***This event has already taken place! We have a very limited number of copies of Natalie Portman's Fables with signed bookplates leftover. Due to high demand and very limited stock, we will be reserving these books for our local community. Copies with signed bookplates are only available for purchase in the store, or online as a pick up or local delivery order only -- we will not be shipping signed copies. Local customers may purchase a copy below. Limit one copy per customer, please. We appreciate your understanding!***
Porter Square Books is pleased to present a virtual talk with Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman for her new picture book Natalie Portman’s Fables, joined by Gregory Maguire (Wicked)! This event is brought to you in partnership with New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany (State University of New York).
*This event is ticketed, and your ticket includes a copy of Natalie Portman’s Fables -- or upgrade to the premium bundle including both Natalie Portman’s Fables and Gregory Maguire’s A Wild Winter Swan! Books may be picked up or shipped. A link to join the virtual event will be emailed to ticket holders in the week of 10/19. A select number of SIGNED copies of Natalie Portman’s Fables will be randomly distributed to ticket holders of both ticket types - we wish you luck! Tickets may be purchased below.*
*Submit a question in advance for Natalie and if we read your question and name live at the event, you're guaranteed a signed bookplate with your book!*
In Natalie Portman’s Fables, Academy Award-winning actress, director, producer, and activist Natalie Portman retells three classic fables and imbues them with wit and wisdom.
From realizing that there is no “right” way to live to respecting our planet and learning what really makes someone a winner, the messages at the heart of Natalie Portman’s Fables are modern takes on timeless life lessons.
Told with a playful, kid-friendly voice and perfectly paired with Janna Mattia’s charming artwork, Portman’s insightful retellings of The Tortoise and the Hare, The Three Little Pigs, and Country Mouse and City Mouse are ideal for reading aloud and are sure to become beloved additions to family libraries.
Natalie will be joined by New York Times Bestselling author Gregory Maguire, beloved for his own retellings of classic stories.
Natalie Portman is an Academy Award winning actress, director, producer, and activist whose credits include Black Swan, for which she won an Oscar and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress; Leon: The Professional, Cold Mountain, Closer, V for Vendetta, the Star Wars franchise prequels, A Tale of Love and Darkness, Jackie, and the forthcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. Born in Jerusalem, Israel, she is a graduate of Harvard University, and now lives with her family in Los Angeles.
Gregory Maguire is the New York Times bestselling author of Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister; Lost; Mirror Mirror; and the Wicked Years, a series that includes Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz. Now a beloved classic, Wicked is the basis for a blockbuster Tony Award–winning Broadway musical. Gregory Maguire is a distinguished alumnus of the University at Albany and created the Maguire Family Endowment at the NYS Writers Institute. Maguire has lectured on art, literature, and culture both at home and abroad. He lives with his family near Boston, Massachusetts. In his latest book, Wild Winter Swan, Maguire turns his unconventional genius to Hans Christian Andersen's "The Wild Swans," transforming this classic tale into an Italian-American girl's poignant coming-of-age story, set amid the magic of Christmas in 1960s New York.
The New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany (State University of New York) is one of America’s premiere sites for promoting the art of the written word. Committed to the idea that books, films, plays, and their creators can provide portals through which the most personal or complex issues of human understanding can be explored, the Writers Institute has brought more than a thousand major and emerging authors in all genres to share their work and craft with audiences in New York's Capital Region.
*Tickets may be purchased below. There are two ticket options, a general admission ticket including a copy of Natalie Portman’s Fables or the premium bundle with both Natalie Portman’s Fables and Gregory Maguire’s A Wild Winter Swan! Books may be picked up or shipped, simply choose your preference at checkout. A link to join the virtual event will be emailed to ticket holders in the week of 10/19. A select number of SIGNED copies of Natalie Portman’s Fables will be randomly distributed to ticket holders of both ticket types - we can’t guarantee you a signed copy, but we wish you luck!!
*Please note that we have a zero tolerance policy for harassing behavior or language, and reserve the right to enforce this policy by removing any disruptive attendees from the event without a refund.*
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Ask Natalie!
Submit a question for Natalie Portman or Gregory Maguire here, and it may be selected to be answered live at the event on 10/21! *If we read your question and name live at the event, you're guaranteed a signed bookplate with your book!*