Join LILRC for a mother and son (literary) reunion! Best selling author Meg Wolitzer and her co-author and son Charlie Panek join LILRC to discuss their new middle grade novel, Found Sound (Penguin Random House, April 21, 2026). Meg and Charlie will be in conversation with their cousin, author William Stieglitz, Rachel and Abby 1: New Baby Brother;: Rachel & Abby 2: The Great Afikomen Search (Paw Prints Publishing, March 10, 2026), to discuss Found Sound, growing up on Long Island (Meg, William), and writerly family life. 

About Found Sound: 

“A delightfully harmonious mother-son collaboration from bestselling author Meg Wolitzer and audio-producer Charlie Panek about a sound-inspired scavenger hunt.

Felix used to love summer vacations, when his family would trade the bustling noise of New York City for the small-town quiet of Blissfield, Massachusetts. But summer hasn’t been the same for Felix since his bad-boy big brother, Dylan, left home and his genius younger brother, Miles, started attending a camp for child prodigies.

After Felix discovers a mysterious musical clue, he joins forces with Marigold, the eccentric girl who lives next door, to follow a string of clues on a sound-related scavenger hunt through town. From experimental musicians to frequencies that turn into pictures, the pair learn that sound is so much more than what we can hear. But as the hunt builds to a crescendo, Felix begins to wonder—and worry—about the secret identity of the anonymous puzzle-maker behind the adventure.”

Meg Wolitzer is the New York Times–bestselling author of The Interestings, The Uncoupling, The Ten-Year Nap, The Female Persuasion, The Position, The Wife, and Sleepwalking. She is also the author of the young adult novel Belzhar. Wolitzer lives in New York City.

Charlie Panek is a music and audio producer and editor. He crafts music from scratch using field recordings to turn next-to-nothing into something with restorative and creative problem solving. Panek recognizes that audio is crucial to successful storytelling across various mediums. Found Sound is his first novel.

William Stieglitz is a multi-genre writer and journalist and the author of the Rachel and Abby early-reader book series (Paw Prints Publishing, March 2026). His fiction and poetry have been published in the literary journals Moonlighting by Lit Pub and Goucher College’s The Preface, and his articles in Times Beacon Record News Media and Association of Jewish Libraries News and Reviews.

Code of Conduct

For questions, please email Eliscia Cirrone, ecirrone@lilrc.org.

Contact Hours: 1

Program Recording: Yes

Non-member Ticket Price (log into your account for Member pricing): $10.00

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