COUNTY NEWS RELEASE

The Mesa Public Library will host an author talk with writer NancyFoley on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the library’s Upper Rotunda. Foley will read from her debut novel, “I Am Agatha,” followed by a conversation with Deborah Fritz of Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art in Santa Fe.

Foley, a Los Alamos high school graduate and former library patron, divides her time between New Mexico and Oregon. Her novel is loosely inspired by a little‑known period in the life of painter Agnes Martin and follows Agatha, a sharp‑witted, reclusive artist confronting grief, aging and unexpected connection against the backdrop of 1970s rural New Mexico.

“I’m thrilled to have this event at the Los Alamos Public Library, which was such a big part of my childhood,” Foley said. “My family went there every Sunday, and I read everything from V.C. Andrews to Solzhenitsyn. When I was in junior high, a wonderful librarian set aside books she thought I’d like, and we’d talk about them afterward. I even worked at the library the summer after I graduated, mostly shelving books.”

Fritz, also a Los Alamos High School graduate, will join Foley for a discussion on the novel’s themes of art, memory and the bonds that form in unlikely places.

The event is free and open to the public. “I Am Agatha” is available to borrow from the library. Copies will also be available for purchase at the event through Samizdat Bookstore and Teahouse.

For more information, visit the library event calendar or call 505-662-8250