On a warm June evening, readers gathered at Bar Parisette for an intimate Chicago Literary Salon celebrating Artifacts, the debut novel by author Natalie Lemle. Over cocktails, conversation, and candlelight, guests stepped into a world where art, history, ethics, and memory intertwine—perfectly mirroring the themes of the novel itself.
The evening began with our signature cocktail hour, featuring the Dichroic Cup, a custom welcome cocktail crafted with and sponsored by Inspiro Tequila, our longtime salon partner. Inspired by the ancient Roman glass vessel at the center of Artifacts, the drink offered a playful nod to one of the novel's most fascinating objects.
Guests mingled over elegant hors d'oeuvres from Bar Parisette, browsed hand-painted bookmarks inspired by the novel's cover created by Katie Corcoran Art, and watched as Katie captured the evening through live painted guest portraits. Each attendee also received a copy of Artifacts, provided by our bookstore partner, Three Avenues Bookshop.
Following the cocktail hour, Chicago Literary Salon founder Ashley Hasty welcomed guests and reflected on the mission behind the series:
"Rather than rows of chairs and a one-way conversation, we create evenings centered around cocktails, cuisine, conversation, and connection."
That spirit was on full display as Natalie joined moderator Sheila Schuenemann of Booked & Busy Reader for a thoughtful conversation about the novel, her path to publication, and the complicated questions at the heart of cultural heritage.
Natalie shared that Artifacts grew out of a lifelong fascination with archaeology, museums, and antiquities. Although she now works as an art advisor helping contemporary artists find opportunities, the seeds of the novel stretch back decades.
"I actually wrote a bad version of what Artifacts became in my twenties. It'll never see the light of day. Very different execution, same characters, same themes. These are things I've been obsessed with for a long time."
That obsession eventually became a novel centered on a museum curator accused of accepting looted antiquities and an attorney forced to confront the ethical complexities surrounding ownership, provenance, and cultural memory.
Throughout the conversation, Natalie emphasized that while the novel is fiction, many of its questions are rooted in real-world debates.
"I'm really fixated on this question of where do objects belong and who gets to decide?"
One of the evening's most compelling discussions explored the challenge of repatriation—the return of cultural objects to their countries of origin. Rather than offering simple answers, Natalie encouraged readers to sit with the complexity.
"There are no straightforward answers."
She continued:
"We can be critical of museums for holding on to these things that may be products of colonialism. But the question of where they belong is not a straightforward one."
For many attendees, this tension is what made Artifacts such a fascinating read. The novel asks readers to consider not only who owns history, but who gets to tell its stories.
Natalie also spoke about her writing process, revealing herself to be a morning writer fueled by coffee, music, and a wonderfully cluttered desk.
"It's so messy. I need to have a lot of things around me."
When Sheila asked whether she considers herself an author, writer, artist, or storyteller, Natalie's answer beautifully captured both her work and the spirit of the evening:
"I think I'm a storyteller."
The conversation flowed naturally from ancient Roman glass to archaeological digs, from museum ethics to film adaptation dream casts, creating exactly the kind of intellectually curious and deeply personal discussion the Chicago Literary Salon hopes to foster.
One of the greatest joys of the evening was its intimate size. Rather than rushing guests through a traditional author event, the salon format allowed attendees to continue the conversation over food and drinks, ask Natalie questions one-on-one, and connect with fellow readers around the table.
As the evening drew to a close, guests lined up with their books for personalized inscriptions from Natalie, ending the night with signed copies, painted keepsakes, thoughtful conversations, and new perspectives on the stories objects carry through time.
Special thanks to Natalie Lemle, Sheila Schuenemann, Bar Parisette, Inspiro Tequila, Katie Corcoran Art, Three Avenues Bookshop, and EEBauer Photography for helping create such a memorable evening.
We look forward to welcoming readers back on July 8 for our next Chicago Literary Salon featuring Kathleen Rooney and Man Overboard!.
