How does art mirror and shape our lives? Can it transcend the boundaries of time, wealth, and circumstance? Debra Spark—whose previous work the Washington Post described as "richly imaginative" and "real world magic"— explores these themes in her new novel Discipline (March 15, 2024; Four Way Books).

Discipline is a propulsive literary mystery about family strife and devotion, ambition and authorship, and the abiding and mysterious power of art. Inspired by the life and family of Walt Kuhn (the painter responsible for the 1913 Armory Show that introduced Americans to modernism) and the scandal-ridden Elan boarding school that was forced to shut down in 2011, this richly drawn, suspenseful novel shows Spark at her most masterful.

She'll talk about her experiences researching and writing this deeply engaging novel and read excerpts from the book.

One day, Reggie Rupo is called out of his Spanish classroom for a punishment that takes him to northernmost Maine, and eventually the orbit of a famous painter. Decades later, Gracie Thomas, dealing with her own misbehaving son, goes to appraise an art collection on a Maine island, only to discover the pieces she most wants to see are missing. Discipline tells the story of the absent paintings — how they were made and what happened to them — while weaving between eras to examine the discipline of art and the art of discipline. Inspired by real people and events, the novel uses multiple mysteries to explore Reggie and Gracie’s relationship to art, ambition, family happiness, and love. How does art mirror and shape our lives? Can it transcend the boundaries of time, wealth, and circumstance?

Debra Spark is the author of four novels, two collections of short stories, and two books of essays on fiction writing. Her most recent books are the novel Unknown Caller and the essay collection And Then Something Happened. With Deborah Joy Corey, she co-edited Breaking Bread, a book of food essays by Maine writers to raise funds for a hunger nonprofit. A graduate of Yale University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she is a professor at Colby College and teaches in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. Debra Spark lives in North Yarmouth.

The book will be available for sale for those who wish to purchase a copy.