Freedom is a darkly comedic novel about family. Patty and Walter Berglund were the new pioneers of old St. Paul—the gentrifiers, the hands-on parents, the avant-garde of the Whole Foods generation. Patty was the ideal sort of neighbor, who could tell you where to recycle your batteries and how to get the local cops to actually do their job. She was an enviably perfect mother and the wife of Walter’s dreams. Together with Walter—environmental lawyer, commuter cyclist, total family man—she was doing her small part to build a better world.

At Concord’s new hotspot, the Spotlight Café in The Governor’s Hall, featuring a cash bar and concessions. Seating is general admission. Preferred seating is reserved for Capitol Center members.

The Writers in the Spotlight Series is a co-presentation of Gibson’s Bookstore and the Capitol Center for the Arts.