Xochitl Gonzalez (Olga Dies Dreaming) joins The Center for Fiction to celebrate and discuss her mesmerizing new novel of power, love, and art, Anita de Monte Laughs Last. The book follows two perspectives: In 1985, Anita de Monte is a rising star in the art world, until she is found dead in New York City. In 1998, first generation Ivy League art history student Raquel feels like an outsider among her privileged classmates, but when she becomes romantically involved with a well-connected older art student, she rises up the social ranks and attempts to straddle both worlds. Raquel stumbles upon Anita’s story, raising questions about the dynamics of her own relationship, which eerily mirrors that of the forgotten artist. De’Ara Balenger, co-founder of maestra (an award-winning social impact and cultural strategy agency) and co-host on Pod Save the People, joins Gonzalez in conversation about her propulsive novel and the questions it raises about who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite. After the conversation, Gonzalez will sign books.
All tickets include a copy of Anita de Monte Laughs Last.