Two sisters – children’s book author and New York Times editor – will talk about publishing at an event at the Brunswick Library

From pretending to be a “librarian” as children to writing novels as adults, being surrounded by books has always been the norm for sisters Kate and Elisabeth Egan.

Now that they have a publishing career of their own, the sisters will be at the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick on December 2 to present “Growing up Bookish: A Conversation Between Literary Sisters.” The free event is open to the public and will begin at 6 p.m. in the Morrell Meeting Room.

New Jersey resident Elisabeth Egan works as an editor for The New York Times Book Review, writing a weekly and monthly column.

Kate Egan, who has lived in Brunswick for about 20 years, is currently working on her sixth children’s book. She is also a freelance writer and takes on projects such as the best-selling “Hunger Games” book series.

“We both drove around the neighborhood,” said Kate Egan, who also served for nine years on the board of the Curtis Memorial Library. “We each did a lot of writing, we each did a lot of editing, and so we have stories to tell.”

The two grew up in South Orange, New Jersey, and were both motivated to pursue writing by the same high school English teacher as well as a family that instilled in them a passion for reading. The presentation will include information on developing a career in publishing, said Kate Egan, as well as an overview of what they are currently working on.

“The path wasn’t always clear at first, but I just thought that a life of books, words and writing seemed like the only way forward for me,” said Elisabeth Egan, who also wrote the novel. 2015 “A window opens”. ”

As writers, they said, the two frequently trade ideas, drawing inspiration from the details of everyday life. One example includes Kate Egan’s upcoming book “Golden Ticket,” which features a school inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School in Brunswick.

“I see (reading) as the ultimate connective tissue,” said Elisabeth Egan. “For me, reading someone’s experience is the best way to understand a different experience.”

“A good book is kind of the ultimate experience of walking around in someone else’s shoes,” Kate Egan said. “In terms of the public good, it’s a critically important thing for society to imagine yourself having someone else’s experience.”

According to Joyce Fehl, director of marketing and communications at the Curtis Memorial Library, next week’s event will take place on the same evening as the library’s annual meeting. Fehl said events are slowly starting to pick up at the library after a pandemic hiatus.

“A library is not a library without the people in it,” Fehl said. “We have some exciting things coming up that we’ll be announcing at the annual meeting.”

The library temporarily closed in March 2020 around the time COVID-19 first reached the United States. Meanwhile, Fehl said, remote and digital offerings have been increased such as movies, e-books and zoom book clubs. On June 1, 2020, a curbside book collection service began. About a year later, on May 17, 2021, the library reopened with regular hours, with a limited indoor program and continued curbside pickup.

As a municipal building, masks continue to be required at the Curtis Memorial.

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