Alyson Richman, bestselling author of over ten historical novels, including The Lost Wife, The Thread Collectors, and The Missing Pages, will share how her early years living and studying in Japan inspired her debut novel, The Mask Carver’s Son. She attended the American School in Japan for part of her high school education and during college, spent a year in Kyoto as an apprentice to an artisan who carved masks for the Noh theater using centuries-old techniques. Following her graduation from Wellesley College, she received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship that enabled her to research Japanese artists who set out to study painting with the French Impressionists. Richman will delve into how she utilized all of these fascinating elements of her background in creating her first novel, which illuminates the emotional and often fraught experience of a young Japanese artist who defies his traditional Noh mask-carving father to pursue Western-style painting in Paris, exploring themes of art, family duty, and cultural identity during Japan’s Meiji period. A book signing will follow the lecture.
Details
Date
- Friday, January 15, 2027
Time
- 6:30 p.m.
Price
- $10 (Members, $7)
Location
- Morikami Theater
Our theater tends to be cold. You may want to bring with you a sweater or jacket.
Meet the Speaker
Alyson Richman is the USA Today and international bestselling author of several historical novels, including The Missing Pages, The Time Keepers, The Thread Collectors, The Velvet Hours and The Lost Wife, which is currently in development for a major motion picture. Alyson graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in art history and Japanese studies. She herself is an accomplished painter, and her books combine her deep love of art and historical research. Her most recent novel, The Missing Pages, was a 2025 Library Reads selection and one of Library Journal’s Best Books of 2025. Alyson’s novels have been published in over twenty-five languages and have reached the bestseller lists both in the United States and abroad.
