Skip to main content
Author Talk + Q&A with Jaclyn Gilbert
PastAuthor EventBook SigningFictionPaid

This event has passed

Author Talk + Q&A with Jaclyn Gilbert

Past event

About This Event

Join us for an evening with Jaclyn Gilbert, author of Butter Road , in conversation with Cara Blue Adams. At the heart of Butter Road are questions of identity and home: what makes a place ours, what we carry with us, and how we create homes for ourselves outside of traditional expectations. In the spirit of the book, attendees are encouraged to bring a small piece of home with them, whether it’s a quilt scrap, photograph, garden clipping, or another meaningful object. Together, we’ll explore the stories and connections that shape our sense of belonging. The event includes an author signing and wine + cheese reception.

Featured Author

Jaclyn Gilbert

Jaclyn Gilbert grew up running along the Amish countryside in Lancaster County. She is the author of the novel Late Air, and her short stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in Post Road Magazine, Tin House, and elsewhere. In 2021, she founded Driftless Literary, a boutique literary agency committed to representing genre-defying literature in the U.S. and abroad.

About the Venue

Celia Bookshop Logo

Celia Bookshop

We are a woman-owned independent bookstore in the heart of Swarthmore offering a curated selection of new books including bestsellers, classics, and a large children's section. Community-centered, Celia is more than a bookstore—it’s a place to connect, explore, and find something you didn’t know you were looking for.

Visit store page

More at Celia Bookshop

Nov15
Author Talk & Q+A with Dr. Karabi Acharya
Author EventSwarthmore, PA

Author Talk & Q+A with Dr. Karabi Acharya

5:00 PM • Sunday, November 15, 2026Celia Bookshop$5–$30

Join us to celebrate Multitudes with author and public health expert Dr. Karabi Acharya , in conversation with author Kat Yeh . Together, they’ll discuss Multitudes and its exploration of identity, being multiracial, belonging, connection, and the experiences that shape who we are. The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A, book signing, and wine and cheese reception.

Nov17
November Prose for the Planet
Book ClubScienceSwarthmore, PA

November Prose for the Planet

7:00 PM • Tuesday, November 17, 2026Celia BookshopFree

What would it take to build a future of greater possibility? In Abundance , New York Times journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson explore how politics, policy, and bureaucracy can stand in the way of progress—and how we might rethink our approach to housing, clean energy, infrastructure, and more. Join Phil Coleman, founder of AFewSteps, an environmental nonprofit, for a conversation about the book’s ideas, the challenges they raise, and what it might look like to embrace a more ambitious vision for the future.

Nov19
Author Talk + Q&A with Chinelo Okparanta
Author EventSwarthmore, PA

Author Talk + Q&A with Chinelo Okparanta

7:00 PM • Thursday, November 19, 2026Celia Bookshop$5–$34

Join us to celebrate This Impossible Life , the new novel from acclaimed author Chinelo Okparanta, director of the creative writing program at Swarthmore College, in conversation with bestselling novelist Nicole Dennis-Benn. They’ll discuss Okparanta’s new book and its exploration of love, identity, family, belonging, and the choices that shape the lives we build for ourselves. The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A, book signing, and wine and cheese reception.