Talk with Percival Everett, author of ‘James,' moved to bigger location due to huge interest

There has been an overwhelming response to an upcoming Mark Twain House & Museum lecture and the event has been moved to a larger location.

Pulitzer Prize finalist Percival Everett is coming to Connecticut in June to speak about his latest novel, “James,” which is a reimagination of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and told from the perspective of Jim.  

Everett spoke with the BBC about why he decided to write this novel. You can read that here.

This is part of the free Trouble Begins lecture series.

The discussion between Everett and journalist and cultural critic Michael Harriot sold out in less than two days, according to the Mark Twain House & Museum.

It has now been moved to Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford because of unprecedented demand. The church is located at 10 Woodland Street, across the street from the Mark Twain House & Museum.

The event will be on Wednesday, June 5 at 7 p.m.

Tickets will be honored at the Immanuel Congregational Church and additional tickets will be released soon.

"We are truly humbled by the tremendous response to this event," Michael L. Campbell, interim executive director at The Mark Twain House & Museum, said in a statement. “It's a testament to Percival Everett's outstanding work and the enthusiasm behind Mark Twain's enduring legacy. We're excited to provide this unique opportunity for engagement and critical discourse."

This is how the Mark Twain House & Museum describes “James.”

“When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

“While many narrative set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.”

Attendees are invited to a pasta reception catered by Salute Restaurant at 5 p.m. at The Mark Twain House & Museum on 351 Farmington Ave. in Hartford. Food is first-come/first-served.

The event listing says guests can park at Mark Twain House & Museum for the reception and then walk across the street to Immanuel Congregational Church.

The house and museum is Museum hosts The Trouble Begins lecture series each spring and fall to feature "scholars who discuss elements of the life, work and era of Mark Twain and use them to explore wider themes in the humanities and both historical and current issues."

You can read more on the event here.