A book discussion with Michael Lowenthal (Fiction, MFA Writing Faculty) in conversation with Christopher Castellani on Lowenthal’s new story collection. Participants will be able to purchase books signed by the author. See the event page for details.

Sex with Strangers is a fiercely honest exploration of the risks and rewards of contemporary relationships—and hookups. The collection embraces the dizzying power of attraction across the spectrum of passion and infatuation. In this fearless collection, lust and loneliness drive a diverse cast of queer and straight characters into sometimes precarious entanglements.

Recognizing that any partner is unknowable on some level, Michael Lowenthal writes about how intimacy can make strangers of us all. A newly ordained priest struggles with guilt and longing when he runs into his ex-girlfriend. A woman weighs the cost of protecting her daughter from a man they both adore. A teenage busboy has a jolting brush with a famous musician. A young man tries to salvage a long-distance relationship while caring for his mentor, an erotic writer dying of AIDS.

In edgy, disquieting stories, Lowenthal traces the paths that attraction and erotic encounters take, baffling and rueful as often as electrifying. This fraught and funny volume forces us to grapple with our own subconscious desires and question how well we can ever really know ourselves.

Michael Lowenthal is the author of four novels: Charity Girl, The Paternity Test, Avoidance, and The Same Embrace. He lives in Roslindale and teaches in the MFA in Creative Writing program at Lesley University.

Moderator Christopher Castellani is the author of five books, most recently the novel Leading Men. He is the artistic director of GrubStreet.