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      Pem Reads

      Cards on the Table with Jilly Gagnon

      Sunday, October 18, 2026 from 2—4 pm

      Cards on the Table book cover by Jilly Gagnon and Lana Harper

      Know before you go

      Included with admission

      Join us for an author talk with Jilly Gagnon followed by a book signing.

      In Cards on the Table, sisters Tori and Cassie Bishop find themselves in a locked-room murder mystery when their wealthy patron goes missing after a séance. The sisters — descendents of a victim of the Salem Witch Trials — can’t believe their luck when they’re hired as “witches in residence” at a mysterious gothic estate in the Berkshires. But can their magic and cunning save them from conniving family members and occult surprises?

      PEM Reads celebrates the art of literature and the creative act of writing through a year-round series of collaborative book club readings and author events, both in person and online. By gathering to read and discuss world-class literature and meet authors, PEM Reads seeks to deepen our sense of community and celebrate great storytelling. We hope you’ll join us!

      About our collaborators

      Jilly Gagnon
      Jilly Gagnon

      Jilly Gagnon is currently based in Salem, Massachusetts, but is originally from Minnesota, a fact she’ll likely inform you of within minutes of meeting you. In addition to Cards on the Table, she is the author of eight novels, most recently What If It’s You? Her humor writing, personal essays, and op-eds have appeared in Newsweek, Elle, Vanity Fair, Boston magazine and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.

      Stephanie Tung
      Stephanie Tung

      Stephanie Tung leads the interpretation and presentation of the museum’s growing photography collection, which spans the 19th century through today. A specialist in the history of photography of China, her research focuses on transnational art exchanges, global modernism, translation studies and notions of artistic labor. Formerly serving as PEM’s Assistant Curator and then Associate Curator with a focus on photography, Tung was instrumental in shepherding the 2020 acquisition of approximately 1,600 photographs by artists with ties to East Asia, a gift made possible through the generosity of the Joy of Giving Something Foundation.

      Tung holds a B.A. in Literature and History of Art and Architecture from Harvard University and an M.A. in Art and Archeology from Princeton University. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in Princeton’s Art and Archeology program with her dissertation, Pictorial China: Art Photography in the Republican Era, 1923–1929.

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