Wednesday, June 3 | 6:00 PM | Bar Parisette, 2829 W Armitage Ave
Step into the shadowed world behind museum glass—where beauty, history, and power collide—with author Natalie Lemle, as she joins us for an evening of intrigue, memory, and moral complexity at the Chicago Literary Salon.
In her riveting debut novel, Artifacts, Lemle introduces Lena Connolly, a successful trusts and estates attorney drawn into a case involving a rare ancient Roman cup—one that may have been looted and illegally sold to a museum. What begins as a professional inquiry quickly becomes deeply personal, forcing Lena to revisit a long-buried past: a summer spent on an archaeological dig in the Italian Alps, where ambition, love, and mystery intertwined—and where everything she thought she knew unraveled.
As timelines blur between past and present, Lena must confront what really happened on the dig, the disappearance of her mentor, and the truth about the artifact at the center of it all. In a world where history is bought and sold, she is left to question who truly owns the past—and what it costs to reclaim it.
Your evening includes:
A signed hardcover copy of Artifacts from Three Avenues Bookshop
A handpainted bookmark by Katie Corcoran Art
A thoughtfully curated menu by Bar Parisette, featuring:
A welcome cocktail
Hors d’Oeuvres
An à la carte menu will be available for additional selections throughout the evening
A compelling conversation with Natalie Lemle, in conversation with Sheila Schuenemann of Booked & Busy Reader, on cultural heritage, museums, looted antiquities, and the hidden networks of the art market
Thoughtfully designed conversation prompts to spark reflection and connection—no prior reading required
Whether you’re drawn to art, history, or stories that peel back the polished facade of institutions we trust, join us for an evening that moves beyond the gallery walls—into the secrets, ethics, and human stories behind the artifacts we preserve.
Seating is extremely limited. Reserve your place today.
About Artifacts
For readers of The Cloisters and Counterfeit, Natalie Lemle’s debut novel offers an insider’s view into the world of stolen artifacts and the hidden networks that link museums to organized crime, when a woman is forced to remember the summer she spent on an archaeological dig in Italy, as everyone she knew then may now be in danger.
Successful trusts and estates attorney Lena Connolly is asked by a colleague to assist on a case: the Italian government claims an artifact was looted and sold to a museum illegally and is seeking repatriation. The object in question is a cup made of dichroic glass, which would have been rare even in Ancient Rome, let alone thousands of years later.
Lena has done everything she can to put the study abroad summer she spent on an archaeological dig in the Italian Alps behind her. Her dreams of being an archaeologist shattered when her mentor Cyrille disappeared and her enigmatic boyfriend Giamma went dark, but with this new case, the past comes roaring back.
Told in alternating timelines, Artifacts follows young Lena as she falls in love with both archaeology and Giamma on the streets of Torino while her adult self pieces together what truly happened on the dig, now a fully restored Roman villa with World Heritage status. The dichroic cup, Lena discovers, may have been taken from the very site she helped unearth.
Powerful and exuberant, Natalie Lemle’s Artifacts brings readers behind the museum glass and asks questions about cultural heritage and the historical preservation of our shared sense of humanity.
About Natalie Lemle:
Natalie Lemle studied classics and art history at Tufts University and earned an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College. She is the founder of art_works, an art advisory connecting contemporary artists with global companies, and previously worked in corporate relations at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She serves on the boards of the ICA/Boston and the Associates of the Boston Public Library. Artifacts is her first novel.
About Sheila Schuenemann:
Sheila Schuenemann is the creator of Booked & Busy Reader, a Chicago-based platform where she helps readers discover books worth their time. She has been reading 100+ books a year for over 11 years and shares curated recommendations with a community of more than 500,000 readers.
She is also the founder of the Booked & Busy Book Club, where she highlights one standout book each month and fosters thoughtful discussion among readers. Sheila is known for her approachable, insightful take across multiple genres including contemporary fiction and historical fiction, and her ability to connect audiences with stories that stay with them.