Jennifer Finney Boylan in conversation with Rebecca Makkai: Cleavage

What is the difference between men and women? In her latest novel , bestselling author Jennifer Finney Boylan examines the divisions—as well as the common ground—between the genders, and reflects on her own experiences, both difficult and joyful, as a transgender American. On Friday, Feburary 14, Boylan will be joined by Rebecca Makkai, bestselling author of , to discuss Cleavage at Bookends & Beginnings.

With Boylan’s trademark humor and poignancy, Cleavage is a sharp, witty, and captivating look at the triumphs and losses of a life lived in two genders. Boylan considers her womanhood, reflects on the boys and men who shaped her, and reconceives of herself as a writer, activist, parent, and spouse. With heart-wrenching honesty, Cleavage provides hope for a future in which we all have the freedom to live joyfully as men, as women, and in the space between us.

Your $35 ticket includes a hardcover copy of Cleavage and a glass of wine or nonalcoholic beverage of your choice from the MiniBar.

Doors will open at 5:00 PM, with the author talk beginning at 6:00 PM. Both authors will be available for signing after the event.

Author bios:

Jennifer Finney Boylan is the President of PEN America and the author of nineteen books. Her memoir, , was the first bestselling work by a transgender American. Since 2014, she has been the inaugural Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence at Barnard College. She graduated from Wesleyan University and Johns Hopkins, and she holds doctorates from Sarah Lawrence College, the New School, and Wesleyan University. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and many other publications.

Rebecca Makkai is the author of the New York Times bestselling as well as four other works of fiction. Her novel The Great Believers, one of the New York Times’ Best Books of the 21st Century, was a finalist for both the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and the 2018 National Book Award, and won many honors. A 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, Rebecca teaches graduate fiction writing at several universities, and she is Artistic Director of StoryStudio Chicago.

Host or Publisher Bookends & Beginnings