Author Talk: Heather Abel and Lauren Acampora

Join us in welcoming authors Heather Abel and Lauren Acampora to the Library, who will discuss their recent works:

Heather Abel is the author of two novels, The Emilys (published June 2026) and The Optimistic Decade. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, the Los Angeles Times, Oprah Daily, and the Paris Review among other places. She lives in Northampton, MA with her family and teaches creative writing at Smith College.

“The Emilys is a capacious, profound book about how love of all kinds—love between friends, between mothers and kids, between strangers and neighbors, love for the earth—opens up new possibilities. It asks: How will we learn to live in an altered world? How will we keep each other safe? And when the darkness comes, how will we find joy?”

Lauren Acampora is the author of The Animal Room (published June 2026) and three other books of fiction: The Wonder Garden, The Paper Wasp and The Hundred Waters. Lauren’s writing has also appeared in many publications such as The Paris Review, One Story and The New York Times and was anthologized in The Best American Short Stories 2025. She lives with her family in Katonah, NY.

“The Animal Room is a set of linked stories spotlighting human-animal relations—and revealing the tensions that threaten to fracture a suburban New England community. Incisive and moving, these stories chart the interconnected lives of neighbors, relatives, coworkers, enemies, lovers and the animals around them, turning an unflinching eye to the natural world to shed light on human nature. Through its riveting ensemble, The Animal Room paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of contemporary American life that is strikingly unique.”

Books will be available for sale and signing.

Please register here or on the Ridgefield Library website.