BookFest St. Louis, the Central West End’s newly announced literary festival, will kick off with an evening featuring National Book Award-winning poet, short story writer, novelist and performer Sherman Alexie.
The prolific Spokane-Coeur d’Alene writer will discuss his new memoir, “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” (Little, Brown and Company, June 2017) — an instant New York Times best-seller and one of the year’s most anticipated books — during BookFest St. Louis’ opening event, to be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, at The Sheldon Concert Hall (3648 Washington Blvd.). He will also be present during the festival on Saturday, Sept. 23, in the Central West End.
“You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” is a deeply moving memoir about family, love, loss and forgiveness from the critically acclaimed author of “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” Family relationships are never simple, but Alexie’s bond with his mother, Lillian, was more complex than most. When she passed away, the incongruities that defined his mother shook Alexie and his remembrance of her. Grappling with the ghosts of the past in the wake of loss, he responded the only way he knew how: He wrote. The result is a stunning memoir filled with raw, angry, funny, profane, tender memories of a childhood few can imagine, much less survive.
“Securing an author as prominent and relevant as Sherman Alexie is a great triumph for the inaugural BookFest St. Louis,” Left Bank Books co-owner Kris Kleindienst says. “It sets the tone for a true literary festival featuring a powerful, diverse group of writers we’re flying in from across the country — a stunning backdrop for celebrating our city’s cultural history and contemporary arts scene.”
A $40 general admission ticket admits one person to the keynote event and includes one hardcover copy of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.” A $75 VIP ticket admits one person to the keynote event and includes one hardcover copy of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” and one hardcover copy of “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” plus a meet & greet with Alexie. Tickets are available now at www.thesheldon.org.
