A Word with Writers - Andrew Sean Greer

Bookworks and the Albuquerque Public Library Foundation, in partnership with the Santa Fe International Literary Festival, are delighted to present A Word with Writers, featuring Andrew Sean Greer for the release of his new book, Villa Coco. This event is presented in collaboration with AMP Concerts.

Doors open at 5 PM, and the talk will begin at 6 PM, followed by a book signing.

Tickets include general admission, a copy of the book, and a donation to the Albuquerque Public Library Foundation.

Ticket Options:
Individual + Book: $35
Bring A Friend + Book: $42 (Admission for 2 + One Book)

Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less, showcases his wit, sophistication, and deep knowledge of focaccia in this tale of a young man who takes an unspecified job with a charismatic elderly Baronessa at her crumbling villa in the Tuscan hills.

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR: People, TIME, Esquire, Oprah Daily, Lit Hub, Seattle Times

"No one writing in English is funnier or more charming than Andrew Greer. Every sentence in this novel sings." —David Sedaris

"An absolute delight." —Elif Batuman

"Such a sunny book." —Kate Atkinson

An aspiring archivist determined to begin a "serious" life after an undistinguished undergraduate career takes up residence in the Italian countryside. Here, he becomes the all-purpose assistant to the Baronessa, known to her friends as Coco, a defiantly youthful and naturally flamboyant woman of ninety-two. Amid a chaotic and colorful milieu of gin-swilling princesses, incomprehensible handymen, roaming boarhunters, nuns, and other local wildlife, our young man does his best to catalog the villa's extensive collection of art and antiques—although he notices that things seem to go missing from right under his nose.

Despite himself, he tumbles into an affair with a married man, complicating his future plans considerably. And when the Baronessa loses someone close to her, he becomes an unwitting accomplice in the acceleration of Coco's great and final plan: to locate the love of her life and be reunited before it's too late. Told with the signature wit, charm, and humanity that made Less an international phenomenon, Villa Coco is a dazzling, sun-soaked ode to life itself, a meditation on how seriously we ought to take ourselves, and a bawdy Mediterranean ballad about becoming who we've always wanted to be.

Andrew Sean Greer is the bestselling author of seven works of fiction, including Pulitzer Prize winner Less and its companion Less Is Lost. He is the recipient of the Northern California Book Award, the California Book Award, the New York Public Library Young Lions Award, the O. Henry award for short fiction, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Public Library. Greer lives in Venice.

Andrew Sean Greer will be in conversation with Emily Zipps, the author of Alice Rue Evades the Truth and a disability advocate. She is passionate about telling creative queer stories about women falling in love with each other, and also about stealing all of her friends' dogs for her manuscripts. Zipps works in higher education supporting students and lives in New Mexico with her wife and her dog.