12 / matters magazine / spring 2018 “B ooks are the plane, and the train, and the road,” wrote Anna Quindlen. “They are the des- tination, and the journey. They are home.” Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Quindlen, along with about 70 other vibrant authors, will be calling our neck of the woods their literary home at the sec- ond annual Maplewood-South Orange Book Festi- val June 8 and 9. During last year’s inaugural festival, more than 1,000 visitors met authors, attended panels, and celebrated the written word. South Orange resident Robert Lasner, the book festival’s executive director, is gearing up for the event’s second chapter. “Nobody got killed and nothing fell down on anybody,” said Lasner of last year’s foray. “We learned about things we would and wouldn’t do again.” While his wry sense of humor is evident through- out our discussion, his pedigree in the literary world is no joke. In 2015 Lasner, then editor-in-chief of IG Publishing, moved to South Orange from Brook- lyn along with his wife Elizabeth Clementson – the director of contracts at W.W. Norton & Co. – and his two sons, Everett and Conrad. Lasner initially took inspiration from the well- established Brooklyn Book Festival, but he’s quick to credit the MAPSO festival’s seasoned committee. The group includes Aileen Boyle, Melanie Conklin, Becky Kraemer, Sam Stoloff, Mollie Weisenfeld and Words Bookstore owner Jonah Zimiles. Lasner be- lieves all have helped foster a deep engagement in the community in order to grow the festival’s audi- ence and reputation. They’ve assembled an impressive group of au- thors. In addition to Anna Quindlen, best-selling Chapter Two The return of the Maplewood-South Orange Book Festival BY DONNY LEVIT