Ann Goldstein is the translator of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan series, and is one of the most sought-after translators from the Italian language. She is a former editor at The New Yorker, and is the editor of The Complete Works of Primo Levi in English. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and awards from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Ann Goldstein grew up in Maplewood. She attended Bennington College, where she read Ancient Greek. She then studied comparative philology at University College, London.

Maplewood resident Pamela Erens is the author of five critically acclaimed books, including Eleven Hours and The Virgins and the memoir Middlemarch and the Imperfect Life. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Vogue and, Elle. Pamela was the 2017 recipient of the Maplewood Literary Award.

Our 2024 Ideas Festival will start off with two exciting programs. We'll be hosting Ann Goldstein on September 25 (see above), and filmmaker and TV Barry Sonnenfled on October 9. Other programs will be announced later in the year.

The Ideas Festival is sponsored by the Essex County Division of Cultural Affairs, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Discover Jersey Arts.

Free and open to the public. No registration needed. 

View Event Photos Here

Photos courtesy Tracy Sham Photography.