Rough Draft is excited to celebrate authors Sari Botton and Chloe Caldwell and the launches of their Summer 2022 memoirs. Sari's book, And You May Find Yourself: Confessions of a Late-Blooming Gen-X Weirdo is a collection of stories about “finding” yourself later in life— after first getting lost in all the wrong places. And Chloe's book, The Red Zone: A Love Story, is a searching, galvanizing memoir about blood and love: how learning more about her period, PMS, PMDD, and the effects of hormones on moods transformed her relationships—to a new partner, to family, to non-blood kin, and to her own body.
This event is free with food, drink, or book purchase. Seating is first-come, first-serve, but RSVPs via Eventbrite are appreciated. (They help us stay in touch in case of changes, and they give us an idea of how many people to expect.)
Come for the discussion; stay for the book signing and meet-and-greet to follow. Copies of both books will be available for purchased on event night, but preorders are encouraged (for pickup at the event) in order to ensure there are enough books for everyone.
ABOUT THE BOOKS:
And You May Find Yourself... by Gen-X author Sari Botton, is about “finding” yourself later in life -- after first getting lost in all the wrong places. As Botton discovers, the wrong places famously include her own self-suppression and misguided efforts to please others (mostly men).
In a series of candid, reflective, sometimes humorous essays, Botton describes coming to feminism and self-actualization as an older person, second (and third and fourth) chances -- and how maybe it’s never too late to find your way ... assuming you’re lucky enough to live long. While mainly presented in a chronological arc, the stories in this episodic memoir lend themselves to being read in order, or individually, as stand-alone pieces.
The Red Zone is a candid, revelatory memoir for anyone grappling with controversial medical diagnoses and labels of all kinds. Chloe Caldwell’s period has often felt inconvenient, uncomfortable, or even painful. But it’s only once she’s in her thirties, as she’s falling in love with Tony, a musician and single dad, that its effects on her mood start to dominate her life. Spurred by the intensity and seriousness of her new relationship, it strikes her: her outbursts of anxiety and rage match her hormonal cycle.
Compelled to understand the truth of what’s happening to her, Chloe documents attitudes toward menstruation among her peers and family, reads Reddit threads about PMS, attends a conference called Break the Cycle, and learns about premenstrual dysphoric disorder, PMDD, which helps her name what she’s been going through. For Chloe, healing isn’t about finding a single cure. It means reflecting on underlying patterns in her life: her feelings about her queer identity and writing persona in the context of a heterosexual relationship; how her parents’ divorce contributed to her issues with trust; and what it means to blend a family.
COVID PROTOCOLS:
Rough Draft is no longer requiring masks or social distancing indoors. Event attendees are encouraged to monitor the CDC's guidance based on current community risk level in Ulster County, and to decide what precautions to take and what level of risk is appropriate for them.