notorious kidnapping through the eyes of the woman who found herself at the heart of this deadly crime.

The Mount's general COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines may be found here.

The Mount is a Massachusetts Cultural Council UP designated organization welcoming participants of all disabilities. Please contact The Mount at 413-551-5100 or by email, info@edithwharton.org, to discuss accommodations needed to participate fully in this event.

Thanks to our sponsor:

Tickets
  • Pre-registration is recommended as seating is limited.
  • $15 Members, $20 General Admission; Free for graduate, undergraduate students & children 18 and under.
  • The lecture is in the Stable auditorium.
  • A book signing and refreshments follow the talk.

Biography

Claire McMillan is the author of Alchemy of a Blackbird, Gilded Age, and The Necklace. She was the 2017–2018 Cuyahoga County Writer-in-Residence and currently serves as a member of the board of trustees of The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home in Lenox, Massachusetts. She practiced law until 2003 and then received her MFA in creative writing from Bennington College. She grew up in Pasadena, California, and now lives on her husband’s family farm outside of Cleveland, Ohio, with their two children.