Changing Hands Bookstore is my absolute favorite indie bookstore in my area. Not only do they have an amazing and supportive vibe, but they put on some of the most amazing author events I have ever had the privilege to attend. And that includes the one I attended last night: "Jodi Picoult in conversation with Jennifer Hershey." Jennifer Hershey is her editor, so not only did we get to have Picoult talk about her latest book, but also had the unique display of the author/editor relationship for everyone to see. The event was amazing, and while I wish I could tell you everything about it, I have narrowed it down to the five highlights of the event:
1. Introduction to "By Any Other Name"
In talking about By Any Other Name, it was clear this book was a passion project. And from the moment she started explaining the project, I knew I was hooked:
"A story of how women are written out of history by the men writing it."Jodi Picoult
She also described this as a book whose genre is a little bit of everything: historical fiction, modern fiction, and romance (with the most spice she's ever written!). In addition, Picoult talked a lot about the timeliness of this book - especially in how the United States views women, who to this day are written out of our history.
2. Was Shakespeare a woman? Jodi Picoult thinks so!
Being an English major, Picoult had heard the rumors in her classes Shakespeare probably did not write all of his plays. But it wasn't until she read the article, "Was Shakespeare a Woman?" she got the idea for this book - and immediately started researching it. In fact, she discovered there was no evidence Shakespeare wrote a single word! Shakespeare never left England but managed to talk about castles and countries he never went to in great detail - places Emilia Bassano would have known very well. In addition, he refused to educate his daughters, despite being known for writing some of the strongest three-dimensional and educated women in fiction at the time. And when he died? He had owned no books that justified any research he had done. His fame, even in the Renaissance era, also makes his lack of being buried in the famed Poet's Corner suspicious which adds to a lot of confusion about who Shakespeare was. Picoult's theory through her research is that multiple authors wrote under the name "William Shakespeare." However, no sources can confirm this, so it's a mystery the world will never be able to truly know.
3. Emilia Bassano was a fascinating figure
Emilia Bassano was a person who managed to live in the highest of highs and lowest of lows of society during the Renaissance era. Her family was brought to England by Henry VIII who wanted them as performers for his court. After her parents' deaths, Emilia was the ward of a Countess who decided to give her a full formal education - despite being rare for even noble daughters at the time. After this, she was given as a mistress to the Lord Chamberlin, who was in charge of entertainment and theater. It wasn't until she became pregnant with his child she seemingly disappeared from history for twenty years after marrying her cousin. But after those decades out of the public eye? She was published as a poet and represented herself in court after she had money she was supposed to live on stolen out from under her. However, the biggest mystery of Emilia Bassano's life is her relationship with the Earl of Southampton - who passionately supported her in court. Picoult believes she figured out that mystery - but you'll need to read the Author's Note in By Any Other Name to see what the theory is. I refuse to spoil it for anyone.
4. Melina's storyline is inspired by Jodi's Broadway career
While the majority of the event talked about her research for the Renaissance era part of the novel, Picoult also mentioned how her own Broadway writing career inspired the modern-day plot of the novel. In fact, she gave the example of her first time working as a co-librettist for the musical, "Between the Lines," which was based on her book of the same name - where she made the decision not to be credited for her work. While she does not regret this decision, she did shout out her writing partner who did everything in his power to give her the credit she deserved. Melina's storyline is one of the most personal the author has written because stated that even though she tends to write about timely topics, she never had lived through any of the ones she's written about until this book.
5. Next Projects
At the end, Jodi Picoult announced her next projects: all three of them I am immediately dying to look into. She's going to be the co-librettist of musicals based on two very different books: my all-time favorite novel The Book Thief and Austenland. However, her next novel drew literal gasps from the crowd. Picoult was inspired by a post on "PostSecret" that said, "Everyone who knew me before 9/11 thinks I'm dead." To have that announced on September 11th felt powerful, and I am truly excited to see her take on this tragic event in American history.
Where By Any Other Name had already been on my TBR, this event has made me so much more excited to dive into the novel. I am glad Jodi Picoult made sure Emilia Bassano would be remembered - because even if she wasn't behind Shakespeare's plays, the more women whose history we learn, the better.