John McPhee with Paul Holdengräber: Draft of a Lifetime

In his seventh collection of essays, The Patch, master non-fiction writer John McPhee shares a montage of reflections, reminiscences, and pieces of various lengths that range from a visit to the Hershey chocolate factory to encounters with Oscar Hammerstein, Joan Baez, and Mount Denali. Calling on his signature devotion to structure, McPhee has winnowed this body of work to present a random assembly he calls an “album quilt,” a memoir as only he could write it. He will speak with Paul Holdengräber about the arc of his life and career.

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LIVE from the NYPL offers conversations with notable writers, artists, and leaders, hosted by Paul Holdengräber at The New York Public Library. Learn more about LIVE and our other upcoming events.

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ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing accessibility@nypl.org.