CANCELED | Danzy Senna in conversation with André Bernard

Due to a family illness, this event has been canceled. We are working with Danzy to reschedule — please join our email list to receive updates.

In its third year, In Conversation is curated by André Bernard, former Vice President of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. The series features great thinkers and influential voices whose contributions shape our culture today. Crossing the fields of politics, journalism, social science, and the arts, these conversations will explore fresh perspectives that spark curiosity and ignite new ways of thinking about the world and our most pressing challenges.  

Danzy Senna
Author of the bestselling novel Colored Television
Thursday, July 17, 5:00 pm 

Funny, piercing, and page–turning, Colored Television (Riverhead Books, 2024) is the story of Jane, a novelist in the throes of completing her second novel, a centuries-spanning epic that her husband, Lenny, dubs her “mulatto War and Peace.” Jane has high hopes that this novel will turn her life around. After a lengthy, precarious string of rentals and sublets, she and her family are housesitting in the Hollywood Hills, where the luxury of the gig affords the space for Jane to write, Lenny to paint, and their two children to attend school in one of the best LA districts. Like so many artists who have gazed longingly at Hollywood—its fame, power, and material comforts—things don’t go quite as planned for Jane. In this conversation, Danzy Sena and André Bernard will discuss where the novelist in the story and real–life meet—what critic Dwight Garner likens to “the two halves of a black-and-white cookie, which [Colored Television] adroitly crumbles.” 

Danzy Senna is the bestselling author of six previous books, including Caucasia (1999) and New People (2018), most recently Colored Television, as well as a memoir, Where Did You Sleep Last Night (2010). The recipient of numerous awards and honors, she teaches writing at the University of Southern California. 

Photo: Dustin Snipes

TICKETS ON SALE:

General Admission:
$27 – Mount Members
$32 – Non-Members

*New* Rain or Shine Ticket:
$37 – Mount Members
$42 – Non-Members

Individual Rain or Shine Tickets guarantee admission to a program regardless of weather conditions. For a modest increase in the ticket cost, you are guaranteed a seat at events that need to be moved indoors to The Mount’s Stable Auditorium. General Admission tickets are available for each event as well; however, in the event of inclement weather — excessive heat or severe thunderstorms — you are not guaranteed a seat. General Admission tickets will be canceled and refunded if weather conditions prohibit us from hosting an event outside.

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• This one-hour talk takes place in The Mount’s Event Tent, an open-air, two-pole tent adjacent to the parking lot. Please be mindful of the weather and plan accordingly!
• In the event of extreme weather — excessive heat or severe thunderstorms — In Conversation talks may be moved indoors to The Mount’s Stable Auditorium. *New to 2025* The Mount is offering Rain or Shine Tickets, which guarantee admission to this program regardless of location! All ticketholders will be notified via email of a venue change at 2:00 pm the day of the program. Those with standard admission tickets will have their orders automatically canceled and receive full refunds within seven business days.
• Seating for all programs at The Mount is first come, first served. If you have seating preferences, we recommend arriving fifteen minutes early.
• Accessible seating is available! Please phone us in advance to discuss arrangements: 413-551-5111; ext. #2
• A book signing will follow this talk. Books can be purchased from The Mount Bookstore at the event or online from Bookshop.org.

Questions? Email: programs@edithwharton.org

This program is sponsored by:

What accessibility accommodations does The Mount offer? The Mount is a Massachusetts Cultural Council UP designated organization welcoming participants of all disabilities. Please contact us by phone: 413-551-5100 or by email: info@edithwharton.org to discuss accommodations needed to participate fully in this event. Golf carts will be available to shuttle those with mobility concerns between the parking lot and event venue. View The Mount’s Health and Safety Guidelines.