Amy Hoffman at Harvard Book Store

Harvard Book Store welcomes AMY HOFFMAN—author of the novel The Off Season—for a discussion of her new book Dot & Ralfie: A Novel. She will be joined in conversation by ANITA DIAMANT, bestselling author of The Red Tent.

A Return to In-Person Events

Harvard Book Store is excited to re-introduce in-person programming this season, beginning this March. To ensure the safety and comfort of everyone in attendance, the following Covid-19 safety protocols will be in place at all of our Harvard Book Store events until further notice:

• Face coverings are required of all staff and attendees when inside the store. Masks must snugly cover nose and mouth.

About Dot & Ralfie

Dorothy “Dot” Greenbaum and Rafaela “Ralfie” Santopietro have been together for thirty years, but as they age, their stable lives begin to show cracks. Rife with Hoffman’s characteristic wit, Dot & Ralfie takes a hard, sometimes painful look at LGBTQ+ elder care and the unique struggles that come with aging outside of heteronormative structures. Can they get through it all and stay together?

Praise for Dot & Ralfie

“Amy Hoffman creates unforgettable characters, and her scintillating wit keeps things lively even in the face of the decline that awaits us all.” —Alison Bechdel, author of The Secret to Superhuman Strength

“Amy Hoffman has a unique talent for winning over her readers with distinctive characters, precise, effortless prose, and deadpan humor that can break your heart on one page and have you LOL-ing on the next. Dot & Ralfie is a shrewd examination of the many indignities of aging, economic inequality, and the broken healthcare system, all masked as an irresistible domestic comedy.” —Stephen McCauley, author of My Ex-Life

“We know Dot and Ralfie from back in the day in Boston! Was it at the bar? Dyke softball? Who can remember? Anyway, it’s great to catch up with them – bum knees, chair stairs, crazy jobs, money worries, aging in place. In place of what? We loved spending time with them.” —Kate Clinton, humorist, and Urvashi Vaid, activist