The Hay-Adams Author Series to Feature Award-winning Author James McBride on Friday, August 23

Press Release 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

The Hay-Adams Author Series to Feature Award-winning Author James McBride on Friday, August 23 

Tickets available now

Washington, D.C. – August 1, 2024 - The Hay-Adams, one of Washington, D.C.'s most iconic luxury hotels, is presenting its next Author Series event, a captivating literary lunch featuring acclaimed author James McBride and his latest book, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.

On Friday, August 23, 2024 – aligning with the Library of Congress 2024 National Book Festival – McBride will present highlights from his book and other insights, during a themed three-course lunch with wine at The Hay-Adams. Building on the literary salons hosted in the late 1800s by the hotel’s forebearers – John Hay and Henry Adams – the Author Series events feed curiosity and appreciation of the literary arts through lively presentations and conversation, while also indulging the palate with fine food and drink.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store is set in Pottstown, Pennsylvania in 1972. As workers dig for the foundations of a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.

James McBride is the author of the New York Times-bestselling Oprah's Book Club selection Deacon King Kong, the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird, the American classic The Color of Water, the novels Song Yet Sung and Miracle at St. Anna, the story collection Five-Carat Soul, and Kill 'Em and Leave, a biography of James Brown. One of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024 and the recipient of a National Humanities Medal, as well as being an accomplished musician, McBride is a distinguished writer in residence at New York University. He was recently named the latest recipient of the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction.

Taking place in the heart of the nation's capital, The Hay-Adams Author Series – part of the hotel’s Celebrating the Arts programming – offers an intimate setting that encourages meaningful exchanges between authors and their audience, promoting a deeper appreciation for the written word.

Tickets for the event are available for purchase on the hotel's website. With limited availability, early booking is highly recommended. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase a copy of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store from Politics and Prose during the event. James McBride is expected to hold a book signing after the discussion.

About The Hay-Adams

Steeped in rich history and surrounded by the nation’s most iconic institutions, The Hay-Adams is the downtown Washington hotel for discerning guests. Enveloped by views of the White House, St. John's Church, and the scenic Lafayette Park, the 5-star accommodations at The Hay-Adams are the embodiment of refined residence. Marked by Washington, DC's most accommodating amenities and dedicated services, The Hay-Adams is the boutique hotel of choice for the modern luxury traveler and is consistently recognized as one of the world's best hotels by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Fodor's Travel and U.S. News & World Report.

For reservations and additional information, visit www.hayadams.com. 

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