In my role as the curator of the literary website Beatrice, I’ve been branching out into readings and other live events—and when I recently realized that Arthur Phillips and Megan Abbott had both published novels titled The Song Is You, I immediately began thinking of ways we could build an evening around that coincidence. I hit upon the idea of doing a fundraiser for a music-education program; as it happened, Abbott has been volunteering for the last few years with Union Settlement, a community services organization in East Harlem that offers music classes to preschoolers and elementary school students among its many programs.
So tomorrow night, Tuesday, July 28, at 7 p.m., we’ll be at the Union Settlement community center at 237 E 104th St (just a five-minute walk from the 6 line), where Phillips and Abbott will read from their novels—and (fingers crossed) another guest star will tell the audience a bit about the Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein tune that serves as titular inspiration for both books. We’re also fortunate enough to have Rob Holub on piano to perform “The Song Is You,” along with some of his own music.
Admission is $10, all of which goes directly to Union Settlment. Or, for $20, you can receive copies of both novels (or maybe Abbott’s latest, Bury Me Deep). If you’re on Facebook, you can check in, but it’s not required—either way, I hope to see some of you there!