FFtB Tuesday: Amy Tan

Fall for the Book continues today with discussions on money's role in Congress, climate change, embracing life and more. The day culminates with a presentation by acclaimed author Amy Tan. Read on for a full schedule of Monday's FFtB events. Check back every day for an updated event schedule.

Note that most, but not all, events will take place at George Mason University. Others will be hosted at Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center and in Fairfax County Public Libraries.

• Call and Response Exhibition: Current students and alumni of Mason’s MFA Poetry Program and the School of Art, faculty and a few others came together this summer to participate in the “Call and Response” challenge, giving artists and writers an original work by another contributor to inspire a piece of their own. Now paired together, these pieces are on display throughout Fall for the Book, with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Tuesday only. Johnson Center, Gallery 123; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Climate Change: Environmentalists, writers, and climate-change-education activists John Calderazzo, author of Rising Fire: Volcanoes and Our Inner Lives, and Sue Ellen Campbell, author of The Face of the Earth: Natural Landscapes, Science, and Culture, talk about their conviction that climate change is everybody’s business, and why that may ultimately be a good thing.Sponsored by New Century College. Johnson Center Cinema, 10:30-11:45 a.m.
• How Money Corrupts Congress: Lawrence Lessig, Harvard Professor of Law and Ethics, reads from and discusses "Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress – and a Plan to Stop It," a study of how “the economy of influence defeats the will of the people” and what citizens can do about it. Sponsored by the Fairfax County Democratic Committee’s National Affairs Standing Committee, the Democracy Project at George Mason University, and Mason’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Harris Theater, 10:30-11:45 a.m. Second chance event at 7 p.m. in Founders Hall, Room 125 in Arlington.
• Mason Reads Reception: The Mason|Reads program invites students, faculty, and staff to join together in reading one book by a festival author each year. This year’s book is Amy Tan’s Saving Fish From Drowning. If you’ve participated in Mason|Reads this year, stop by the tent to discuss the book with fellow students, faculty, and staff, buy an extra copy to be signed at Amy Tan’s presentation later tonight, and enjoy lemonade and cookies with your lunch. Sandy Spring Bank Tent, Johnson Center Plaza; 12-1:15 p.m.
• Writing Africa Panel: Nigerian-born writers Helon Habila and E.C. Osondu, both winners of the Caine Prize for African Writing, and Susi Wyss, author of The Civilized World, share stories of human life and loss amidst the vibrant, and often violent, backdrop of postcolonial Africa. Grand Tier III, Center for the Arts; 1:30-2:45 p.m.
• Poet Deborah Miranda: The Native American writer and poet, Deborah Miranda reads from her collections, The Zen of La Llorona, nominated for the Lambda Literary Award, and Indian Cartography. Sandy Spring Bank Tent, Johnson Center Plaza; 1:30-2:45 p.m.
• Civil War Letters: Barb Winters’ book Letters to Virginia: Correspondence from three generations of Alexandrians before, during and after the Civil War, draws on letters from three Alexandria families — the Eaches, Fendalls, and Tacketts — discovered by Winters while working as a library assistant at the Local History Special Collections Department of Alexandria’s Barrett Library. This treasure trove of history as it was once lived offers insight into the times: the deadly toll of cholera, the uncertainty of living in an occupied town, and even the experience of two Confederate soldiers who became POWs. Sponsored by the Dolley Madison Library and Gale Cengage Learning. Dolley Madison Library, 2-3:15 p.m.
• Don't Just Live, Embrace Life: Looking inward, gazing outward: Ray Robertson, author of Why Not? 15 Reasons to Live, poses new arguments for why humans should not just live, but embrace, life, while J.D. Smith, author of Dowsing and Science, meditates on several aspects of the human condition. Sandy Spring Bank Tent, Johnson Center Plaza; 3-4:15 p.m.
• Novelists Alan Cheuse and Allegra Goodman: Alan Cheuse, the unofficial “voice of books” on National Public Radio, and Allegra Goodman, author of seven works of fiction, including the National Book Award finalist Kaaterskill Falls, read from their most recent respective novels, Song of Slaves in the Desert and The Cookbook Collector. Grand Tier III, Center for the Arts; 4:30-5:45 p.m.
• Broke - The New American Dream: Michael Covel, President of Trend Following, co-founder of TurtleTrading.com, and author of Trend Commandments, presents a screening of his recent documentary, Broke: The New American Dream, a look at the financial crash of 2007-2009 and where the U.S. economy stands now. Johnson Center Cinema, 6-8 p.m.
• U.S. Navy's Bloodiest War Campaign: The author of three WWII naval history books, James D. Hornfischer retells the story of the U.S. Navy’s bloodiest WWII campaign in Neptune’s Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal. Sponsored by the Naval Order of the United States. Harris Theatre, 6-7:15 p.m.
• Post-Katrina School Reform Movement: Andre Perry, author of The Garden Path: The Miseducation of a City, exposes the complex and controversial school reform movement occurring in post-Katrina New Orleans. Sponsored by the GMU Higher Education Program and New Century College. Student Union Building II, Rooms 3, 4, 5; 6-7:15 p.m.
• Biographer Kathleen Kingsolving: Kathleen Kinsolving, author of Gadfly, shares stories about her father, Les Kinsolving, a member of the White House press corps since the presidency of Richard Nixon and now the only radio talk show host in the nation serving as a White House correspondent. Sponsored by the Fairfax Museum & Visitor Center and Gale Cengage Learning. Fairfax Museum & Visitor Center; 7-8:15 p.m.
• Haitian Realities: Marie-Thérèse Labossière Thomas reveals how her Haitian upbringing inspired her debut novel, Clerise of Haiti, about three generations of Haitian women. The story culminates during the Duvalier era, yet it also touches upon current Haitian realities. Sponsored by The Harambee Readers Book Group and The Friends of Sherwood Regional Library. Sherwood Regional Library, 7-8:15 p.m.
• Amy Tan: Amy Tan, critically acclaimed author of six works of fiction, including her debut The Joy Luck Club, and, most recently, Saving Fish From Drowning, accepts the Fairfax Prize for “writing and publishing literary works that contribute significantly to American and international culture.” Sponsored by the Fairfax Library Foundation. Concert Hall, Center for the Arts; 7:30-8:45 p.m.
• Boxing Champion Stories: Australian-born boxing champion, Mischa Merz shares stories from her memoir, The Sweetest Thing, about her 2009 trip across the U.S. fighting in a series of amateur boxing tournaments and the journey of women’s boxing toward its 2012 Olympic debut. Sponsored by Northern Virginia Community College’s Loudoun Campus. Waddell Theater, Northern Virginia Community College in Loudoun; 7:30-8:45 p.m.

Information from FFtB's website.