September 26, 7pm: Virginia Humanities Hosts Bestselling Author Matthew Quick, author of the bestselling novel “The Silver Linings Playbook”

Click here to register for an amazing event: Saturday, September 26 at 7pm when Virginia Humanities, the state humanities council, is hosting a talk by bestselling author Matthew Quick at the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum.

Matthew, the author of the bestselling novel The Silver Linings Playbook, which inspired an Academy Award-winning film, will be discussing a new work of nonfiction, Dad, Love, Me: A Memoir. Written in the form of a letter to his father, who suffers from dementia, this book examines the harm of some traditional masculinity models, the author’s memories of living in an abusive household, and what it means to make a roadmap towards redemption and healing.

The author will be interviewed by Kalela Williams, the director of the Virginia Center for the Book, a program of Virginia Humanities. “Really, the whole day is about connection with the people we hope to hold close,” Williams says. ”Dad, Love, Me is as resonant as it is relevant.  It’s a voice in the conversations that people of all generations are having about models of masculinity and fatherhood, as well as the ways our parents raised us and the chain-breaking and chain-making we can effect.”

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Virginia Humanities’ Executive Director, Matthew Gibson, adds, “When we think of the humanities, we think of storytelling. This  expert storyteller can speak to what empathy truly means is an author who we, along with our Alexandria partners, are proud to host in Northern Virginia.”

Carolyn Fuller, the coordinator of the Alexandria Festival of the Book, which will next take place on March 13, 2027, sees the talk by Matthew Quick as an opportunity to bring literary-minded people together. “We are so fortunate to have Virginia Humanities and their collaborations in our area. The opportunity to connect with noted authors, discuss books and explore our history and culture is a special one that the entire community can enjoy and benefit from.”

The author talk, which is free and open to the public, is preceded by another Virginia Humanities-hosted program at 1:00 p.m., “Rekindling a Lost Art,” a workshop during which participants can sit and write letters to loved ones together.

Registration for the events is required: VaBook.org/events

About Virginia Humanities

As Virginia’s humanities council, we create programs and provide grants to connect Virginians with ideas and stories that help them better understand one another and the communities where they live and work. Learn more at VirginiaHumanities.org.