Author Talk: John West on Lessons and Carols

Tue, May 30 2023
6:30 pm – 7:45 pm
Adams Street Library

author talks conversations


Join us at the Adams Street Library to hear John West read from and discuss his new memoir, Lessons and Carols: A Meditation on Recovery.

Lessons and Carols is a genre-bending memoir that explores the aftershocks of alcoholism and mental illness through a fresh look at the powers of poetry, ritual, and community. As a new parent, West grapples with his own fragmented recovery and grief for the friends he lost to addiction, asking if anyone can really change, or if we are always bound to repeat the past.

John West is a technologist and writer, currently reporting the news with code at the Wall Street Journal, where his work has won multiple awards and been a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. Previously, he worked at the MIT Media Lab and the digital publication Quartz. He holds an MFA in writing from the Bennington Writing Seminars and degrees in philosophy and music performance from Oberlin College. He lives in Boston with his partner, their daughter, and a cat.

 

9 Adams Street (between John and Plymouth)
Brooklyn, NY 11201 Get Directions
Add to My Calendar 05/30/2023 06:30 pm 05/30/2023 07:45 pm America/New_York Author Talk: John West on Lessons and Carols <p>Join us at the Adams Street Library to hear <strong>John West</strong> read from and discuss his new memoir, <a href="https://www.bklynlibrary.org/item?b=12609109"><em>Lessons and Carols: A Meditation on Recovery</em></a>.</p> <p><em>Lessons and Carols</em> is a genre-bending memoir that explores the aftershocks of alcoholism and mental illness through a fresh look at the powers of poetry, ritual, and community. As a new parent, West grapples with his own fragmented recovery and grief for the friends he lost to addiction, asking if anyone can really change, or if we are always bound to repeat the past.</p> <p><em>John West is a technologist and writer, currently reporting the news with code at the Wall Street Journal, where his work has won multiple awards and been a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. Previously, he worked at the MIT Media Lab and the digital publication Quartz. He holds an MFA in writing from the Bennington Writing Seminars and degrees in philosophy and music performance from Oberlin College. He lives in Boston with his partner, their daughter, and a cat.</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Brooklyn Public Library - Adams Street Library MM/DD/YYYY 60