Booksmith is thrilled to host the luminous author of Pure Colour, Sheila Heti, for her new book Alphabetical Diaries. Sheila will be joined in conversation by author, scholar and local hero Terry Castle. Join us!

About the book:

Sheila Heti kept a record of her thoughts over a ten-year period, then arranged the sentences from A to Z. Passionate and reflective, joyful and despairing, these are her alphabetical diaries.

About the authors:

Sheila Heti is the author of eleven books, including the novels Pure Colour, Motherhood, and How Should a Person Be?, which New York deemed one of the "New Classics" of the twenty-first century. She was named one of the "New Vanguard" by the New York Times book critics, who, along with a dozen other magazines and newspapers, chose Motherhood as a top book of 2018. Her books have been translated into twenty-four languages. She lives in Toronto. Photo by Sylvia Plachy.

Terry Castle has recently retired after teaching literature and the arts at Stanford for forty years. She is the author of eight books—including the prize-winning anthology, The Literature of Lesbianism, and the acclaimed essay/memoir collection, The Professor: A Sentimental Education, runner-up for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2010. Over the years she has written for the London Review of Books, New York Review of Books, The Atlantic, Harper’s, New York Times Book Review, and The New Republic. Castle is also an unsuccessful visual artist and photographer. Photo courtesy the author.

Please note:

• Masks will not be required for this event, but we are limiting capacity somewhat. For that reason, we can't guarantee we'll have space for walk-ins. The best way to ensure you’ll get a seat is to order the Book + Seat ticket. Free seats for this event have all been reserved, but if we do not sell out in advance any remaining tickets will be available at no charge on a first come, first served basis, with walk-ins having no guarantee of admission. To be the first to know about our events, sign up for our newsletter.
• We are happy to offer *signed copies* of Alphabetical Diaries: order a Book + Seat ticket bundle if you'd like to pick up a signed copy at the event, or order here if you just want a signed copy and no admission.
• Safety protocols are subject to change. If we feel it is not safe to gather, as the event gets closer, we will pivot to a virtual event and your registration will remain valid.
• Questions? Write [email protected].