A Jazzy Author Talk with Isaiah Scott
Immerse yourself in the irregular rhythms of both piano and prose, as local author Isaiah Scott reads excerpts from his two debut novels and local jazz pianist Julian Laury performs original arrangements inspired by the selected readings.
Tickets: $25 (admission + book), $10 (admission only)
"It's a page turner, an interesting world that's easy to picture, with endearing characters and high tension. It's funny; it's heartbreaking.”
—Catherine Elise, Editor
About Dominion in a House:
Thomas' every move is tracked and controlled by the Interior Security Compartment, until an unexpected visitor, even more powerful than he, arrives on his doorstep. And when fearful, young Trent is taken from his family and placed into a community with others like him, he dreams the trauma of his past will finally be left behind. Both trapped in a spooked and panicked nation charged to eliminate their kind, Thomas and Trent are forced to harness the unknown depths of their unique abilities for any hope of survival. They must expand their awareness, confront who they really are, and face their ultimate oppressors in the struggle for power, by any means necessary.
“What an imaginative idea to combine a 'biblical' story with that of a college freshman. It’s humorous, yet outraging, yet also convicting.”
—Catherine Elise, Editor
About A Man Called Somebody:
Petra, a fisherman from the ancient world, leaves behind his net and everything he knows to join a new religious movement. Mara, a 21st century college freshman, strives to make the most of her college experience by succeeding in classes, becoming involved in the best clubs, and finding the right spiritual group. Both of their journeys—riddled with anxieties about how to properly worship and how to be worshipped—are mysteriously directed by hidden currents and woven by inexplicable threads. As Petra and Mara rise and fall in the face of their deepest fears and temptations, what they truly desire is to be seen, to be known… and yet called.
About Isaiah Scott:
Isaiah brings a style that mixes exhilarating storytelling and thoughtful literary technique. His stories focus on the inner challenges and dysfunctions of the human soul, set in the context of American religion, political power, the supernatural, and the ordinary. Humorous, and yet deeply emotional, both the experienced and inexperienced reader will find much to consider within his novels.
Isaiah is the premiere writer and co-founder of The House of EliseScott. He grew up as a military child across the United States and abroad in Italy and Korea and now lives in the Greater Boston Area. Moving every two years provided him with fewer friendships but more time for reading and thinking. What started as dictating short stories to his mother as a five-year-old later turned into a more serious writing practice during his free time as an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania. Along this journey, within his mind, he collected and developed story concepts, two of which are now available for purchase: A Man Called Somebody and Dominion in a House.
About Julian Laury:
Julian Laury is a young and aspiring jazz pianist based in the great Boston area. Though born in Greenwich Village, New York City around the corner from the famed Village Vanguard jazz club, he was raised in Vienna, Austria. Steeped in the city’s classical music tradition, he was also constantly exposed to jazz and Afro-Brazilian rhythms by his father Scott Laury, a percussionist who used to be heavily involved in the New York City Latin and Brazilian music scenes.
Julian started taking classical piano lessons in Vienna, Austria at the age of 14, but when he moved to the United States for college, he switched to playing jazz piano. During his university years, he played for the college jazz ensemble and started up a jazz group that performed for special events and university functions. After graduating, he moved to Atlanta, where he got involved in the city’s thriving jazz scene and continues to perform, teach and present different musical projects and collaborations. He now lives in Boston, MA where he is actively involved in the music scene and continues to write new music.