A new author series will launch at River Bend Bookshop in West Hartford on Sept. 9, 2026.

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River Bend Bookshop is thrilled to announce a new series in collaboration with West Hartford Pride, Inc.: the Pride Author Series.

The series will launch with an author talk and Q&A featuring The Light of Day, on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at River Bend Bookshop, 244 Park Road, West Hartford.

The Pride Author Series celebrates queer authors and queer stories through curated events hosted collaboratively by River Bend Bookshop and West Hartford Pride, Inc. Through this partnership, the two organizations strive to foster community through literacy and create a safe, welcoming, and intentional third space where LGBTQIA+ voices are uplifted and empowered.

The inaugural event tells the story of Roger Butler, the first man to voluntarily come out to the British public under his own name, a decade before activists began urging others to do the same. The Light of Day, co-authored by Christopher Stephens and Louise Radnofsky, traces Roger’s role in the fight for gay rights in Britain and his decades-long friendship with Stephens, who inherited Roger’s memoirs and unsent letters after his death. Christopher Stephens is an academic based in southwest London and CEO of an educational charity focused on issues of contemporary social importance. Louise Radnofsky is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Washington, D.C., and a longtime friend of Stephens.

An audience Q&A and book signing will follow the talk. General admission is $10, with all proceeds donated to West Hartford Pride, Inc. For tickets, visit Pride Author Series: The Light of Day. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.; copies of The Light of Day will be available for purchase at checkout or at the event.

River Bend Bookshop is an independent bookstore located at 224 Park Road in West Hartford, CT and at 2400 Main St. in Glastonbury, CT. For more information, visit riverbendbookshop.com/events.

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