Anna Hogeland with Grace Talusan: Wild Aster

Join us at Brookline Booksmith to celebrate the release of Wild Aster with author Anna Hogeland, in conversation with Grace Talusan.

Register for the event!

RSVP to let us know you're coming! Depending on the volume of responses, an RSVP may be required for entrance to the event. In the event that we reach capacity and have to close RSVPs, there will not be a waiting list.

Get your copy!

EVENT ATTENDEES: Preorder your copy of Wild Aster through this page. Books will also be available for purchase at the event. Books can be picked up 30 minutes before the event in the event space.

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE EVENT? Preorder the book here to have it signed, and choose to have it held for pickup or shipped from the store!

Book orders are processed for pickup or shipping after ticket sales have closed.

Event accessibility

• This event will take place at street level.
• If possible, events are livestreamed. Check out our store YouTube channel for livestream updates.
• ASL interpretation may be provided (based on the availability of interpreters) but must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance of the event.
• Please email us at ticketing@brooklinebooksmith.com as soon as possible if you require ASL interpretation, guaranteed seating, or other accommodations. Seats are limited.We will do our best to serve your needs!

Wild Aster

"A novel that marries the feel of a timeless classic with a sharp, contemporary sensibility” (Alexis Schaitkin) about a woman with a talent for survival, whose life spans the early twentieth century.

Mae Smith starts her life as a stolen good: her biological mother, Ida, kidnaps her from her adoptive parents, and Mae grows up on the run, constantly changing towns and names, never able to find a home. After her mother's death, Mae is determined to live a different kind of life. But over the next half century, as she reinvents herself against the backdrop of the Depression and Second World War and pursues stability amid the personal upheavals of marriage and motherhood, she must reckon with the choices she's made and life's inexorable turns.

For readers of Alice McDermott, Anita Diamant, and Maggie Shipstead, Wild Aster explores the price of security, the drive to be a different mother than your own, and the daily gains and losses that define who we become. Ultimately, Mae's story challenges us to confront the choices we make for personal fulfillment and family obligation and the perseverance that even a seemingly ordinary life demands.

Anna Hogeland is the author of the novels The Long Answer and Wild Aster. She has an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work and an MFA from UC Irvine. Her writing has appeared in Electric Literature, Literary Hub, Big Issue, Romper, The Common and The Southern Review. She lives in western Massachusetts.

Grace Talusan is the author of The Body Papers, which won the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing and the Massachusetts Book Award in Nonfiction. She is an Assistant Teaching Professor of English in the Nonfiction Writing Program at Brown University and serves on the board of the National Book Critics Circle. Her writing has been supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fulbright, US Artists, the Brother Thomas Fund, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council with residencies at MASS MoCA, Vermont Studio Center, and Hedgebrook. Talusan was born in the Philippines and raised in New England.

About Brookline Booksmith

Brookline Booksmith, thriving in the heart of Coolidge Corner in Brookline, Massachusetts, since 1961, is one of New England’s premier independent bookstores. We offer a vast selection of books, ranging from current bestsellers to the most eclectic titles. We are also known for our beautiful and inspired gifts. Customers buy and sell gently used books in our treasured Used Book Cellar and enjoy our bountiful bargain book selection. We host award-winning events series (including our groundbreaking Transnational Literature Series), offering more than 300 author talks, community conversations, and book clubs annually. Find more at brooklinebooksmith.com!