A Night at the Disco Book Bash with Christian John Wikane

is a tribute to groundbreaking dance music from 1970–79, featuring an unprecedented collection of photographs of more than 100 artists.

As an NYC-based music journalist and essayist, Christian John Wikane has interviewed more than 600 recording artists, songwriters, and producers over the past two decades. He brings a unique perspective to the disco era, uncovering behind-the-scenes insights through exclusive commentary from legends like Donna Summer, Barry Gibb, and Debbie Harry, among many others.

In conversation with M. Scott Knox, Executive Director of The Equality Fund and disco enthusiast, Christian will discuss the making of this collection, sharing stories about the era’s most unforgettable artists, including the legacy of Boston’s own Donna Summer, who made dancers feel “lovestruck” on the dance floor. Event tickets include a copy of A Night at the Disco. Grab a copy, get it signed, and celebrate the era that defined the dance floor.

EVENT DETAILS

• 6:30 PM: Doors Open – Settle in, grab a drink from our cafe and wine bar, and get ready for a great discussion!
• 7:00 PM: Discussion Begins – Christian will dive into A Night at the Disco.
• 7:45 PM: Q&A Session – Your chance to ask the author anything!
• 8:00 PM: Signatures, Snapping Pics, and Salutations – Meet the author, get your book signed, and snap a photo.
• 8:30 PM: Last call - Grab your final pour from the wine bar.
• 9:00 PM: Event Wraps Up – Thanks for joining us!

Tickets are limited, so grab yours soon! If the event sells out, you can join the Eventbrite waitlist by selecting “Reserve a spot” followed by “Join Waitlist”. Should any spots open up, you’ll have 24 hours to register before we offer it to the next person.

ACCESSIBILITY

Check-in will take place at our front entrance on Brattle Street. If you have any accessibility needs, you're welcome to use our side entrance (located on the right side of the building), which is wheelchair accessible and has a ramp.

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BOOK PICKUP POLICY

If you purchased a book with your event ticket but can’t make it to the event—and don’t request a refund—we’ll happily hold your book for pickup for up to 30 days after the event date.

We’ll be in touch via the email you provided at checkout to help coordinate pickup. After 30 days, if we haven’t heard from you or made other arrangements, we’ll consider the book abandoned property and may donate it or return it to inventory so it can find a new home.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christian John Wikane is a NYC-based music journalist and essayist. Since 2003, he's interviewed more than 600 recording artists, songwriters, and producers, including Paul McCartney, Janelle Monáe, Donna Summer, Pete Seeger, Annie Lennox, Maurice White, Jimmy Scott, Carly Simon, and Kenny Gamble. He and filmmaker Sekou Luke currently produce the video series "Unscripted: Conversations with Christian John Wikane," which features his interviews with GRAMMY, Tony, and Emmy-winning artists, and have also produced "Unscripted Live" at the Apollo Theater, City Winery, and Lincoln Center (2024 "American Songbook" series). Christian's also a contributing writer for PEOPLE Magazine and was Contributing Editor for PopMatters online magazine from 2006-2023. He was also credited as a consultant for HBO's Emmy-nominated Tina Turner documentary, Tina (2021), as well as CNN's Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over (2021) and HBO's Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2022).

Christian's had the distinct honor of curating and moderating several events on the main stage of the Apollo Theater for Apollo Education's "Live Wire" series, including "Legendary: A Conversation with Dionne Warwick and Melba Moore," "Bold Soul Sisters," a panel discussion featuring Nona Hendryx, Ruth Pointer, Kathy Sledge, and Rochelle Fleming, and "She's A Rebel: An Interview with Martha Reeves, Sarah Dash, and Joshie Jo Armstead." He's moderated two events for the Brooklyn Museum, "From Studio 54 to Number One" (2020) featuring Alfa Anderson, Linda Clifford, and Cory Daye, and "The Soulfulness of David Bowie" (2018) featuring Carlos Alomar and Robin Clark, and led an all-star panel for Stevens Institute of Technology's screening of CNN Films' Luther: Never Too Much (2024). He's also conducted a live Q&A with disco legends D.C. LaRue and Felipe Rose (original co-founder and Native of Village People) for Queer/Art/Film's screening of Thank God It's Friday (1978) at IFC Center.

Since 2010, Christian has authored extensive liner notes for more than 200 album re-issues by major and independent record companies in the U.S. and U.K., including more than a dozen releases for the Estate of Donna Summer. He's also conducted interviews for several BBC Radio documentaries, Sirius XM's Studio 54 channel, Chase Bank ("Inside Access"), and hosted/produced more than a dozen concerts at Joe’s Pub (the Public Theater), the Blue Note, Iridium Jazz Club, and Wölffer Estate Vineyard. He's guest lectured for Barnard College's "Harlem Semester" Program (2017-2025) and has presented at EMP Pop Conference, the Parrish Art Museum, Apollo Education's "Master Class" Series, and NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Music. He's the sole author of Casablanca Records: Play It Again (2009), a 50,000-word oral history that documented the 35th anniversary of Casablanca Records and the co-author of A Night at the Disco (2026) and What the Band Wore: Fashion & Music (2023), published by ACC Art Books.

ABOUT A NIGHT AT THE DISCO

A Night at the Disco is a celebration of groundbreaking dance music from 1970–’79. An unprecedented collection of photographs of more than 100 artists, illuminating the styles and sounds from a decade that sparked a global phenomenon in music and culture. Exclusive comments from Donna Summer, Barry Gibb, Debbie Harry, Giorgio Moroder, founding members of CHIC, Labelle, The Trammps, Village People, Earth, Wind & Fire, and dozens more artists, songwriters and producers, offering fascinating insights that tell the stories behind the beats. From underground New York clubs to discothèques across the globe, A Night at the Disco illustrates how artists spanning soul, pop, disco, funk, jazz and rock defined nightlife during the 1970s and influenced popular music to the present day.

ABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNER

M. Scott Knox is the Executive Director of the Equality Fund, the largest philanthropic fund in Massachusetts dedicated to advancing the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community. Prior to joining the Equality Fund at The Boston Foundation, Scott has worked to expand academic and economic opportunities for young people in Greater Boston and beyond. Most recently, Scott served as Executive Director of Root, a Salem-based youth workforce development organization for four years. Before joining Root, Scott worked at Brooke Charter Schools, a network of high-performing public charter schools in Boston for eight years in a number of senior leadership capacities, including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Development Officer, and at The Steppingstone Foundation as Dean of Academic Preparation and as Vice President of National Expansion for five years. Scott has also worked with Jumpstart and directed an AmeriCorps service program in New Orleans. Scott lives in Roxbury with his husband and is a passionate home gardener and supporter of live music. Scott holds a B.A. from Boston College, and a M.P.A. from Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

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