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On the eve of Naples’ annual Grape Fest, Writers & Books will host author Nishant Batsha for the launch of his newest book, featuring readings, a discussion, and wine tasting.
The event will be held today at Gell, Writers & Books’ hillside creative retreat in the Bristol Hills. Batsha will give a brief reading of his second novel, “A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart,” and then be joined in conversation by Writers & Books’ executive director, Alison Meyers. Refreshments will be provided by co-sponsors, Glen Hollow Winery and the Bristol Library.
“A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart” is a tale of historical fiction following two radical idealists as the U.S. begins to enter World War I. Elements of romance and thriller narratives blend, alongside meditations on “racism, government overreach, and feverish patriotism.”
“I’m excited to hear the conversations this novel will generate,” says Writers & Books artistic director Tyler Barton. “Right now readers are hungry for stories that use history to reinterpret the past and imagine new possibilities for the future of our politics and relationships.”
Writers & Books will also host Batsha at Gell the following day for a master class entitled “Must Historical Fiction be Historical?” The seminar will discuss the craft of historical fiction, its prevalence in American literary production, and the critiques leveled against it.
The son of Indian immigrants who now lives in Buffalo, Batsha has a PhD in history from Columbia University, where he was a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow, a program that provides merit-based funding for New Americans, immigrants and children of immigrants for contributions to culture, society, and academia.
His previous novel, “Mother Ocean Father Nation,” was nominated in 2022 for a Lambda Literary Award, which is given to significant works of LGBTQ+ literature. In addition, it was longlisted for a 2023 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, and was the recipient of an honorable mention in the prose category of the 2024 Association for Asian American Studies Book Awards.
“Reading, Conversation & Wine Tasting at Gell” will be held at the Gell creative retreat on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 or $43 for a signed copy of “A Bomb Placed Close to the Heart” in addition to event access.
“Must Historical Fiction be Historical?” will be held on Sept. 27 at 12 p.m., also at the Gell creative retreat. Tickets are $80 for the general public and $70 for Writers & Books members.
Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist.
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