Catharina Coenen with Grace Talusan: Unexploded Ordinance
Schedule
Sun Nov 02 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
Brookline Booksmith | Brookline, MA
About this Event
Join us at Brookline Booksmith to celebrate the release of Unexploded Ordinance with author Catharina Coenen, in conversation with Grace Talusan. This event is cosponsored by the Transnational Literature Series.
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 Unexploded Ordinance 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 [email protected] 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!
Unexploded Ordinance
WINNER OF THE 2023 RESTLESS BOOKS PRIZE FOR NEW IMMIGRANT WRITING
In imaginative prose that interrogates the past with a poet's curiosity and a scientist's pen, Unexploded Ordnance seeks to answer how we are shaped by the stories we inherit.
After moving from Germany to the US to work as a professor of biology, Catharina Coenen takes up residence in a second language to voice the questions she could not ask at home. To what extent was her grandfather implicated in World War II? What exactly did her grandmother, mother, and aunt live through? And why are women's wartime stories so seldom told? Coenen peels back generational silences to walk alongside her grandmother, who comes of age during Hitler's rise to power, watches friends disappear one by one, and flees bombing raids with her tiny daughters. Weaving reflections on language, biology, queerness, art, and memory, Coenen moves between the personal and the universal with stunning honesty and elegance.
Catharina Coenen is a German immigrant to northwestern Pennsylvania, where she teaches biology at Allegheny College in Meadville. Her creative work is forthcoming or has recently appeared in The Southampton Review Online, Appalachian Heritage, Christian Science Monitor, and elsewhere.
Grace Talusan is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Nonfiction Writing Program at Brown University. She serves on the board of the National Book Critics Circle and is the author of . Her work has been supported by the Fulbright, the NEA, U.S. Artists, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and others. Her next book, a memoir, The King Died of Grief, is forthcoming in 2026 with Restless Books.
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!
The Transnational Literature Series at Brookline Booksmith
The Transnational Series focuses on stories of migration, the intersection of politics and literature, and works in translation and is supported by the independent bookstore Brookline Booksmith. Subscribe to the Transnational Series newsletter for information on upcoming events, book recommendations, and more.
Where is it happening?
Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00 to USD 32.57
