Due to inclement weather, this program has been moved into the Stable Auditorium. Ticketholders with Rain or Shine Tickets are welcome to join us there! Rain or Shine seats are still available for this program. Simply email — programs@edithwharton.org — or phone — 413-551-5111 x2 — to upgrade or purchase seats.

In its third year, In Conversation brings together seasoned interviewer André Bernard, former Vice President of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, with innovative thinkers and influential voices whose contributions shape our culture today. Crossing the fields of politics, journalism, social science, and the arts, these conversations will explore fresh perspectives that spark curiosity and ignite new ways of thinking about the world.  

Jayne Anne Phillips
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist for Night Watch 
Thursday, July 31, 5:00 pm 

Epic, enthralling, and meticulously crafted, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Night Watch (Knopf, 2023)  is a stunning chronicle of surviving war and its aftermath. Jayne Anne Phillips’s novel opens in 1874—the wake of the Civil War—when twelve-year-old ConaLee finds herself on a buckboard journey with her mother, Eliza, who hasn’t spoken in over a year. They are delivered to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia where, far from family, a beloved neighbor, and their mountain home, they begin to forge a new path forward. In this conversation with André Bernard, Phillips will explore the craft of interweaving history and storytelling, delving into the research, character development, and narrative depth that bring the past so vividly to life. 

Jayne Anne Phillips is the author of Black Tickets (1979), Fast Lanes (1983), Machine Dreams (1984), Shelter (1994), MotherKind (2000), Lark and Termite (2009), Quiet Dell (2013), and Night Watch (2023). She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Bunting Fellowship, and two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships. Winner of an Arts and Letters Award and the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she was inducted into the Academy in 2018.  A National Book Award finalist, and twice a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, she lives in New York and Boston. 

Photo: Elena Seibart

TICKETS ON SALE:

General Admission:
$27 – Mount Members
$32 – Non-Members

*New* Rain or Shine Ticket:
$37 – Mount Members
$42 – Non-Members

Individual Rain or Shine Tickets guarantee admission to a program regardless of weather conditions. For a modest increase in the ticket cost, you are guaranteed a seat at events that need to be moved indoors to The Mount’s Stable Auditorium. General Admission tickets are available for each event as well; however, in the event of inclement weather — excessive heat or severe thunderstorms — you are not guaranteed a seat. General Admission tickets will be canceled and refunded if weather conditions prohibit us from hosting an event outside.

Interested in becoming a Member? Join today.

• This one-hour talk takes place in The Mount’s Event Tent, an open-air, two-pole tent adjacent to the parking lot. Please be mindful of the weather and plan accordingly!
• In the event of extreme weather — excessive heat or severe thunderstorms — In Conversation talks may be moved indoors to The Mount’s Stable Auditorium. *New to 2025* The Mount is offering Rain or Shine Tickets, which guarantee admission to this program regardless of location! All ticketholders will be notified via email of a venue change at 2:00 pm the day of the program. Those with standard admission tickets will have their orders automatically canceled and receive full refunds within seven business days.
• Seating for all programs at The Mount is first come, first served. If you have seating preferences, we recommend arriving fifteen minutes early.
• Accessible seating is available! Please phone us in advance to discuss arrangements: 413-551-5111; ext. #2
• A book signing will follow this talk. Books can be purchased from The Mount Bookstore at the event or online from Bookshop.org.

Questions? Email: programs@edithwharton.org

This program is sponsored by:

Generous support provided by Robert Salerno

What accessibility accommodations does The Mount offer? The Mount is a Massachusetts Cultural Council UP designated organization welcoming participants of all disabilities. Please contact us by phone: 413-551-5100 or by email: info@edithwharton.org to discuss accommodations needed to participate fully in this event. Golf carts will be available to shuttle those with mobility concerns between the parking lot and event venue. View The Mount’s Health and Safety Guidelines.