Pen Parentis Literary Salons Presents Tenth Season Grand Finale

How do you celebrate creativity on a grand scale? On May 14, 2019 from 7pm - 9pm, Pen Parentis Tenth Anniversary Season Grand Finale will be held at Westfield World Trade Center in the Oculus as a celebration of the rejuvenation and transformation of this Lower Manhattan neighborhood from a center for business and finance, to a disaster site, and now into a vibrant residential community with flourishing public arts program with readings by three incredible award-winning writers, all of whom (in furtherance of the mission of Pen Parentis) happen to also be parents. This celebratory, one-time only event closes out a whole season of singular and celebratory Literary Salons and is an excellent opportunity for longtime local residents, commuters, newly relocated parents, and book lovers from far and wide to connect to their love of story and to experience the hospitality and neighborhood-friendly side of Westfield and the Oculus.

This event is the culmination of ten years of inspiring Downtown literary salons hosted by Pen Parentis, a Financial-District nonprofit that provides resources to writers to help them stay on creative track after they start a family. In FiDi since 2009, these monthly Literary Salons, which are open to the general public, bring together small groups of notable authors who balance a vibrant career in the literary arts with an active family at home.

Confirmed readers for May 14th Pen Parentis Literary Salons Grand Finale are Domenica Ruta, Rahna Reiko Rizzuto, and Marina Budhos

Domenica Ruta is the author of the gutsy, heartbreaking memoir of growing up with a drug-addicted mother, With or Without You, which was an instant New York Times Bestseller. She is a co-editor of a forthcoming collection of essays that celebrates single motherhood and includes work by Amy Poehler, Anne Lamott, and Ariel Gore, among many other famous moms.

World traveling writer, Rahna Reiko Rizzuto, is the author of the memoir Hiroshima in the Morning, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle. Her debut novel, Why She Left Us, won an American Book Award. She was the first woman to graduate from Columbia College with a BA in Astrophysics.

Marina Budhos has written several award-winning novels, including Watched, Ask Me No Questions, Tell Us We're Home, and The Professor of Light. She has twice been a recipient of a NJ Arts Fellowship, a Fulbright Fellowship to India, and was honored by the Walter Award and the Asian Pacific Award in Literature.

All authors presented at Pen Parentis are also parents - the series aims to shatter stereotypes by presenting the creative diversity of high quality creative work by professional writers who have kids. While the event is free, the nonprofit Pen Parentis welcomes donations to help in their mission of helping writers stay on creative track after they start a family. Earlybird VIP tickets are available until April 28 to guarantee a seat, and remaining tickets are released at midnight April 28th.

Featured authors of Pen Parentis read from their celebrated novels and participate in lively Q&A generally centered on craft and time-work balance, before an intimate audience of regulars, members, fans, and book lovers from all walks of life. Discussion will be moderated by award-winning writers and salonnières Christina Chiu and M. M. De Voe of Pen Parentis.

You do not have to be a parent or a writer to enjoy these neighborhood-friendly book events, though memberships are available to all writer-parents. RSVP is recommended: penparentis.org/calendar

Earlybird VIP tickets are available now for a $20 donation to guarantee a seat. General tickets are free and will be released on April 28th at midnight.

Transportation info: Take the E or PATH to WTC the 1 or R/W to Cortland Street or the 2/3/4/5/J/M to Fulton Street. Lower Level of Oculus, walk the hallway towards Victoria's Secret: the private hidden Westfield room will be on your left, midway down the corridor.

Pen Parentis Literary Salons are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.