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Inside the creative circles of Boston’s bestselling authors
There’s more to the literary scene than book launches and author readings. See how four bestsellers find community and camaraderie in the city.
Boston has long been a city of words, from the transcendentalist writings of Emerson and Thoreau to contemporary greats like Jhumpa Lahiri and Dennis Lehane. But where do today’s bestselling local authors go when they need inspiration?
In Boston, there’s more to the literary scene than book launches and author readings; it’s a place where writers gather in unexpected ways, fueled by coffee, camaraderie, and an underlying sense of community.
For Jennifer Haigh, who’s lived in Roslindale for over a decade, Boston has become a natural home for both her writing and her connections. She moved to the city in 2002 on an impulse, not realizing how much she’d appreciate the distance it gave her from the cutthroat, business-centric atmosphere of publishing mecca’s like New York.
“If I were to try to live in New York as a working writer, it would be far more difficult because you’re so close to the business of publishing, you constantly hear the gears grinding.”
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When Haigh’s novel “Rabbit Moon” was released this past spring, she and her husband, fellow writer Josh Barkan, hosted a celebration at the Boston Figurative Arts Center in Somerville. The guest list was a who’s-who of local authors like Tom Perrotta (“The Leftovers,” “Little Children”) Allegra Goodman (“Kaaterskill Falls,” “Paradise Park”), and Marianne Leone (“Jesse,” “Ma Speaks Up”) — a testament to the vibrant, supportive literary community in Boston.
Haigh notes that when writers gather, “people talk about what they’re reading rather than industry gossip.” It’s the down-to-earth, book-nerdy atmosphere that she said helps draw writers to Boston.
Celeste Ng, Henriette Lazaridis, and the sensory side of the literary scene
Celeste Ng, a Cambridge author of three novels including “Little Fires Everywhere,” echoes Haigh’s sentiments about Boston’s literary camaraderie.
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For Ng, the city is home to a number of cherished reading events, including The Earfull Series, which pairs author readings with music from local artists, and the Arlington Writers Salon, a quirky gathering where authors read together in a café setting, often tied by a central theme and a sensory object.
Ng fondly recalls a 2016 reading at the Salon when author Henriette Lazaridis brought in seaweed scented cards for the audience to smell to complement her reading, she said.
Lazaridis confirmed the seaweed with Boston.com and added that the scents corresponded to moments from her book, “The Clover House.”
“I had jasmine, and Seville orange, and a scent I made myself with a homemade alembic to produce the scent of the sea,” she told Boston.com in an email. “It’s possible that some seaweed flakes were involved in that process. I think I remain the only one in the history of the Salon to use scent!”
Bookstores are ‘like the writers’ bar’
The sense of community extends beyond formal events, too.
Bookstores were mentioned by each author as a major gathering place for writers. They act as something of a literary watering hole, serving as event spaces for readings or the launch of a new book, or simply as hubs for authors to find community.
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“They’re like the writers’ bar,” Ng said. Authors drop by to chat with booksellers, find new books, and meet other writers in a casual, non-industry setting.
For Ng, this is one of the biggest differences between Boston and cities like New York, where the focus can often be on the business side of writing.
“Here, it’s not as much about the industry. It’s very much about – as dorky as it sounds – being a reading nerd,” she added.
Bonding over game nights, writing sprints, and dinner meetups
Paul Tremblay, known for his literary horror novels, has embraced more eccentric, playful gatherings with fellow writers – like Bracken MacLeod and Dana Cameron – including role-playing game nights that began as pandemic-friendly virtual meetups.
“I just show up and roll dice and try to insult folks…in a friendly way,” he said describing these get-togethers as “nerdy writer stuff.”
Karen M. McManus, who writes bestselling young adult thrillers, notes that Boston’s children’s lit community is particularly close-knit.
Since the release of her debut “One of Us Is Lying” in 2017, she’s found deep connections at professional events like literary festivals and readings. She explains that when a fellow author launches a book or hosts a reading, it’s common for local writers to meet up for dinner afterward.
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They’ll also meet up for informal “writing sprints” at coffee shops.
“We all bring our laptops and do quick 20-minute bursts of writing, just to get something out there,” she said. “Then we socialize, and if the writing is going really well, we keep going for another sprint.”
These spontaneous meetups are a reminder that for many Boston writers, the real magic of the craft happens off the page.
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