Join us at the shop as we welcome Michael Fine and his novel ABUNDANCE (PM Press). He’ll be in conversation with Co-Founder and Executive Director of Stages of Freedom, a Providence based nonprofit building community and programming around black life and culture in Rhode Island. The reading will be followed by a Q&A and book signing!

About the book:

Julia is an American medical doctor fleeing her own privileged background todeliver health care to remote African communities, where her skills really make a difference. Carl is also an American, whose experiences as a black man in the United States have led him to volunteer in Africa. The two come together as colleagues (and lovers) as Liberia is gripped in a brutal civil war. Then Julia is kidnapped by child soldiers on a remote jungle road, and Carl is "rescued" and evacuated against his will by U.S. Marines. Back in the U.S., Carl turns to a Rhode Island doctor who has been a mentor to them both. With the help of a smuggler, they return to Africa illegally and begin the dangerous work of finding and rescuing Julia. This is an unforgettable thriller grounded in real events. A short preface and several appendices add background on Liberia's complex U.S.-linked history, and a glossary illuminates Liberia's colorful Kreyol patois.

About Michael Fine:

Michael Fine, MD, is a writer, community organizer, and family physician. He is the chief health strategist for the City of Central Falls, RI, and Senior Clinical and Population Health Services Officer for Blackstone Valley Community Health Care, Inc., and recipient of the Barbara Starfield Award, the John Cunningham Award, and the Austin T. Levy Award. He was director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, 2011–2015.


About Ray Rickman:

Ray Rickman is a former State Representative from the College Hill area in Providence, who served as Rhode Island Deputy Secretary of State. Amongst his many pieces of legislation was a bill to create the position of State Poet Laureate.

Rickman, a long-time rare book dealer and former host of “Bestsellers” on Rhode Island Public Television, is considered a leader in the promotion of African-American history. He often lectures in the community on a range of cultural topics pertaining to African-American history and American literature.