Author Rachel Lyon will read from her new novel, Self-Portrait With Boy, which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and which Joyce Carol Oates called "beautifully imagined and flawlessly executed."

Rachel's reading will be followed by a Q&A and book signing. Refreshments can be purchased from the bar. (Please, no outside food or beverage.)

Self-Portrait With Boy is available for purchase at Rough Draft Bar & Books, for 10% off leading up to Rachel's reading. RSVPs through Eventbrite are not required but are much appreciated. (It lets us stay in touch with you in case of event changes, and helps us know how many people to expect.)

This event is part of Rough Draft's monthly writer's retreat, which aims to bring new and diverse voices to the Hudson Valley and give authors a chance to relax, write, enjoy Kingston, and interact with readers at Rough Draft during a Wednesday evening reading and book signing. Please note: This event may include mature themes and adult language, and may not be suitable for all ages.

ABOUT SELF-PORTRAIT WITH BOY:

Lu Rile is a relentlessly focused young photographer struggling to make ends meet. Working three jobs, responsible for her aging father, and worrying that her crumbling loft apartment is being sold to developers, she is at a point of desperation. One day, in the background of a self-portrait, Lu accidentally captures an image of a boy falling to his death. The photograph turns out to be startlingly gorgeous, the best work of art she's ever made. It's an image that could change her life...if she lets it.

But the decision to show the photograph is not easy. The boy is her neighbors' son, and the tragedy brings all the building's residents together. It especially unites Lu with the boy's beautiful grieving mother, Kate. As the two forge an intense bond based on sympathy, loneliness, and budding attraction, Lu feels increasingly unsettled and guilty, torn between equally fierce desires: to advance her career, and to protect a woman she has come to love.

Set in early 90s Brooklyn on the brink of gentrification, Self-Portrait with Boy is a "sparkling debut" ( The New York Times Book Review ) about the emotional dues that must be paid on the road to success and a powerful exploration of the complex terrain of female friendship. "The conflict is rich and thorny, raising questions about art and morality, love and betrayal, sacrifice and opportunism, and the chance moments that can define a life...It wrestles with the nature of art, but moves with the speed of a page-turner" ( Los Angeles Times ).