novel, The Maltese Falcon. Big things have been planned, including the following events:• A special screening on April 12 of The Maltese Falcon, John Huston’s 1941 film version, starring Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade. The screening will be held at The Campbell Apartment at Grand Central Terminal. This is one of my favorite bars in all of Manhattan.
• The Mystery Writers of America, New York Chapter, will host a series of panel discussions about author Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, and his book’s influence on subsequent crime-fiction novelists. These panel presentations will take place at the Mercantile Library Center for Fiction, an intimate space and a great setting for discussions.
-- April 3. “Authors Talk: The Influence of The Maltese Falcon on Your Writing.” Moderated by Chris Grabenstein and featuring panelists Peggy Ehrhart, Jack Getze, Chris Knopf, and S.J. Rozan.
-- April 8. “Tough Gals: The Influence of Sam Spade on the Contemporary Female Detective.” Moderated by Jane K. Cleland and featuring panelists Jillian Abbott, Alafair Burke, Cordelia Frances Biddle, Karen E. Olson, and Sharon Linnea.
-- April 15. “Letting Go: Books into Film.” Moderated by Jonathan Santlofer and featuring panelists Megan Abbott, Charles Ardai, Lorenzo Carcaterra, and Jillian Abbott.
• Two evening reading group discussions at the Mercantile Library Center for Fiction that will feature mystery writers as guests. All are welcome to come and share their views on this seminal novel. The reading groups will take place on April 10 and April 17.
• B.J. Rahn will offer walking tours through Midtown Manhattan, visiting locations influential to Hammett’s life and work. Tours will be held on April 19 and 26, and they will be approximately two hours long. Walking tours are one of my favorite ways of getting inside the skin of a character or real person, or events.
• On Tuesday, April 29, there will be a live performance of a Hammett story featuring New York stage actors. This performance will be done in the style of a 1930s radio broadcast and will be recorded for Black Mask Audio Magazine.
• Volunteers will read and discuss The Maltese Falcon with classes from various New York City public schools in conjunction with the Everybody Wins Foundation and Page Turners.
There are also other events planned in celebration of this gorgeous hard-boiled novel. Check out the Big Read home page for the complete schedule, which features a number of fun activities for children and families.
One of my favorite books by one of my favorite writers, being celebrated all over the city. Baby, it doesn’t get better than this.
READ MORE: “Great Writing Is No Mystery,” by Matt Eagan (The Hartford Courant); “Hello to ‘Goodbye,’” by J. Kingston Pierce (The Rap Sheet).
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