Catherine Bell

discusses

Rush of Shadows

Co-sponsored by GrubStreet

This event includes a book signing

Date

Jan
23
Friday
January 23, 2015
8:00 PM ET

Location

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138

Tickets

This event is free; no tickets are required.

Harvard Book Store welcomes short story author CATHERINE BELL for a reading from her debut novel, Rush of Shadows, winner of the 2014 Fiction Book of the Year Award from Washington Writers' Press.

When American pioneers set their hearts on a California valley where Indians had been living for thousands of years, a period of uneasy appraisal emerged, followed by conflict and soon enough by genocide. The epic greed and violence of the 1850s and 60s has been brushed aside by history, conveniently forgotten in the pride of conquest. Rush of Shadows brings to life two freethinking women, Mellie and Bahé, who endure the clash of their cultures and come to an unlikely understanding.

"A vividly imagined historical drama of racial tension on America's last frontier. . . . Newlywed Mellie Pickett . . . develops a friendship with a healer woman she calls Bahe. . . . Bell's richly textured, well-researched narrative . . . captures the settlers' varied attitudes toward Native Americans, as well as the uncertainty and indiscriminate tragedy of frontier life. . . . From its first line—'It was a beautiful country, though I hated and feared it'—Bell's is a nuanced, intelligently crafted debut. This complex, confident novel introduces a promising new voice in historical fiction." —Kirkus Reviews  

Catherine Bell
Catherine Bell

Catherine Bell

Catherine Bell has published stories in a number of journals, including Midway Journal, Coal City Review, Green Hills Literary Lantern, Sixfold, Solstice, and South Carolina Review. Her story "Among the Missing" won The Northern Virginia Review's 2014 Prose Award. She researched and wrote Rush of Shadows, her first novel, over a period of twenty years after she married a fourth-generation Californian and fell in love with his home territory, the Coast Range. Bell lives with her husband in Washington, D.C. and visits children and grandchildren in California and Australia. As a teacher at Washington International School, she loves reading great books with teenagers. 

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138

Walking from the Harvard Square T station: 2 minutes

As you exit the station, reverse your direction and walk east along Mass. Ave. in front of the Cambridge Savings Bank. Cross Dunster St. and proceed along Mass. Ave for three more blocks. You will pass Au Bon Pain, JP Licks, and TD Bank. Harvard Book Store is located at the corner of Mass. Ave. and Plympton St.

Unable to attend a Harvard Book Store author event? You can still pre-order a signed book by one of our visiting authors.

While we can't guarantee fulfillment of a signed book pre-order, our authors are almost always able to sign extra books to fulfill such orders.

Ordering a signed book on harvard.com:

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  • Specify in Order Comments that you want a signed copy of the book.
  • Please note: online orders for signed copies must be placed at least one business day before the event. If you are ordering the day of, please call us instead.

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FAQ:

Can I request a personalized inscription?
Unless otherwise noted, we are happy to take requests for the author to sign your book to a specific person, but we can't guarantee it. If you do get a personalized inscription, the book will be non-returnable. We will require credit card information when you place the order.

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I am planning to attend an author event. Do I need to pre-order a book?
No need. We'll be selling books at the event, and nearly all of our events include a signing at the end of the talk.

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Event Series: New Voices in Fiction

Harvard Book Store's New Voices in Fiction series, presented with GrubStreet, highlights debut fiction writers discussing their work and the writing process.

GrubStreet is one of the nation's leading creative writing centers, offering 500+ classes a year in all genres, for writers of all levels. We believe that narrative transforms lives, builds bridges, and produces empathy. By rigorously developing voices of every type and talent and by removing barriers to entry, GrubStreet fosters the creation of meaningful stories and ensures that excellent writing remains vital and relevant. To learn more or find a class, visit grubstreet.org.

Event Co-Sponsor(s)

GrubStreet: https://www.grubstreet.org/

Purchase the Book
Featured event books will be for sale at the event for 20% off. Thank you for supporting this author series with your purchases.
General Info
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info@harvard.com

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