Local author Ben Purkert will read from and discuss his debut novel, The Men Can't be Saved.

Set in the world of the advertising industry, Purkert's novel explores themes of masuclinity, creativity and commerce. Hailed as one of the most anticipated books of the summer, it has received rave reviews in the Washington Post, Esquire, Kirkus and numerous other literature review publications.

Purkert is the author of the poetry collection For the Love of Endings. His work appears in The New Yorker, the Nation, and the Kenyon Review, among others. He is the founder of Back Draft, a Guernica interview series focused on revision and the creative process. He holds degrees from Harvard and New York University, and he currently teaches at Rutgers.